The U.S. enters World War I



1. How did the United States raise an army?

In 1917 once the U.S. had declared war on Germany, they realized they were not prepared and severely lacked troops as only 200,000 men were enlisted in the armed forces. In order to fill this void, Congress passed the Selective Service Act. This act required that all men in the U.S. register with the government. Soon 24 million men had registered and of these 3 million were chosen to fight in the U.S. army.



2. How did U.S. soldiers help win the war?

U.S. soldiers helped to win the war by preventing German U-boat attacks by using the convoy system. With this sysytem, a group of destroyers would help escort merchant ships across the Atlantic. This greatly minimized U-boat attacks and by Fall of 1917, shipping losses were cut in half. Along with this newly introduced convoy system, the U.S. also deployed a large amount of troops in Europe who not only helped to win many decisive victories but positively impacted the spirits of the tiresome allied troops.

3. What were the estimated economic costs of the war?

The war was a very expensive one as its total cost was roughly 338 billion dollars. The United States suffered severe economic losses of approximately 32 billion dollars, 52 percent of the nation's gross national product during that time.



4. What did the war cost in terms of the number of civilian deaths; military deaths?; injuries?; and refugees?

The war was very costly in terms of deaths, injuries, and refugees. There were an estimated 22 million deaths with about half being civilian and half soldiers. In terms of injuries there were about 20 million wounded and as for refugees there were about 10 million.



5. Define armistice.

Armistice is a mutual agreement between opponents to end hostilities between them.

World war I Begins

1. What are the four main causes of World War I? Give an example for each as to why it was a cause.

Alliance System- Alliances between European nations caused a domino effect of countries declaring war when Germany and Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia

Nationalism- Caused Gavrilo Pricip to assassinate archduke Franz Ferdinand which in turn began the first world war

Militarism- European nations had greatly enhanced their armies in recent years to help protect colonies they established throughout the world

Imperialism- European nations, specifically Austria-Hungary and Germany who wanted to gain territory further South in order to access warm waters and gain new trade routes, sought to expand their territories across Europe and throughout the world

2. How did the June 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand become the spark for WWI?
After the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, Austria-Hungary sought to declare war on their longstanding enemy, Serbia. They asked Germany to help them in this war as Germany had the strongest military in the world at the time and was an ally of Austria-Hungary. When Germany agreed this triggered all of the European alliances to declare war on each other and thus began the war.

3. What happened within the first few months of fighting?

During the first few months of fighting, trench warfare originated along with the use of heavy artillery, barbed wire, and poison gas in battle. This combination of new-age technology made crossing open ground extremely difficult and entering enemy trenches impossible without heavy casualties. Both sides soon realized that military tactics had failed to keep up with new technology and consequently an unprecedented number of men died.

4. Generally, why did the United States want to stay out of the war?

The U.S. wanted to remain neutral simply because they did not feel it was necessary to enter the war without a legitimate cause or reason. They decided to engage in a policy of isolationism, which meant that they would remain neutral while trying to bring about peace in Europe.

5. Specifically, Why did the following groups of Americans tend to oppose U.S. participation in the war? Naturalized citizens; socialists; pacifists; parents.

Naturalized Citizens- these citizens so no valid reason to enter into a war that did not involve them and did not wish to see their nation brought down by a war that really only involved Europe

Socialists-These citizens did not wish to enter the war because they also saw no valid reason for entry and therefore this would be a direct contradiction to their ideals. They also knew that it would ruin the economy and the American way of life.

Pacifists- These people did not want to enter the war simply because they saw no way in which violence could be a solution to any problems and they did not want to see their fellow Americans killed in the senseless act of war especially without good reason.

6. How did Germany respond to the British naval blockade of Germany’s ports? What was the U.S. response?
When Britain initiated its blockade on Germany, which greatly relied on imports to supply food and raw materials for its people, Germany responded by continuing its unrestricted submarine warfare and attempting to destroy British ships. The U.S. responded to this by warning Germany to abide by international submarine laws or they would have no choice but to use force.

7. What forced the United States into the war?

The U.S. sought to stay out of the war until a German U-boat sunk the British ship, the Lusitania, which had been carrying 128 Americans on board. Even after this, president Wilson was still reluctant to declare war and simply gave Germany a stern warning, but after constant pressure from former president Theodore Roosevelt, several unanswered acts of violence toward the U.S. by Germany, and the discovery of a German telegram requesting that Mexico become an ally to Germany and declare war on the U.S., president Wilson finally felt it was necessary to declare war.

America as a World power

1. What role did President Roosevelt play in ending the Russo-Japanese War?

After Japan had asked Roosevelt for his assistance in bringing an end to the war he agreed and arranged a meeting in New Hampshire on his presidential yacht. They eventually came to an agreement and the Japanese accepted a substantial sum of money and also half of the island of Sakhalin.

2. What events led to the building of the Panama Canal? What happened regarding Columbia? (Be specific) Many Americans believed that the panama Canal was necessary because it would create a shortcut between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and would greatly shorten the time ships took to travel between the two. The U.S. needed permission from Columbia before building the canal however because Panama was a province of Columbia. When Columbia refused the residents of Panama ignited a furious rebellion.

