Kentucky and the Great War: World War I on the Homefront by David J. Bettez (review)

David Bettez's book presents a detailed state history of domestic mobilization during the nineteen months in which the United States was directly involved in wartime hostilities during the First World War (April 1917–November 1918). He outlines Kentuckians' largely enthusiastic responses to food conservation policies, fuel conservation, war bond drives, conscription, and other wartime measures, all of which amounted to an unprecedented governmental involvement in individuals' everyday lives. At the outset, Bettez indicates that Kentucky presents an important case study for historians' work on the home front during the Great War, since the state was both "progressive" in its legislative efforts, and "regressive" in its enforcement of racial segregation and due to the presence of wartime lynchings. As such, themes of prohibition, women's suffrage, race relations, labor conflict, educational reform, and other Progressive Era crusades receive particular attention in this volume. Ultimately, Bettez concludes, "Kentuckians sublimated their differences to pursue a larger goal: supporting America's war effort. … Kentuckians of both genders; of all races, religions, political affiliations, and social backgrounds; and from all locales banded together to support the war" (302).

Yet this broad summary does not prevent Bettez from examining the ways religion, gender, regionalism, and race contributed to Kentuckians' different expectations and experiences of the Great War. In fact, what is particularly intriguing about his study are the individuals and communities that do not demonstrate this overt wartime enthusiasm. He uses Christopher Capozzola's term "coercive volunteerism" to describe how Kentuckians "were forced to adhere to certain practices, not necessarily under penalty of law [though such legal penalties did exist, particularly in regard to allegedly seditious speech and writing], but to avoid the approbation of their fellow citizens" (24). Bettez outlines the case of H. Boyce Taylor, a Kentucky Baptist pastor, accused of violating the Wilson administration's Espionage and Sedition Act because he objected to the privileged place afforded to the YMCA in army camps and some features of conscription laws. An even more revealing case involved arrests made with the aid of a primitive recording device (a Dictaphone planted inside a grandfather clock) at a German American's shoe shop, which resulted in a protracted legal battle over the nature of free speech, and whether private speech could present a clear and present danger to the nation in wartime. Kentucky's large population of German American residents allows an important perspective on Wilson's criminalization of wartime dissent, as Bettez concludes "stories about Kentuckians' opposition to the Great War reveal the dynamic tension between First Amendment free speech and what was perceived as seditious talk during the war years" (84). He outlines how Kentuckians conducted "slacker raids" in Louisville, like those in New York and other cities, using vigilantism to supplement wartime regulations.

Bettez presents an intricate level of detail and analysis, as each chapter discusses the background and brief biography of prominent Kentuckians involved in wartime committees, charitable work, governmental organizations, and military command. Given his encyclopedic coverage of names and various locales within the state, parts of this book would appeal primarily to readers looking for a thorough discussion of 1910s state history. This is especially true when Bettez writes in great detail about the composition of local draft boards and discusses at length the complaints of local draftees. Bettez relies heavily on Kentucky local histories, soldiers' and civilians' letters, state and local archives, and, in particular, Kentucky newspapers records. He supplements his narrative with small but well-chosen illustrations of military camps, recruitment and patriotic posters, and several photographs of Kentuckians interested in wartime boosterism.

If some portions emphasize a level of localism primarily of interest to state historians, much of Bettez's book proves broadly applicable. His discussion of the war's economic impact focuses on Kentucky's agriculture and mining operations, and his chapters on prohibition, women's suffrage, and child labor reform...