VOICES FROM THE TIME

ED: In the past few weeks, the BackStory staff has been listening to speeches about America’s entry into World War I.

Now, we’re not going to lie. We love listening to these old recordings. And the more we dove into this audio, the more we experienced the excitement, anxieties, and fears of a century ago.

So we wanted to share with you some voices from that era. And they speak in very different ways. First, we’ll hear organized labor’s militant support for the war effort. Then we’ll hear some frankly disturbing anti-German propaganda. And finally, we’ll hear a stirring message for the troops.

SAMUEL GOMPERS: Fellow countrymen, our republic, our people, are at war. Whatever individuals may have thought upon the European situation before the Congress of the United States declared war against the Imperial German and Austrian government, that must now be laid aside.

War means victory for our cause or danger to the very existence of our nation. The workers have a part in this war equal with the soldiers and sailors on the ship and in the trenches. America’s workers understand the gravity of the situation and the responsibility that devolves upon them.

JAMES W. GERARD: Now that we are in the war, there are only two sides. And the time has come when every citizen must declare himself American or traitor.

And if there are any German Americans here who are so ungrateful for all the benefits they have received that they are still for the Kaiser, there is only one thing to do with them. And that is to hogtie them, give them back the wooden shoes and the rags they landed in, and ship them back to the fatherland.

JOHN J. PERSHING: 3,000 Miles from home, an American army is fighting for you. Everything you hold worthwhile is at stake. Only the hardest blows can win against the enemy we are fighting.

Invoking the service of our forefathers, the Army asks your unblinking support to the end, that the high ideals for which America stands may endure upon the earth.

ED: Those were the voices of Samuel Gompers, the head of the American Federation of Labor; James W. Gerard, US ambassador to Germany; and General John J. Pershing.

BRIAN: Joanne, Ed, a few minutes ago, historian Will Hitchcock talked about how quickly Woodrow Wilson flipflopped with America’s early entry into World War I. But the American public pivoted just as quickly as Wilson. And you could see and hear this in the popular culture of the time, especially the music.