Hello, I need help creating a wartime-Esque propaganda piece. This can relate to any industry, subject, amendment, or topic you find in the reading.docx (attached). Some topics include the Selective

Hello, I need help creating a wartime-Esque propaganda piece. This can relate to any industry, subject, amendment, or topic you find in the reading.docx (attached). Some topics include the Selective
America in the World War I Era The 20th century introduced a plethora of successes for the United States. So much so, that some predicted that the country would soon emerge as “the greatest of world powers” — a huge compliment to a still very young, developing nation (Foner, 735). While other powerful nations spent time and energy controlling empires overseas, the American empire was consumed by economic, cultural, and intellectual subjects, instead. The United States had taken over as the leading industrial power in the early 20th century, and by 1914, produced one-third of the entire world’s manufactured goods (Foner, 736). But American influence stemmed beyond manufacturing: its “open-door” foreign relation policy promoted the free flow of trade, investment, information, and culture (Foner, 736). President Woodrow Wilson’s “liberal internationalism” insisted that political and economic progress accompanied each other, and would inspire the “sincere efforts to bring freedom to other peoples” (Foner, 736-737). This resulted in a more hands-on approach to spreading freedom globally, which would eventually rationalize the American decision to enter World War I.  Prior to World War I, however, American interventionism became apparent in multiple parts of the world. President Theodore Roosevelt fought for a separation of Panama from Columbia, in order to build the Panama Canal Zone, a ten mile wide strip of land “short cut” that reduced the sea voyage between the East and West Coasts of the United States by 8,000 miles (this is because ships were now able to cut across Panama, rather than traveling all the way around the entire South American continent). The Panama Canal Zone represented a big step toward the Roosevelt Corollary, in which the United States was now able to exercise an “international police power” in the Western Hemisphere, making them gatekeepers of the modern world (Foner, 739). Leaders succeeding President T. Roosevelt, including President Wilson, believed that the United States had “a responsibility to teach other peoples the lesson of democracy,” which resulted in the policy of “moral imperialism” (Foner, 739-740). This resulted in a big oxymoron: United States presidents who spoke the most on the topic of freedom were most likely to intervene in the affairs (and freedoms) of other countries.  American presidents attempted to intervene in countries across the globe, including Mexico and various parts of Latin America. However, this time period is typically remembered by the events and outcomes of World War I, which at the time, was referred to as “The Great War.” The Great War was fueled by a multitude of underlying causes. In the early 20th century, many European nations had begun a mad-dash to obtain colonial possessions overseas (that is, extend their empires to include countries that they could control across the world). This resulted in a spider web of shifting and complicated military alliances, which were confusing and entangled. In 1914, Archduke of Austro-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. Austro-Hungary was a huge civilization at this time, and consisted of parts of modern day Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Of course, with this much land mass, and a huge population, Austria-Hungary was entangled in the complicated web of military alliances. So, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, the rest of the world and its military alliances were essentially expected to join the conflict. Accordingly, two major alliances resulted: the Central Powers, which included Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire (which was a major civilization that included modern-day Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Macedonia, Romania, Syria, parts of Arabia and the north coast of Africa) against the Allied Power Alliance, which included Britain, France, Russia, and Japan.  In the beginning, the Central Powers came out swinging–led by Germany and its modern war technologies (including submarines, airplanes, tanks, machine guns, and poisonous gasses), hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers were killed (Foner, 742). The ongoing manslaughter produced by European countries was shocking to the entire world. Many Americans were divided on whether or not they supported the war effort overseas: some sided with their country of origin, while others believed peace was the only way to enhance social justices in the United States. Progressive thinkers typically supported the war effort. When the war broke out in 1914, President Wilson proclaimed American neutrality. (However, the United States was funneling millions of dollars of loans and ammunitions to the Allied Alliance, despite an official “neutral stance”). But when the Germans sunk the British ship Lusitania and killed 1,198 passengers (including 124 Americans), ordinary Americans were outraged, and pushed for a policy of “preparedness” for the future. This expanded the American army and navy, and warned military alliances that the United States would enter when necessary (a bit of a threat to calm down warfare). This little threat worked–Germany announced it would be suspending the use of submarine warfare against noncombatants. But Germany did not play by the rules, and broke this claim, resulting in the sinking of several American merchant vessels. In March of 1917, British spies intercepted the Zimmermann Telegraph, a message from Germany to Mexico urging an attack on the United States (Foner, 744). This gave President Wilson a big reason to ask Congress to declare war on Germany, which he reasoned, “the world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundation of political liberty” (Foner, 744). The declaration of war was passed by an overwhelming majority of United States Congress.  