“Courage, Duty, Patriotism: The Missouri Home Guard during the Great War”

Synopsis:
The Missouri Home Guard was a volunteer organization during WWI that took over the duties of the National Guard that was federalized and sent “over there.” The Home Guard served on the home front by protecting war related production, maintaining law and order during strikes, and encouraging a pro-war sentiment among citizens. Service in the Home Guard gave men of all economic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds the opportunity to express their patriotism during a time period when anti-German sentiment and the Espionage Act required public conformity.

Speaker:
Dr. DeWitt is an alumna (History 1996), has taught at Missouri S&T since 2003, and is now an Assistant Professor in the History Department. Her research interest is the home front during World War I, specifically the experience of German-Americans. Published Degrees of Allegiance: Harassment and Loyalty in Missouri’s German-American Community during World War I in 2012. The Home Guard is her current book project that she hopes to complete this summer.
January 24, 2018 at 4:30 p.m.

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