Effect of World War I on children in the United States
[2] Additionally, as the male workforce left for battle, mothers and sisters began working in factories to take their positions, and the family dynamic began to change; this affected children as they had less time to spend with family members and were expected to grow up faster and help with the war effort.
This involvement changed the course of the war and directly affected children's daily life, education, and family structures in the United States.
[10] Of the men who survived and returned home, post-traumatic stress disorder created a major impact on society.
During this time, and still today, post-traumatic stress (then more likely to be known as "shell shock") was not fully understood, but because of the traumatic nature of battle, many men were negatively affected after the war.
Woodrow Wilson and the United States government, through these programs, funded a series of pamphlets, posters, bulletins, and speeches, which promoted strong nationalism and anti-German sentiments.
[4] These pamphlets also focused on a new movement of social efficacy, which strongly favored students growing as people and becoming involved, patriotic citizens.
[15] These programs also promoted things like volunteering with federal organizations such as the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and buying War Bonds to support the government.
An elementary pamphlet stated, "In teaching the war to young pupils, the appeal should be directed primarily to the imagination and to the emotions.
It is not enough that our pupils shall be informed of the events of the war...Their imaginations must be awakened and their feelings aroused to an appreciation of the significance of the great happenings of the times.
[21] Due to the large nationalist movement during World War I, many youth organizations were developed or expanded, including the Boy Scouts of America.
Additionally, they were involved in many acts that helped the national government, such as locating black walnut to use in war materials and peach pits for gas masks.
[3] For the third campaign, known as the "Wake Up, America" rally, beginning on April 27, 1918, 400,000 Boy Scouts embarked on a door to window program selling Liberty Bonds as well as war stamps.
This was partly due to the fact that they had moved away from their traditional roles and filled the factory jobs that the men were forced to leave in order to serve in World War I.
The girls who were in school during World War I were also learning about the importance of nationalism, and saw their mothers fulfilling traditionally male-dominated roles.
This desire for nationalism and exposure to wider opportunities helped to enable these girls to grow up and become involved in securing rights for themselves.
