ABSTRACT
Among the first passed by Congress were the Liberty Loan Act and the Selective Service Act, designed to ensure adequate funds and men to fight a successful war effort.2 The War Industries Board, managed by Bernard Baruch, coordinated the nation’s growing industrial complex to ensure an adequate stock of military supplies.3 To secure an ample labor force, the government created the National War Labor Board, through which they offered unions fair wages, hours, and recognition of their right to organize and bargain collectively in exchange for no-strike guarantees. As a result, union labor received far greater recognition during the war than at any previous time. Federal officials also encouraged programs rationing various consumer goods, specifically food and scrap metal. Under the guidance of Herbert Hoover, the Food Administration encouraged all Americans to fast from certain foods on pre-designated days, and plant “victory gardens” in yards, vacant lots, and even one on the White House lawn.4 Through such agencies and legislation, the federal government met the physical needs of war: money, men, supplies, and food.
