WORLD WAR I AND THE 1920S

Chapter 21

Section 1: International Affairs

United States Troops Enter Mexico

The outbreak of revolution in 1910 in Mexico soon became a concern for Texans. A man name Pancho Villa was using El Paso as headquarters to recruit thousands to fight against the new leader.

In March 1916, Villa and his men raided Columbus, New Mexico, several Americans were killed.

President Woodrow Wilson responded to the Columbus raid by ordering General John J. Pershing and 6,000 troops to San Antonio to purse Villa across northern Mexico. Pershing never caught Villa, but did keep him away from the border.

The presence of American troops on Mexican soil caused anger among the Mexican people and the government.

Section 1: International AffairsThe U.S. Enters World War I

The Great War was later called World War I.

The European Nations of France, Great Britain, and Russia had been at war with Germany and Austria- Hungary since 1914.

U.S. wanted to remain neutral but 1. German submarines sank ships carrying American

passengers2. German diplomat, Arthur Zimmermann send a coded

telegram to the German representative serving in Mexico, telling him to propose an alliance with Mexico, in the event that war broke out between Germany and the U.S. It also promised to help Mexico regain its lost territories of TEXAS, Arizona and New Mexico in exchange for Mexico’s support

April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war

on Germany.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKhgrCDkm0s

Section 1: International AffairsTexas Mobilizes for War

The United States was not ready for war. New soldiers had to be trained. Texas supplied almost 200,000 of those troops. (troops means soldiers).

Texas was wide open space; the army establish training camps at Houston, Fort Worth, Waco and San Antonio.

Kelly Field was built in San Antonio in 1917 and became the largest flight training school in the world.

Military units from Texas included the 36th Division, which was composed primarily of National Guard troops from Texas.

Camp Logan was just outside of Houston, this camp trained one group of African American soldiers. Tensions grew between the Houston Police force and the soldiers. In 1917 a riot broke out and 17 people were killed. After the war, Camp Logan was closed and today the land is Memorial Park.

Memorial Park Today

Section 1: International AffairsTexas Mobilizes for War

Women and the War

Mexican Americans were urged by their leaders to support the war effort. Although Mexicans living in Texas who were not citizens were not required to serve in the military, many volunteered.

One was Marcos Armijo, who worked in an El Paso print shop before the war, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross after his death

Many Texas women helped the war effort as:1. Nurses2. factory workers3. Farmers

“Do Your Bit”

“Do Your Bit”At Home in Wartime

“Do Your Bit”1. Texans took part in Liberty Loan Campaigns2. Bought Liberty Bonds, 3. Bought War Saving Stamps4. Gave money to Red Cross5. Voluntarily rationed, or cut back on food so more

could be shipped to the troops 6. Reduced the amount of sugar and fat in their diets7. Cut out foods on certain days of the week

The war heightened strong anti- Germany feelings8. Germans joined the army to shower their patriotism9. Others were forced to kneel and kiss the U.S. flag10.Governor Hobby vetoed funding for the German

Language Department at UT.11.German food – sauerkraut was renamed “Liberty

Cabbage”12.Germany Food- Frankfurter briefly became known as

“Liberty Sausage”

Section 2 A Return to Peace

Cotton Prices Fall

1920 farmers received $.42 per pound for their cotton. A year later, the price had fallen to less than $.10 per pound.

WHY!? The US military was no longer buying it to make uniforms and tentsThis means harder times for MOST Texans.

Section 2 A Return to Peace

Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan had been formed during Reconstruction by Confederate veterans who terrorized African Americans to keep them from participating in politics. – the Reconstruction Klan had died out.

A new Klan formed in Georgia in 1915. After World War I the Klan became active in Texas. Victims:1. African Americans2. Jews3. Catholics4. Persons of low morality

An Anti- Klan politician, Dan Moody became famous when he prosecuted Klan members for violent crimes. His Victory as Governor was a sign that MOST Texans were fed up with Klan violence.

Section 3: Progress in the 1920s

Blanton Fights for Better Schools

In 1918, Annie Webb Blanton was elected superintendent of public instruction for Texas. During her administration:1. The state raised School Taxes 2. Began providing free textbooks for children3. Better Schools Campaign- to influence voters to

give schools more Money

Section 3: Progress in the 1920s

Women and Equality

Women worked in jobs outside the home in about the same proportions as they had in early times, BUT more women were working in business and in the professions.

Women’s Joint Legislative Council, also known as the Petticoat Lobby supported the passage of laws:1. More money for Education2. Registered births3. Provided care for expectant mothers and their

children4. Regulate child labor laws in Texas

Women still :5. Received lower wages than men for the same job6. African Americans and Hispanic women were still

limited to domestic job and service jobs7. Not the same legal rights as men, particularly with

respect to owning and selling property

Section 3: Progress in the 1920s

Improvements in Transportation

Texans Enjoy Leisure Activities

The 1920s saw the end of the “Horse and Buggy” era in Texas. By 1922 more than one million cars and trucks were registered in Texas.

Texas was changing for a rural, agricultural state to an urban, diversified state, one of the by- products of this shift was an increase in the amount of time spent on recreational and leisure.

The first radio broadcasts were from science departments of UT, Southwestern University and Texas A&M. 1. News2. Sports3. Church services 4. Political speeches5. Drama 6. comedy

Section 3: Progress in the 1920s

Texans Enjoy Leisure Activities

The influence of African American jazz was so great in the 1920s that some historians refer to that decade as the “Jazz Age”

Sports:1. Hunting 2. Fishing3. Baseball4. NEW sport: FOOTBALL