With One Voice: The American Musical Experience of WWI

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With One Voice: The American Musical Experience of WWI

It is easy to forget music's power to sway public opinion. Examining popular music during World War I helps us understand the public's changing sentiments about the war effort from the pacifist song "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier" to the rousing war anthem "Over There." This essay by Dr. Kristin Griffeath explores America's various responses to the war through music while also examining how music was used as a propaganda tool to encourage all Americans to do their bit for the war effort.