U.S. Involvements in
World War I
BY: Samuel T.
I created this web page based on this Georgia performance standard.
S
S5.4 The student will describe the U.S. involvement in World War I and post World War I America.a. explain how German attacks on U.S. shipping during the war in Europe (1914-1917) ultimately led the U.S. to join the fight against Germany including the sinking of the Lusitania and concerns over safety of U.S. ships
b. describe U.S. isolationism after World War I
c. describe the cultural developments and individual contributions in the 1920s of the Jazz Age (Louis Armstrong), the Harlem Renaissance (Langston Hughes), radio, baseball (Babe Ruth), the movies (Walt Disney), the automobile, and the airplane (Charles Lindbergh)
The Sinking of the Lusitania
On May 7,1915 the liner the Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat off the Irish coast.
In this sinking 1,198 died and 128 were Americans.
The next morning a warning to Americans not to take passage on British vessels was signed by the German Embassy. It appeared in morning papers on the morning the vessel was supposed to sail from New York Harbor but too late to accomplish its purpose.
The Germans made a point that the Lusitania was carrying munitions for the Allies on it.
The disaster of the sinking of the Lusitania led to wanting of immediate declaration of war.
President Woodrow Wilson sent a strong letter to Germany. In this letter he said, "Reparation so far as reparation is possible."
After this the Germans accepted the responsibility for the sinking of the Lusitania.
German Attacks on US Shipping during the War in Europe
German attacks on US shipping during the war in Europe made very many Americans angry. These outraged citizens wanted President Woodrow Wilson to declare war on Germany. The US entered World War I in 1917 after the Lusitania, a British cruiser, and many American merchant ships were sunk. The US was victorious in many battles with Allies and soon after, two years, the war was over and the Allied Powers won.
In 1914 U.S. soldiers engaged 4,734,991 enemy troops.
Their casualties were 53,402.
American troops later joined allied troops which were France, Britain, Russia, Italy, and Japan.
These countries went through many battles in World War I together and they ended up winning.
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|
Battles |
Result |
| The Battle of
the Marne
September 6-10, 1914 |
the German march to Paris that was stopped by the French forces |
| Tannenburg
and Masurian Lakes
August-September, 1914 |
At the end of this battle
the Russian military suffered a big defeat.
In London a decision was made to not tell
the British public the news. |
| The battle of
Verdun
February 21-July, 1916 |
The German forces launched an attack on Verdun to "bleed the French white" but the French fought the Germans back and the Germans had almost as many casualties as the French at the end of the battle and recovered the ground that was lost. |
| The
Battle of Somme
July1-November 18, 1916 |
The result of this
battle was that the British military won and 51 soldiers won Victoria
Crosses. |
| The Battle of
Gallipoli
February 1915-January 1916 |
The British lost many
of the battles in this campaign, but they still won. |
| The Battle of
Jutland
May 31-June 1, 1916 |
The German navy
lost this battle because their fleet was never again in the shape to
challenge the British navy in the North Sea. |
| Third Battle of
Yrpes
July 31-November 10, 1917 |
The Americans helped
rush the defeat of the Germans when the last shell fell on Yrpes. |
The Allies did not win all of these, but they kept on fighting for their countries. In World War I England also helped U.S. forces with 4,000 to 9,000 men and horses and 24 cannons.
In this war groups of 12,000 to 13,000 rifle men were called a division. Most of these men carried machine guns that could fire 500 rounds per minute.
The Navy was in the ocean with warships that had large cannons mounted on them. The warships could fire 6 explosive shells a minute and had a shot of 2 to 5 miles for each shell fired.
This is an American standard infantry rifle used in World War I. It was a very important part of the war, because it was used by many American troops.
The tank was another force on land that held explosive rounds that could destroy another tank in one shot.
Because of these destructive machines French and German troops combined had lost 976,000 men.
The Allies were taking a beating, but they still fought for their countries and freedom.
Even though we had better weapons and troops we were still in bad shape.
Our clothes were torn, ragged and our shoes had worn out.
Our soldiers still had their will to fight, and this helped them through the war to win it.
This was a joy for the US and its allies because they had won the war in tough conditions and times of doubt.
The Treaty of Versailles
After the war the Treaty of Versailles was signed by every country except the US. This was because the US did not want to join the League of Nations, because the US did not want to get in any other country's problems.
The Harlem Renaissance
After the war was over the Jazz Age started. One of the famous jazz musicians during that age was Louis Armstrong. There was another very important contributor after the war was over, Langston Hughes. He was a very famous writer during the Harlem Renaissance.
Babe Ruth
Another important event after the war was baseball. Babe Ruth was one of the best baseball players in US history. He hit about 60 homeruns in one season. Everyone admired Babe Ruth because he was so good at baseball.
Walt Disney
Walt Disney was the person who created Disney Land. This is where many people could visit and enjoy a good time. It opened in 1955, the first of its kind.
Charles Lindberg
After Walt Disney, Charles Lindberg invented the automobile and airplane. This helped revolutionize transportation in the United States. This helped get to places quicker. The airplane helped transport people to different countries and states, and the automobile took people to different places nearby.
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After the war many people were very sad when their loved ones did not come home.
This led to the creation of the Wall of Veterans to honor those that died in World War I.
These are some of the brave men that served in World War I.
This is a French Anti-Aircraft Gun that had just shot down a Zeppelin.
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