Departmental Reorganization Act
Encyclopedia
The Departmental Reorganization Act , also known as the Overman Act, was an American
law that increased presidential power during World War I
. Sponsored by Sen. Lee S. Overman, a Democrat from North Carolina, it gave President Woodrow Wilson
sweeping powers to reorganization government agencies "during the continuance of the present war and for six months after the termination of the war by the proclamation of the treaty of peace, or at such earlier time as the President may designate." (40 Stat. 556) With its authority, Wilson created the War Industries Board
, the National War Labor Board
, and the Committee on Public Information
.
, Mary Pickford
, ”America’s Sweetheart,” and Sarah Bernhardt
publicly campaigned for people to buy them. The campaign raised the then astronomical sum of $21 Billion. Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo even said of the bond drive: “Every person who refuses to subscribe…is a friend of Germany and is not entitled to be an American citizen” and “A man who can’t lend his government $1.25 per week at a rate of 4% interest is not entitled to be an American citizen.” Another popular slogan was “Lick a stamp, and Lick the Kaiser.”
and Frank P. Walsh
, it arbitrated disputes between labor and employers for the sake of the war effort and national unity. The slogan was “Labor will win the War.” Contrary to the phrase’s patriotic spirit, however, the War Department established the “work or fight” rule in 1918 which threatened any unemployed male with being immediately drafted. In response, union membership soared from 2.5 million in 1916 to more than 4 million people by 1919, with more than 6,000 strikes breaking out in wartime in protest against stagnant wages at a time of rising prices.
, it was the nation’s first propaganda agency. It made sure that all communication, either through art, newspapers, cartoons, or sculpture, did not exhibit anti-government tendencies or statements. Numerous silent propaganda movies were made, with such titles as “The Kaiser,” “The Beast of Berlin,” “To Hell With the Kaiser,” “The Claws of the Hun,” and “The Prussian Cur.” The massive propaganda campaign included 75,000 “Four-Minute Men” who gave four-minute speeches to drum up enthusiasm for the war effort. The speeches were on such topics as “Why We Are Fighting,” “Maintaining Morals and Morale,” and “The Meaning of America.” By war’s end, 7.5 million speeches had been made to 314 million listeners—Creel created the Division of Pictorial Publicity to spearhead official war propaganda art. He asked Charles Dana Gibson
, the creator of the “Gibson Girl” image and who was America's most popular illustrator, to assemble a group of artists to help design posters for the government. Famous illustrators such as James Montgomery Flagg
, Joseph Pennell
, Louis D. Fancher
, and N.C. Wyeth were brought together to produce some of World War I's most lasting images. Flagg drew and painted the “Uncle Sam” image saying “I Want You for the U.S. Army.” Seven million pamphlets entitled “How the War Came To America” were distributed as well.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
law that increased presidential power during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Sponsored by Sen. Lee S. Overman, a Democrat from North Carolina, it gave President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
sweeping powers to reorganization government agencies "during the continuance of the present war and for six months after the termination of the war by the proclamation of the treaty of peace, or at such earlier time as the President may designate." (40 Stat. 556) With its authority, Wilson created the War Industries Board
War Industries Board
The War Industries Board was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies. The organization encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency and urged them to eliminate waste by...
, the National War Labor Board
National War Labor Board
The National War Labor Board was a federal agency created in April 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson. It was composed of twelve representatives from business and labor, and co-chaired by Former President William Howard Taft. Its purpose was to arbitrate disputes between workers and employers in...
, and the Committee on Public Information
Committee on Public Information
The Committee on Public Information, also known as the CPI or the Creel Committee, was an independent agency of the government of the United States created to influence U.S. public opinion regarding American participation in World War I...
.
