Council of Defense

When the United States joined World War I in 1917 the federal government and each individual state formed Councils of Defense. Arizona's Council of Defense was staffed almost entirely by volunteers and spearheaded activities ranging from household economy to save scarce food, to increasing production of goods needed by the troops, to "Americanization" of Arizonans born outside the US. The Arizona Council of Defense were disbanded at the end of the war in 1919.

Read About It

Use the document analysis sheet and the photograph analysis sheet to uncover clues about the people that created the documents.

• The Arizona Council of Defense : its purposes and a brief statement of its work, accomplished and under way
• A record of the activities of the Arizona State Council of Defense from formation April 18, 1917, to dissolution June, 1919
• Arizona Newspapers 1917-1919

Understand It

1. When were the Councils of Defense formed? When were they disbanded?
2. What were some of the things the Council of Defense did to help the United States win the war?
3. Why did the Council of Defense consider Americanization part of the war effort?
4. Who created the documents below? Are these documents objective? Why or why not?
5. How would you have helped the Arizona Council of Defense with the war effort? 

Explore More

Visit the websites below to learn more. Based on this new information, have your answers to the questions above changed?

For Students

• Department of the Interior: Americanization Pamphlets

For Teachers

• World War I: What Are We Fighting for Over There?