Women During World War I

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The efforts made by American men and women at home throughout World War I had a tremendous impact on the American military and altered the outcome of the war. Women were remarkably supportive throughout the war by becoming nurses and filling in the jobs abandoned by soldiers, such as factory workers and government positions. The American government made survival overseas possible by promoting food conservation, and accelerated military supplies production. The United States’s notably effective home front is what made victory achievable. Women had on of the greatest impact on the World War I homefront efforts. When all the men were across the ocean fighting a war for world peace, the home front soon found itself in a shortage for workers. Prior …show more content…

Women wanted to work in the mines to help produce materials to make artillery and ammunition in the factories. Life in the mines was extremely difficult, dangerous, and physically demanding. Many women lived off of rations and commonly worked twelve hour days (Goldstein). However, finding work in the mines was extremely difficult for women and many only worked in the mines if it was a family business. Women sacrificed their safety for the war effort in various ways, and some even entered the military themselves (Women in the Progressive …show more content…

Food was necessary not only to feed America’s growing army, but to also help relieve famine in Europe. Four months after the United States entered the war, the U.S. Food Administration was established. The administration was established to manage war supplies, conservation, distribution, and transportation. The United States sent food to Europe for the war effort, and Hoover, who was in charge of the administration, did not want the government to impose rationing. So instead, the U.S. government encouraged limiting meat and wheat consumption through running food conservation advertisements in newspapers across the nation (World War I: The American Home Front).They include recipes for dishes using meat or wheat substitutes and propaganda for food conservation. Propaganda and war posters were an easy, and effective way of persuading the public to ration their food. Recognizing that a successful program had to reach out to all Americans, the agency distributed printed materials in several languages, which included Italian pamphlets in New York City, Chinese food conservation notices in Hawaii, and Spanish recipes in California. Slogans such as “Food will win the war” compelled people to avoid wasting their precious groceries and encouraged them to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, which were too difficult to transport overseas. Likewise,

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