Four Minute Men Propaganda Essay

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The 1917 entrance of the United States into World War 1 initiated many changes on the American home front. This included the use of public media as a means of spreading propaganda. Not long after President Wilson declared war in 1917 did he establish the Committee on Public Information in order to organize the American propaganda effort. An important division of this committee was the Four Minute Men Division. Serving as the vice of the government for the public, the Four Minute Men program served a significant purpose in keeping the American public informed about the war. They also spread governmental propaganda to the public through their short speech campaigns. Comprised of many talented and persuasive speakers, the Four Minute Men spoke…show more content…
During this time, a large portion of the country’s population was comprised of immigrants. This meant that there were many different and conflicting views regarding the United Stated participation in the war. Mention isolationist ideals Many German Americans wished to stay neutral and not become involved in the war. There were also many Irish Americans that did not want to go into the war on the side of the allies, mainly because of their previous relations with Great Britain. In order to combine the opposing views of the American people into a single unified mentality to support the US entrance into the war, propaganda had to be used. Propaganda is an effective tool in the way that it can be put into virtually any format, from speeches to posters to even music. Propaganda works as a unifying agent by appealing to the emotions of its intended audience, and by playing upon the nationalistic and patriotic ideals that were prevalent in many Americans in this progressive time. Much of the American propaganda of World War One was focused upon reinforcing negative feelings towards the enemy, in this case the Germans, in order to motivate the public to actively participate in the war

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