Answer 1
Answer: Progressives saw the war as an opportunity to encourage social planning. They used the war effort to promote collective bargaining, the eight-hour day, protection of women and children in the workplace, and government housing projects. They also supported woman suffrage and prohibition.
Answer 2
Answer: Realizing that the war would be expensive, the Wilson administration financed the war by borrowing and raising taxes. In order to involve the American people directly in the war effort, the government promoted the sale of liberty bonds. To coordinate the economy and ensure efficiency, the government extended federal control through establishment of the Food Administration, War Industries Board, and United Railway Administration. They ensured labor peace by protecting and extending the rights of organized labor.
Answer 3
Answer: The typical black American soldier during World War I suffered from the same discrimination by American whites as he had experienced in civilian life. Blacks were generally used to support white military personnel in jobs such as stevedores. When fighting under French leadership, however, black Americans proved themselves as capable as other soldiers. Many American whites used the failure of the ill-equipped and ill-trained all-black 92nd division in the battle of the Argonne to support their view that black soldiers were not militarily capable.
Answer 4
Answer: The typical white American soldier during World War I was about 22-years old, 5-feet 7-inches tall, and weighed 142 pounds. He was often illiterate or uneducated and generally unsophisticated. His military experiences exposed him to many new goods and ideas, such as movies, the automobile, and razors. Inexperienced at first on the battlefield, American soldiers contributed to the success in several battles near the end of the war. Combat proved to be much less romantic than many of them had expected.