Existing comment:
Reluctant Belligerent: Wisconsin Enters World War I:
-- 'Wisconsin is and always has been loyal to the Union, and there never was any justification for the suspicions created... about Wisconsin's attitude... The Spirit of the 1860s is still among us. The love of country and the flag is strong among our people." -- Governor Emanuel L. Philipp, 1919
Most of Wisconsin's Progressives steadfastly supported American neutrality in World War I. In fact, Wisconsin's Senator Robert M. La Follette led the opposition to increasing the size of the American military establishment in the years before American entry into the European War. La Follette and like-minded political leaders opposed President Wilson and, it seemed, all efforts with even the appearance of hostility towards Germany. As a result, many questioned the loyalty of Wisconsin when Congress declared war.
But despite the fact that 30 per cent of Wisconsin's population had been born in Germany or Austria, and despite the fact that nine of the state's eleven Congressional representatives along with its senior U.S. Senator had opposed the joint resolution of war with Germany, Wisconsinites responded willingly to the call to arms. Indeed, Wisconsin became the first state in the nation to complete the registration of its military-aged population, registering more than 218,000 men in a single day. By 1918, a total of 584,559 Wisconsinites had registered for the draft. |