Large numbers of American forces began arriving to Europe by the spring of 1918. After some shady information was leaked about the Allied Powers (the side the United States was now a part of) President Wilson had to convince Americans that the war was for the moral cause of democracy through the Fourteen Points, a clear statement of American war aims (Foner, 745). The federal government funneled millions of dollars of economic resources and manpower into the Great War. Nearly 5 million American soldiers (many of whom were drafted through the Selective Service Act) participated in World War I (Foner, 747). American soldiers entered warfare years after other countries, which brought in fresh bodies, new energy, and an infusion of resources to the Allied powers. The United States proved to be just enough to tip the scale in the Allies’ favor. Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies on November 11, 1918, which put an official end to the World War I. While it was proclaimed that the Great War was “the war to end all wars,” the Treaty of Versailles (the document that Germany signed to end the war) created terms that destabilized Europe, which laid the groundwork for an inevitable World War II. According to Foner, “to many people around the world, the Great War destroyed European claims that theirs was a higher civilization, which gave them the right to rule over more barbaric peoples. In this sense, it helped heighten the international prestige of the United States, a latecomer to the war” (Foner, 771). This was a devastating war for the entire world. By the time the Great War finally ended, an estimated 10 million soldiers were killed (that’s 3 million more than the entire population of the Bay Area). This does not even include the uncounted millions of civilians who also died as a result of warfare.  Americans at home also took part in the war effort by participating in programs, buying war bonds, paying significantly higher taxes, and accepting propaganda. The war effort shaped the behavior of Americans, and federally sponsored propaganda pieces told ordinary citizens what to buy, how to conserve, where to shop, and how to contribute. Aside from wartime industries, Americans participated in a variety of movements that would shape society over the next several decades. Progressive activists promoted ideas of prohibition, which was a campaign to ban intoxicating liquor sales and consumption (Foner, 752). It was argued that banning these substances would result in a more productive workforce, promote an orderly environment, and protect women and children from cases of domestic abuse. Prohibition, as a whole, would impose “American” values on immigrants, an additional push to “Americanize” the population. The push for prohibition resulted in the ratification of the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the sale of intoxicating liquor, beginning in 1920. This “Americanization” of immigrants was a common theme throughout United States history. Overall, many wanted to create a “homogenous national culture,” something that didn’t really make sense for a settlement society that was originally a place of refuge for religious freedom. By 1908, the United States had become a “melting pot” of cultures, where newcomers were to merge their identity into existing American nationality (Foner, 758). But, as one of my former history professors preached, America isn’t a melting pot, it is more of a stir fry, where many independent entities come together to make something amazing! Anyway, programs set to “Americanize” immigrants were very prominent in the early 20th century, and the Great War “strengthened the conviction that certain kinds of undesirable persons ought to be excluded altogether” (Foner, 759). Germans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Asian-Americans really faced harsh Americanization efforts and isolation throughout this time period, as segregation, by law and custom, was common in schools, hospitals, theaters, and other institutions in states with significant Latino/a populations. African Americans were also excluded regularly, and few were able to participate in American democracy. In a time period established around “progressive” thinkers, American reality did not always concur. Even the American armed forces remained segregated well past the World War I era. Segregation remained especially evident in the Southern states, which helped fuel the “Great Migration,” in which African Americans migrated to Northern states, following the promise of higher wages, opportunities in education, the right to vote, and the escape of lynching. However, the great migration was met with broken promises and great disappointment among the African American community, and opportunities continued to fall short. Throughout this era, women continued to fight for the right to vote (this was only 100 years ago!). Ending nearly a century of protest, the 19th Amendment solidified and granted American women the right to vote in 1920. Girl power!  