At Tabernacle Baptist Church, which was draped in flags, the minister said in his sermon that it was “the call of God to fight for human liberty and for Him.” On the Sunday after war was declared, almost all the ministers in Raleigh preached patriotic sermons. One Wadesboro paper reported that “there is a great deal of interest being shown here in the impending war, and the President and Congress have the support of the entire community.” A mass meeting in Troy pledged loyalty and support. When America entered the conflict, there was a great outburst of patriotism.
Even before the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, 90 percent of the people favored building up the country’s armed forces. In many ways, World War I was a total war for the people of North Carolina. This is especially true of what military historians call total war.
Those are all part of war, but historians also study everything and everyone affected by conflicts.
When most people hear the word war they think of soldiers and sailors, guns and battles, death and destruction. See also: World War I- Part 3: Contributions to Victory on the Home Front Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of History
Reprinted with permission from Tar Heel Junior Historian, Spring 1993.
