ANC - World War I Lesson

World War I

World War I - Origins

When World War I began in Europe in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson was determined to guarantee U.S. neutrality and keep the United States out of the war, but in 1915 the luxury liner Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine, killing most of the people on board, including more than 100 U.S. citizens. This led to a crisis between the United States and Germany that was only resolved when Germany agreed to abandon unrestricted submarine warfare that endangered U.S. trade and American lives. However, in 1917 Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, creating great anti- German feelings among Americans. This heightened tension led to the U.S. decision to enter the war.

World War I - Impacts

The war created jobs in Northeastern and Midwestern cities. African Americans, tired of living under the repression that was common in the South, moved to the North by the thousands and established themselves in ethnically distinct and culturally rich neighborhoods. This movement of African Americans was called the Great Migration.

During the war, laws were passed that prohibited people from speaking out against it. The Espionage Act of 1917 made it a crime to communicate any information that would interfere with U.S. military operations or aid its enemies. Wilson supported this law to silence critics and pacifists. The next year, labor leader Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist Party presidential candidate in 1904, 1908, and 1912, was convicted for hindering military recruiting by making a speech against it; he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Many people supported such laws although they violated the spirit of the First Amendment.

Social changes seen during the war led to two constitutional amendments. Americans' anti-German feelings led to a campaign to outlaw beer and other alcoholic beverages. This campaign well suited the Progressive Era's opposition to saloons. Congress passed the 18th Amendment, which prohibited "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors." Ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was helped by the country's gratitude for women's economic contributions during the war. The women had filled jobs in factories that the war created after men volunteered and were drafted into military service.

Isolationism

Before the United States entered the war, Wilson had given a speech in which he described Fourteen Points he felt were key to avoiding future wars. One point called for the creation of an international peacekeeping organization called the League of Nations. During the post-war treaty negotiations, Wilson worked hard to get as many as possible of his Fourteen Points included in the treaty and succeeded in securing the creation of the League of Nations. However, American opposition to the League of Nations ultimately led the Senate to refuse to ratify the treaty. Isolationists in the Senate believed that by joining the League the United States would become involved in future conflicts in Europe and elsewhere. Though Wilson traveled across America to create public support for the treaty's ratification, the Senate eventually rejected it. The United States never joined the League of Nations. View the following presentation that gives information about World War I and its impact on the U.S., and contains many examples of World War I Era posters.

 

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