On June 3, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Defense Act, which called for the creation of a facility to produce nitrates for manufacturing munitions during the war and fertilizer during peacetime. The site selected, Muscle Shoals, was situated on the Tennessee River in northern Alabama. Construction began immediately on two plants and two hydroelectric dams to generate the power for the plants. Before construction was completed, however, the Great War ended, and public support for the project turned into suspicion of the government’s intentions. Many feared the project would give the government a hold on public businesses, creating an environment where private businesses would be unable to compete. Thus, the plants and dams fell idle as politicians, businessmen, and the public fought over what to do with Muscle Shoals.