In 1919, America faced a global pandemic (exactly 100 years before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted)! A worldwide strain of the flu killed over 20 million people globally, including 700,000 Americans (Foner, 768). This strain of the flu, paired with racial violence and 4 million American workers striking, created American upheaval. In addition, the Red Scare of 1919-1920 produced a brief, but intense period of political intolerance and social tensions, fueled by communist conspiracists (Foner, 770). The federal government feared ordinary Americans would follow the leadership of communist countries like Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh, who had openly turned to communist ideas. An Egyptian leader noted that American and British “liberalness…is only for yourselves” (Foner, 776). Ironically, however, when colonial citizens demanded to be recognized as independent members of international community, they often invoked the heritage of the American Revolution (which we often fail to recognize was the first colonial struggle that produced an independent nation). In the end, it was recognized that World War I “sowed the seeds not of a lasting peace but of wars to come” (Foner, 776).  How WWI Changed America: America Goes to War (5 minute vid) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyEqUvij4Bo&loop=0
Hello, I need help creating a wartime-Esque propaganda piece. This can relate to any industry, subject, amendment, or topic you find in the reading.docx (attached). Some topics include the Selective
In the World War I era, federal government agencies believed they needed to promote certain industries, ideas, and decisions to ordinary Americans, in order to produce support for the war effort. They embraced the successful techniques of advertising executives to produce thousands of propaganda pieces that urged Americans to support specific wartime industries, including purchasing bonds, rationing supplies, and joining the armed forces. This continued throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, and undoubtedly contributed to the decision-making process of ordinary Americans. Government producers of propaganda believed it was possible to “sway the ideas of whole populations, change the habits of life, create belief, practically universal in any policy or idea” (Foner, 748). It was a powerful tool that encouraged many Americans to support the war politically, socially, and especially economically. I love wartime propaganda. I find it fascinating that the federal government literally hired advertising executives to “sell war” to Americans throughout World War I (and other wartime eras, as we will learn about in the coming weeks). I did my entire MA thesis on the overlap of propaganda and advertising. So, this WA reflects my own selfish interests (but, in my opinion, is way more fun than answering long questions about this week’s information). You will be creating a wartime-sequel propaganda piece. This can relate to any industry, subject, amendment, or topic you find in the chapter or primary source documents assigned for this week (and it’s an information-heavy week, so I have no doubt that you will pick something awesome)! Some topics include the Selective Service act, liberty bonds, prohibition, Wilson’s Fourteen Points, or anything else. You can also be super creative and choose to create a propaganda piece based on the Progressive Era. Think outside of the box!  Once you have chosen your topic, you will compose a 1-2 paragraph summary that explains the topic to the viewer. In this paragraph you should include background information on what the program/decision/topic is, why/how it came to be, and why it is an important part of the Progressive Era or World War I era, historically. You should also include any details that you believe are significant about your topic, including when/why it was established, who benefitted, or anything that is unique about it. Please plan to include 1-2 quotes from the assigned texts to support your claims. Next, you will design a physical propaganda piece that sells your topic to the viewer. I want to look at your piece and think, “yeah, I would buy that.” It does not have to be an item that you are “selling”–you could push an idea, promote a program, or aim to help Americans accept a change.  You can draw your piece by hand and upload a photo of it or scan it, print out a photo and add words to it, create your piece in a powerpoint or word doc and upload it, or make it on any type of photo editing program. It is completely up to you and how you want it to look. You just need to sell whatever it is you are presenting. Your propaganda piece should include the following: 1. at least one large image 2. some type of slogan or short quote (brownie points if you can make me laugh) 3. the title or name of whatever it is you are advertising See examples at the top of this page or check out the Library of Congress WWI Digitized Archives (Links to an external site.) for inspiration! Once you have finished your propaganda piece, include the following on a Word Document: 1. a 1-2 paragraph summary that explains the topic to the viewer. In this paragraph you should include background information on what the program/decision/topic is, why/how it came to be, and why it is an important part of the World War I era historically. You should also include any details that you believe are significant about your topic, including when/why it was established, who benefitted, or anything that is unique about it. Please plan to include 1-2 quotes from the assigned texts to support your claims. (this is the same paragraph I have mentioned earlier in the assignment, I just want you to include it here).  2. How does your design promote or sell your topic from the World War I era?  3. Why did you choose to exemplify this topic in your submission? What is important about it?  4. In your opinion, is propaganda as prevalent today as it was in the World War I era?