South Carolina followed these events with intense interest through its newspapers, such as the State, in Columbia. Most papers in the Palmetto State mirrored this editorial published in the Columbia paper in March 1917:

If the United States is to survive as a self-respecting republic honorable among peoples of the earth, she must put on her armor. When the rest of the world is at war we should be strong enough to look with serenity upon the plottings of a desperate government and their ministers. 

South Carolina's governor Richard I. Manning supported the national war frenzy, encouraging all citizens to support the war in every way possible. He began by establishing a SC Council of Defense two months after Congress declared war. He encouraged citizens to buy Liberty bonds to help finance the war effort, and for families to cultivate “Liberty” gardens to supplement food at home needed for troops and allies overseas. Manning directed the Council of Defense to recruit patriotic speakers and send them out to all corners of the state to promote the war effort. Hundreds signed up to become “4 minute men,” a small “army” of speakers who gave patriotic four minute speeches in communities small and large. The federal Committee of Public Information had originally devised this plan for each state. It became a major arm of the propaganda effort to build support for the war effort.