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| Preparedness Themed Lusitania Poster |
After the Lusitania sinking of May 1915, Americans began debating the need for military and economic preparations for war. Strong opposition to “preparedness” came from isolationists, socialists, pacifists, many Protestant ministers, German Americans, and Irish Americans (who were hostile to Britain). Just earlier, one of the hit songs of 1915, “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier,” by lyricist Alfred Bryan and composer Al Piantadosi, had captured widespread American skepticism about joining in the European war.
With the Lusitania tragedy, interventionists and sympathizers for the Allied cause like former president Theodore Roosevelt increasingly beat the drums for preparedness. Anti-interventionists made sure the song stayed popular. Roosevelt’s retort to the popularity of the antiwar song was that it should be accompanied by the tune “I Didn’t Raise My Girl to Be a Mother.” He suggested that the place for women who opposed war was “in China—or by preference in a harem—and not in the United States.”
Listen to the Song Here
Lyrics
Ten million soldiers to the war have gone,
Who may never return again.
Ten million mothers' hearts must break,
For the ones who died in vain.
Head bowed down in sorrow in her lonely years,
I heard a mother murmur thro' her tears:
Chorus:
I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier,
I brought him up to be my pride and joy,
Who dares to put a musket on his shoulder,
To shoot some other mother’s darling boy?
Let nations arbitrate their future troubles,
It’s time to lay the sword and gun away,
There’d be no war today,
If mothers all would say,
I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier.
Source: History Matters
The article “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier,” is a form of peaceful protest. Poets such as Sassoon and Owen used poetry to protest war to help bring awareness to the public. The song creates deep emotion where Americans from all different races, religions and gender can reflect and think about the trial's tribulation family's go through when sending their children to war. The voice of a grieving mother helped resonate with the public about the Great War and raise awareness of the sacrifice their children have to make for the country. In helping shape public opinion the goal of music is to use diplomacy instead of men’s lives to solve common problems. During different conflicts such as Vietnam songwriters such as Bob Dylan helped shape public opinion with his song “ Blowin in the Wind.” A song is effective if it is easily remembered. Creedance Clearwater song “Fortunate Son” challenged war policies and created solidarity among anti-war protesters. Therefore, songs help shape public opinion toward war where political agendas can be challenged.
ReplyDelete"Let Nations Arbitrate their Future Troubles....".
ReplyDeleteNice idea, but as we are still seeing, you can't negotiate with a dictator who is determined to get his own way, and who lies to you.
Correct because negotiations become trapped between idealism and realism. Idealism is working on a peaceful solution. Realism is the reality of the situation. One example is Hitler and the Munich agreement, which gave him part of Czechoslovakia, where he promised not to take any more territory. Similar to Putin's plans in Ukraine.
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