United States School Garden Army
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The United States School Garden Army (USSGA), was founded in 1917, during the tenure of President Wooodrow Wilson (who led America through the First World War).[1] Wilson described gardening as “just as real and patriotic an effort as the building of ships or the firing of cannon”,[2] and opined that "food will win the war".[3] The USSGA was set up to encourage gardening among school children, in the hopes of preventing a potential food scarcity after the War.[4]
Creation and Funding
Although the USSGA was created by the Bureau of Education,[5][6] it was and continues to be funded by the War Department.[3]
Response and Aftermath
The Federal Bureau of Education distributed Manuals and Guides across the nation to children aged 9 - 15,[7] and their teachers, the guide contained gardening information and soil health.[8] By Armistice Day, a large number of American children had answered the call to become "Soldiers of the Soil".[9] War Gardens are now known as Victory Gardens.[10]
References
- ^ Schumm, Laura. "America's Patriotic Victory Gardens". HISTORY. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ "Join the United States school garden army - Enlist now | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ a b ""Food Will Win the War," 1917 | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History". www.gilderlehrman.org. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Resources, University of California Agriculture and Natural. "United States School Garden Army, ca WWI". ucanr.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Dooley, Yvonne (2017-01-25). "The School Garden Army in the First World War | Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business". blogs.loc.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ United States School Garden Army, Bureau of Education. "Join the United States School Garden Army". War Posters - World War I. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ "MSU Libraries". MSU.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Hayden-Smith, Rose. ""Soldiers of the Soil": The Work of the United States School Garden Army during World War I". Applied Environmental Education and Communication An International Journal. 6: 19–29 – via Research Gate.
- ^ "Soldiers of the Soil – United States School Garden Army — City Farmer News". cityfarmer.info. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ "A short history of the victory garden, or how to get through the COVID-19 crisis by planting your own food". Los Angeles Times. 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2020-04-29.