Act1_WWI_103

Learning Module 2- Activity Two

Images of War[1]

General Information

Most of this activity will be completed in the computer lab on September 30.
As noted below, you are encouraged to prepare for the computer lab time by reading the relevant sections in the textbook and excerpts from an article written by George Creel who was in charge of the Committee on Public Information during World War I
Completion of the Computer Lab Activity Handout is worth up to 20 points
Attendance will be taken and counts 10 points.
You must be in the computer lab on Wednesday for credit. If you are more than 30 minutes late, you will not receive full credit.
If you are not registered to use the on-campus computer system, make sure that you complete that process before Wednesday. Assistants in the student computer labs can assist you in this process.

Central Question: Was the government’s decision to use censorship and propaganda in World War I a good or bad decision?

Learning Objectives

To consider the positive and negative impact of censorship and propaganda during wartime

To understand the tactics of censorship and propaganda.

To explore the rationale and actions of the Committee on Public Information during World War I.
To evaluate whether censorship and propaganda are necessary practices during wartime.

Historical Context:

When Woodrow Wilson asked a joint session of Congress for a Declaration of War on Germany in April 1917, many American citizens were against the war. As a matter of fact, the police had barricades at the Capital building to keep the war protesters at a distance.

Nonetheless, Congress agreed with Wilson and the United States joined England and France in the war against Germany, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire. Wilson effectively argued that the United States’ participation in that war was necessary to “make the world safe for democracy.” To assure a united home front, Wilson established the Committee on Public Information to that it would sale the war to the American public using censorship and propaganda (see pgs 649-653 & “Reliving the Past”).

Before Wednesday access/read the following information. By so doing, you can devote the all time in the computer lab to the web-based research:

Read and make notes and bring to class the information in the following:

The relevant sections in chapter 22 of the textbook: pages 649-653 & Reliving the Past.
George Creel’s “How We Advertised America.” Pay particular attention to the sections that are in boldface. This article is attached and posted to the class website.

Computer Lab Activity: September 30. LRC 201.

It is unlikely that you can fully complete the web-based research on censorship and propaganda during the computer lab timeframe. Therefore, select censorship or propaganda. If you have seen the video excerpt on censorship (located in Talon Net) or have earphones to hear the audio, you can select either censorship or propaganda. If you are not able to comment on the video excerpt, you will need to complete the work on propaganda.
Please note that there is a section on Creel’s “How We Advertised America” in the worksheet.

Access the information for these two sections and write answers to the questions about these two sections in the “Computer Lab Activity” handout.

Section One of this activity will ask that you consider the use of censorship of images during World War I. For this, you will view a video clip from the History of American Photography and additional photographs and paintings of trench warfare. The video excerpt is in TalonNet and this document includes a link to the photographs and paintings.

Section Two of this activity will ask that you consider the use of propaganda during World War I. For this, you will be asked to learn more about the basic concepts and practices of propaganda. Then, you will be asked to examine propaganda posters generated by the federal government during World War I.

Section One: Censorship

View the video, World War I which is located in TalonNet. Feel free to read along in the transcript. [Note: ignore the short portion at the end of the video clip on Tabloids.]

Review the photographs and paintings that were on trench warfare that were censored. See “Images of War.”
As you review these two sources, make notes on the differences between the non-censored images and the censored images.

Questions (included in the Computer Lab Activity):

The Committee on Public Information and Censorship:

1. Do you think that the US government was right to censor certain photographs of World War I? Why or why not? Be sure to provide one or two specific examples that support your answer.

2. How does Creel address the need for censorship in “How We Advertised America”?

3. Censorship & War: Do you think that the federal government should use censorship to keep the more brutal images from being published? Why or why not? Be sure to provide one or two specific examples that support your opinion. This time think about how media (newspapers, magazines, and television) publish visual images of conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Africa. Are these images censored? If not, should they be?

Section Two: Propaganda

Questions (included in the Computer Lab Activity):

Step One: Overview - Why Study Propaganda?

To better understand the concept and use of propaganda, review the summary pages on the following website. These pages explain the uses and methods of propaganda, which, in turn, you can use to interpret the posters generated by the Committee on Public Information in World War I.

Resource: Propaganda: Relevant Sections for this activity: Introduction, Common Techniques, World War I propaganda. Also consider the information in the assigned pages of the textbook: (1) Recovering the Past – Government Propaganda and (2) A Patriotic Crusade. These two sections will give you additional background on this activity.

Step Two: World War I Posters

Review the posters on “Fighting for Freedom – Propaganda in World War I”
Select a poster that you find most interesting and answer the following questions.

1. Imagine you lived in 1917 – 1918. What would be your reaction to this poster? What do you think that this poster tells you about America’s commitment in the war? How does this “message” make you feel? Be specific – include “label” of the poster and describe its contents --- images of people, colors, message, etc.

2. How does How does Creel explain the use of posters and other media during wartime in “How We Advertised America”? .Does he argue that this was propaganda? Explain.

3. Now look at the poster again, this time more critically. Analyze the image (s), the colors, and the presentation. What kinds of people are depicted? What event might the poster refer to? Who is the target audience for this poster and what is the poster asking that audience to do?

[1] Rewritten for traditional class: 9/27/09; updated: 9/27/2009