3. What did the Roosevelt Corollary state?

The Roosevelt Corollary stated that the U.S. was willing to use force in protecting any economic interests it had within Latin America.

4. How did Taft use Dollar Diplomacy to enforce the Roosevelt Corollary on Nicaragua? (Be specific)

Taft used dollar diplomacy to enforce this by seeking to promote order and stability in foreign nations that would best promote American commercial interests and he demonstrated that he was willing to use force to do so.

5. Why did Woodrow Wilson invade Mexico?

Woodrow Wilson invaded Mexico because he viewed the Mexican government as oppressive and having poor leadership after Madero had overthrown Diaz and after a group of American sailors had been arrested in Tampico. This was a direct contradiction to Wilson's "Missionary Diplomacy" and therefore he felt it was necessary to invade Mexico.

6. What were three major foriegn policy goals achieved by the United States in the early 20th century. Be sure to provide an example or two of each.

1. The U.S. expanded its foreign trade successfully which greatly contributed to the U.S. economy-China, Japan

2.The U.S. gained economic power in Latin America by instituting the Roosevelt Corollary and "Missionary Diplomacy"

3.The U.S. expanded its military and moreover its naval forces to protect its international interests-Nicaragua, Mexico

Objective Assessment
As you view each photograph take note about what you see. (note people, background, objects) Pretend you were describing the image to someone who could not see it. Try to avoid making judgments. Where are these children? List any clues relating to their surroundings. Describe any tools or objects you see. Describe their clothing. What do their clothes reveal about their work?
Subjective Assessment
What questions do you have about each of these photographs?Based on your observations, list three things you might infer about the lives of these children. (Be sure to consider Hine's notes
about the photographs when considering this.

Photograph A: In this photograph there is a small, young girl seen in a cotton mill with a seemingly frightened expression upon her face. She is wearing raggy and dirty clothing from long, tough working hours and has dark brown braided hair. To her right are the few windows within the building and to her left are the cotton machines and she is standing in a narrow isle beteen them.

Photograph B: In this photograph there are five teenage girls standing in front of what appears to be a house in Macon, Georgia, with saddened and tired expressions on their faces. Their clothes are dilapidated and filthy so one can assume they endured rigorous labor.

Photograph C: In this photograph there is a small, female child appearing to be around the age of four or five standing in a cotton mill between two rows of milling machines. She is not wearing any shoes and her white dress has darkened with filth. She seems much too young to be doing any physical labor yet somehow she can still work steadily in this environment.

Photograph D: In this photograph there is a young boy selling newspapers on a busy street in St. Louis. He is wearing all black with a jacket, hat, and boots and has a saddened look on his face. There are a few men passing by on his right and do not pay any attention to him.

Photograph E: In this photograph there are several young boys working at a coal company in PA. They are covered from head to foot in dirt and the faces you can see appear bleak and miserable. Most of them are sitting down and appear to be looking through piles of coal.

Photograph F: In this photograph there are several teenage boys working at a Glass Works company in Indiana. Their clothes are torn and dirty and they appear to be working diligently. They seem to be very fatigued and appear tired.

Photograph G: In this photograph there are many adults and children shucking oysters at an oyster canning factory. They are mostly dressed in aprons and very focused on their jobs and they are all working at two long tables in the center of the room.

Photograph H: In this photograph there are several children going into a building to work the night shift on a cold winter night. They are mostly dressed warmly for the winter and appeared to be mostly around eleven or twelve.

One could infer that these children live hard, tiring lives and must have matured much more quickly than children today who do not have to do nearly as much work. One could also infer that these children lacked much of the things we consider necessities today.

Andrew Carnegie- A Scottish-American industrialist and founder of the Carnegie Steel Company which was at one point the largest enterprise in the world.


Social Darwinism- The idea that competition between individuals, groups, nations, etc. essentially drives social evolution.


John D. Rockefeller- An American indistrialist who revolutionized the petroleum industry by founding the Standard Oil Company and consequently becoming the first billionaire in history.


Sherman Antitrust Act- A requirement of the U.S. government to look into trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of violating the act which maintains competition by preventing one company from monopolizing an entire industry.


Samuel Gompers- The founder and president of the American Federation of Labor who worked most of his life to gain workers' rights.


American Federation of Labor (AFL)- A federation created in order to gain rights for wokers which was one of the first labor unions ever created.


Eugene V. Debs- An American union leader who was one of the founding members of Internation Labor Union and a prominent political figure.


Industrial Workers of the World- An international union comprised to assist workers which was at one time the biggest labor union in the U.S. and still exists today.


Mary Harris Jones -An Irish-American who was a prominent figure in for American labor and community organization.

Three major factors that contributed to the immense technological boom after the Civil War included wealth and natural resources, government support of business, and a growing urban population that provided new job markets and cheaper labor. Wealth and natural resources helped to contribute to this boom because the U.S. had a massive supply of untapped natural resources and potential wealth that if used could and did bring the U.S. a lot of money and a lot of products to trade with other countries and thus helped the economy. Government support of business also contributed to economic growth because the government would invest in businesses just starting out which would allow these businesses to grow substantially and a large number of businesses in the U.S. would stabalize the economy and allow for many new jobs.