Herbert Hoover Accomplishments

Herbert Hoover once said, "Our conception of the problem in the United States is that we should assemble the voluntary effort of the people…We propose to mobilize the spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice in this country." During the beginning of World War One, Hoover believed that Americans should want to help the war effort voluntarily, and that they should cooperate to help win the war. Many of the Allie’s soldiers were dying, and they counted on America to help supply them with food to continue the fighting. Hoover didn’t want to have a strict, government monitored rationing system, so he rallied Americans and fed the Allies without one. His belief in Americans was astonishing, because if Americans had not wanted, or not cared, this

A lot of these efforts came from the government, too. The U.S. Food Administration was organized to oversee the wartime supply, conservation, and distribution and transportation of food, on August 10, 1917. President Woodrow Wilson called future president Herbert Hoover to help manage the administration, and came up with a voluntary program that relied on American’s patriotism to support the war effort (Schumm, 2014). The Federal Food Administration also managed the amount and prices of food and making sure there was enough to satisfy the needs of the military and the general population. They also supported an agricultural relief program to keep farming alive in America, since all the farmers became soldiers and went overseas. The administration tried its hardest to soothe the worries that civilians had about food shortages (Welsh, 1982). Food shipments to Europe were doubled in a year, while Americans consumed 15 percent less in that same year because of local food boards being organized, canning demonstrations, and recipes with replacements of foods that were to be shipped to Europe. After the war ended, Hoover continued to send shipments of food the the people of Europe and soon was labeled the “Great Humanitarian” (Schumm, 2014). The government wasn’t the only ones helping though, the whole nation did

Many community efforts were made and shared throughout the whole nation. The sense of patriotism was very strong during this time. Posters pasted throughout cities urged people to reduce their household intake of meat, wheat, fats, and sugar. This was part of the voluntary program that needed to provide for U.S. troops and allies with food to keep them from starving. Clever motos were made up such as “Wheatless Wednesdays,” and “Meatless Tuesdays,” to make people think about what they consume. The people knew that they had to keep the troops fed to have a chance at winning. They often ate food that was hard to ship across sees, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, so they could send the heartier stuff overseas (Schumm, 2014). People realized food was a very important weapon in war because soldiers, civilians, and children require it to keep the cycle of supplying the Allie’s going. Food shortages often led to protests and riots, so the government was trying very hard to get everybody to do their part and save food. Food was so important, that it could possibly decide who would win the war. Things such as victory gardens were the people's way of helping their country also. They were small gardens that citizens threw together and grew their own food in. This became essential for winning the war (Lang,