Fay Wray Antiques
is now SALE PENDINGWW1 (1917) Cartoon Post Card. Illustrated in color is a boy in tears having been punished by an adult male leaving the room for some infraction, with the statement "I wish father was a German! I'd split and have him interned". Card condition is very good, card has a one cent stamp and was franked in Detroit Michigan in 1917, writing on the card is in pencil. See photos for more detail.
"When war began in 1914, America remained neutral. Ninety-four German cargo and passenger ships stayed in United States ports for safety. Their captains were afraid that British warships would sink them, causing the loss of cargo, crew, and passengers. At first the stranded Germans moved freely around the country, but once America declared war against Germany in 1917, they became enemies of the United States.
The presence of these Germans and their ships was both a problem and a solution for the United States. Many Americans were afraid the ships’ officers and crews were spying for Germany, but the American government could not send them back on the ships—the British would sink them. Something had to be done with the German passengers and crew. Since they were not in the military, they could not be considered prisoners of war and had to be treated differently. They had to be treated as internees.
And something had to be done with the ships—what would happen to them? The American government decided that they could be used to help to solve another problem the government had. Soldiers and war supplies had to be carried overseas to the war in Europe, but there were not enough American merchant ships to get the job done. So, ships needed to be built, but there was not much time or money available. In the end, American leaders decided to use the German ships to carry American soldiers and supplies overseas. This saved months of time that would have been spent building new ships and saved millions of dollars in building costs."
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Rare, WWI, 1917, Cartoon Post Card, Illustrated in color
$20 SALE PENDING
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