U.S. Entry into WWI and the Food and Fuel Control Act

Poster created by the U.S. Food Administration promoting that conserving food for the War is patriotic.

The entry of the United States into World War I led to the creation of copious administrations and acts proposed by the Wilson Administration. One crucial act passed by the Wilson administration in 1917 that would promote nationalism and patriotism and lead to the creation of essential administrations was the Food and Fuel Control Act, also known as the Lever Act. Although the Lever Act would not prove to be momentous initially, it fostered the creation of the U.S. Food Administration, the U.S. Grain Corporation, and the U.S. Sugar Equalization Board.¹ The administration that stood out and played one of the bigger roles for agriculture in the United States during the War was the U.S. Food Administration.

Because of the slow role the Lever Act was playing, Wilson took executive action and created the U.S. Food Administration in order to supply, distribute, and conserve food for the War.² The U.S. Food Administration gave the president the power to have control over most of the operations regarding food during the War. Wilson had the power to "facilitate transportation of food," halt any potential monopolies, and prevent any effort of hoarding.³ The Food Administration was very effective in targeting the United States as a whole. As farmers were already substantially affected by the War, the entry of the United States into World War I and the creation of the U.S Food Administration put pressure on U.S. citizen's patriotism and their agricultural efforts toward the War.⁴ The efforts to get food overseas was now not only in the hands of the farmers of America but also in the ordinary citizen's.