Pacifism vs. Patriotism in Women's Organizations of the 1920s: Part B

Part B: Essay

Directions: Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs, and a conclusion. Use evidence from at least four documents in the body of the essay. Support your response with relevant facts, examples, and details. Include additional outside information.

Historical Context:

After World War I, most Americans wanted to avoid another such catastrophic war. Government officials and political organizations differed in their proposals for achieving this goal. Women's organizations and their members reflected this disagreement over the most effective means of achieving world peace. Some peace organizations, like the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), advocated mediation and dialogue among the powers involved in the world conflict. Other women's organizations, like the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), believed military preparedness was the best way to prevent war. In this climate, pacifist organizations were often attacked by organizations like DAR, who argued that members of pacifist groups were unpatriotic.

Task:

Using information from the documents and your knowledge of United States history, write an essay in which you:

• Identify and explain two arguments of peace activists that supported world disarmament

• Identify and explain two arguments of the Daughters of the American Revolution for military preparedness

• Discuss the policy used by the Daughters of the American Revolution of red-baiting pacifist organizations, and why it was often an effective if unfair tool for discrediting pacifists in the 1920s

Guidelines:

In your essay, be sure to:

• Address all aspects of the Task by accurately analyzing and interpreting at least four documents.

• Incorporate information from the documents in the body of the essay.

• Incorporate relevant outside information.

• Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.

• Use a logical and clear plan of organization.

• Introduce the theme by establishing a framework that is beyond a simple restatement of the Task or Historical Context and conclude with a summation of the theme.

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