Chapter 21, Student Web Activities, Texas and Texans, Glencoe, 2003

Chapter 21: World War I and the 1920s
"World War I and the Radio"

Introduction
World War I changed the world. The people of the time called the conflict the Great War, and they believed that never again would there be another like it. Although the United States tried to remain neutral, it eventually was drawn into the conflict. The war had a profound effect on Texans, touching on all aspects of life. In this activity, you will learn that the war even affected the newly emerging radio industry.

Destination Title: United States Early Radio History

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Directions
Start at the United States Early Radio History Web site.

Scroll down under the heading "Sections" until you reach the article Radio During World War One (1914-1919). Click on it.
Read the article about radio use during World War I.

Use what you have learned to answer the following questions.

1. What happened to all amateur and commercial use of radio when the United States entered World War I?

2. Three years earlier, with the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914, the United States declared that it was neutral in the conflict. How did President Wilson enforce this neutrality in regard to radio?

3. What was the dominant radio company in the United States in 1914? How did it react to Wilson's executive order?

4. How did the United States use radio to shape public opinion worldwide?

5. Imagine that you are a radio announcer. Select and research one of the people discussed in Chapter 21 who made an impact in Texas during World War I and in the 1920s. Examples include Marjorie and Katherine Stinson, Albert Sidney Burleson, Marcelino Serna, Marcos Armiji, Miriam Ferguson, Annie Webb Blanton, and "Blind" Lemon Jefferson. Then prepare a short broadcast in which you report the biography of the person you researched. Write your broadcast in the space below.