In April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany, marking the country’s entry into World War I. One month later, in May 1917, the government instituted the Selective Service draft, which required medical inspections of all men serving in the armed forces. These inspections indicated high rates of venereal disease among draftees and led to intensified efforts to reform the morals of American society. This reform process had begun at the turn of the century, when the social hygiene movement emphasized individuals’ moral responsibility to community and family. Crusades against prostitution, sexual immorality, and venereal disease were markers of the movement, as these all represented a danger to the moral and physical health of society.

The social hygiene campaign intensified with America’s entry into World War I, as the need for men “fit to fight” created a moral and social panic centered on rates of venereal disease. During the war, the focus turned toward how to keep soldiers “moral” and free from infection. Military officials created the Commission on Training Camp Activities (CTCA), which instituted “wholesome” recreational programs and sex education initiatives. Organizations at home too, such as the American Social Hygiene Association, educated citizens on the importance of health and hygiene, and were intricate parts of the public health campaign against venereal disease.

Even though soldiers were urged to do “their part” in avoiding venereal disease infection, the burden of blame still lay squarely on the shoulders of women. One branch of the CTCA, the Committee on Protective Work for Girls, was formed specifically to address what social workers viewed as increased numbers of young women who were not “professional” prostitutes engaging in sexual relationships with soldiers. The committee served to educate mothers and daughters about venereal disease and morality.

The gendered idea that women were responsible for upholding morality had social and political significance and informed much of the discourse surrounding venereal disease control. Government actions, such as the Chamberlain-Kahn Act (1918), allowed health officers and law enforcement officials to quarantine and imprison women who were suspected of having venereal disease. This measure suspended the civil liberties of many women and was one of a number of government policies seen as a violation of civil liberties. The Espionage Act (1917) and the Treason Act (1918) stymied freedom of speech related to anti-war sentiment. The quarantine of women suspected of having venereal disease offers a further example of the debates concerning civil liberties that occurred on the home front. This debate, however, was less visible than others and tied to important questions related to gender, sexuality, and women’s relationship to the state. The focus on venereal disease during World War I spotlighted women’s sexuality and its relationship to the maintenance of a physically and morally healthy democratic nation. Policing of women took on added importance in the context of World War I, and the control of venereal disease was the perfect vehicle in which government, voluntary, and medical officials enacted repressive measures against women.