Wartime Rights, Wartime Fights

A program for young people and teens grades 5 and up
Alternate program available for adult audiences
by Ann Bausum

Our national focus on the events of World War II and the decades that followed have left us under-informed about an equally significant period of 20th-century history: World War I. This presentation outlines key developments on the home front during that era that helped to shape the face of modern America. Traditions and values we take for granted today—from free speech to our commitment to the teaching of foreign languages to the treatment of immigrants from enemy nations—all evolved out of events on the home front during the First World War.

Drawing on the history presented in Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I, I outline these concepts and identify common threads that carry forward to modern times from this earliest global conflict. The program is illustrated with archival images and a generous assortment of the rich output of political cartoons from the era.

"Wartime Rights, Wartime Fights" serves as an excellent foundation for a discussion of the inevitable tensions that arise on the home front over civil liberties versus homeland security when our nation goes to war.

Length: approximately 40 minutes for the program, 10-15 minutes for questions

Technical requirements: LCD projector and projection screen

Audience feedback: Comments about this program by event sponsors and audience members are available at the Audience Feedback section of Author Visits.

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