War Industries Board (WIB)
Established by the Council of National Defense under Wall Street broker and Democratic Party activist Bernard M. Baruch, it regulated much of the economy, setting production priorities for factories, and establishing centralized control over raw materials and prices. Mass production techniques were implemented in heavy industry to increase efficiency. The WIB required products to be standardized. It also conducted psychological testing to help people find suitable jobs. The WIB also dealt with labor-management disputes resulting from increased demand by freezing wages and forbidding strikes. With WIB direction, industrial output in the United States increased 20%. The downside, however, was soaring retail prices. Many large industrial firms resisted Baruch’s tight-armed tactics, especially U.S. Steel then headed by Elbert Gary. U.S. Steel made enormous wartime profits. Between 1915 and 1919, those profits equaled the wages received by the 2 million U.S. soldiers in France combined. Baruch threatened to take over U.S. Steel unless the company agreed to lower its prices. Gary sneeringly said that the government wasn’t capable of running the company. Baruch replied that he would get a 2nd Lieutenant to do the job. “But that won’t trouble you very much,” he added. “If those mill towns find out why we’ve taken over, they’ll present you with your mills -- brick by brick.” – Gary agreed to lower the prices. At WIB suggestion, the Treasury Department sponsored the selling of Treasury Bonds, called the “Liberty Loan Drives.” Such drives were pushed for by the War Finance Corporation (WFC) under Eugene Meyer. Popular actors and actresses like Charlie Chaplain, ”the little tramp,” Douglas FairbanksDouglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, ”America’s Sweetheart,” and Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
publicly campaigned for people to buy them. The campaign raised the then astronomical sum of $21 Billion. Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo even said of the bond drive: “Every person who refuses to subscribe…is a friend of Germany and is not entitled to be an American citizen” and “A man who can’t lend his government $1.25 per week at a rate of 4% interest is not entitled to be an American citizen.” Another popular slogan was “Lick a stamp, and Lick the Kaiser.”
National War Labor Board (NWLB)
Under former President William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and Frank P. Walsh
Frank P. Walsh
Francis Patrick "Frank" Walsh was an American lawyer. Walsh was especially noted for his advocacy of progressive causes, including decent working conditions, decent pay for workers, and equal employment opportunities for all, including women. He was appointed to several high-profile committees...
, it arbitrated disputes between labor and employers for the sake of the war effort and national unity. The slogan was “Labor will win the War.” Contrary to the phrase’s patriotic spirit, however, the War Department established the “work or fight” rule in 1918 which threatened any unemployed male with being immediately drafted. In response, union membership soared from 2.5 million in 1916 to more than 4 million people by 1919, with more than 6,000 strikes breaking out in wartime in protest against stagnant wages at a time of rising prices.
Committee on Public Information (CPI)
Under George CreelGeorge Creel
George Creel was an investigative journalist, a politician, and, most famously, the head of the United States Committee on Public Information, a propaganda organization created by President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. He said of himself that "an open mind is not part of my inheritance...
, it was the nation’s first propaganda agency. It made sure that all communication, either through art, newspapers, cartoons, or sculpture, did not exhibit anti-government tendencies or statements. Numerous silent propaganda movies were made, with such titles as “The Kaiser,” “The Beast of Berlin,” “To Hell With the Kaiser,” “The Claws of the Hun,” and “The Prussian Cur.” The massive propaganda campaign included 75,000 “Four-Minute Men” who gave four-minute speeches to drum up enthusiasm for the war effort. The speeches were on such topics as “Why We Are Fighting,” “Maintaining Morals and Morale,” and “The Meaning of America.” By war’s end, 7.5 million speeches had been made to 314 million listeners—Creel created the Division of Pictorial Publicity to spearhead official war propaganda art. He asked Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson was an American graphic artist, best known for his creation of the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century....
, the creator of the “Gibson Girl” image and who was America's most popular illustrator, to assemble a group of artists to help design posters for the government. Famous illustrators such as James Montgomery Flagg
James Montgomery Flagg
James Montgomery Flagg was an American artist and illustrator. He worked in media ranging from fine art painting to cartooning, but is best remembered for his political posters....
, Joseph Pennell
Joseph Pennell
Joseph Pennell was an American artist and author.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, and first studied there, but like his compatriot and friend, James McNeill Whistler, he afterwards went to Europe and made his home in London...
, Louis D. Fancher
Louis D. Fancher
Louis D. Fancher was an American artist and illustrator, notable for his drawings that appeared in books, in magazines, and on propaganda posters during World War I.-Life:...
, and N.C. Wyeth were brought together to produce some of World War I's most lasting images. Flagg drew and painted the “Uncle Sam” image saying “I Want You for the U.S. Army.” Seven million pamphlets entitled “How the War Came To America” were distributed as well.