Americaʼs leaders had trouble explaining why an obtuse European conflict, later known as World War I, demanded citizensʼ bodies and money. Then flags started to unroll, drums started to beat, and posters began to reveal The Enemy, wearing Kaiser helmets, and spiriting away little girls still dressed in their nightclothes. The propaganda was devastatingly effective. Few American males resisted the patriotic call of defending women and children, and did so in part by destroying The Enemyʼs women and children.
