By the end of the first year of American involvement, tens of thousands of the nation’s soldiers had died (World War I). President Woodrow Wilson was concerned that large numbers of women wearing the traditional black or dark-colored mourning clothes would have a negative effect on public morale, diminishing the nation’s will, and eventually its ability, to win the war.
While black is a traditional color of mourning in Western cultures, I think the decision by AGSM (
American Gold Star Mothers) to wear white, rather than black, was a strong statement of how the women wanted to be perceived as they participated in the organization's business. Yes, they mourned their lost children, but white made a symbolic statement that went beyond mourning, a statement of peace, sacrifice, innocence and goodness. Those were the things that their children had been and had died for - wearing white celebrated their children's contributions while the gold star acknowledged their sacrifice.
Image Sources:
Adorevintage Pinterest. Article snippet from
Gold Star Moms -
