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Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand set off a rapid chain of events. As large and powerful Russia supported Serbia, Austria asked for assurances that Germany would step in on its side against Russia and its allies, including France and possibly Great Britain. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the fragile peace between Europe’s great powers collapsed, beginning the devastating conflict now known as the First World War. -
Wilson Urges Neutrality
As World War I erupted across Europe, President Woodrow Wilson declared that the United States would remain “impartial in thought as well as in action.” At the time, a vast majority of Americans approved of Wilson’s policy of strict U.S. neutrality. Tensions between Washington and Berlin soon arose, however, as the Germans sought to quarantine the British Isles. Several U.S. ships on their way to British ports were damaged or sunk by German mines. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
A German U-boat torpedoed the British-owned luxury steamship, Lusitania, killing 1,128 people including 128 Americans. The disaster immediately strained relations between Germany and the neutral United States, fueled anti-German sentiment and set off a chain of events that eventually led to the United States entering WWI. -
Zimmerman Note
In the telegram, intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence, Zimmermann instructed the ambassador, Count Johann von Bernstorff, to offer significant financial aid to Mexico if it agreed to enter any future U.S-German conflict as a German ally. If victorious in the conflict, Germany also promised to restore to Mexico the lost territories of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. -
Creation of the CPI (Committee on Public Information)
The Committee on Public Information (CPI), was established and headed by George Creel. The CPI provided propaganda during WW1 to rally the support of American citizens for all aspects of the war effort. President Woodrow Wilson considered that public support was to the entire wartime effort. The Committee on Public Information was formed to create public unity, counter anti-war sentiments and to counter enemy propaganda. To promote a patriotic message and stifle any opposing messages. -
Selective Service Act
The United States formally entered the First World War, the U.S Congress passes the Selective Service Act, giving the U.S. president the power to draft soldiers. It managed the induction of 2.8 million men into the armed forces overt the next two years and abolished the much maligned bounty system. Initially targeting male citizens age 21 to 30, the draft was eventually expanded to include all able-bodied men age 18 to 45. -
Espionage Act
The Espionage Act prohibited many forms of speech, including "any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the Constitution, the government, the American uniform, or the flag. The government prosecuted over 2,100 people under these acts. -
Wilson's 14 Points
President Woodrow Wilson gave a speech to Congress that outlined Fourteen Points for peace and the end to World War I. Wilson wanted lasting peace and for World War I to be the "war to end all wars." Wilson wanted a strategy for ending the war. He set out specific goals that he wanted to achieve through the war. If the United States was going to fight in Europe and soldiers were going to lose their lives, he wanted to establish exactly what they were fighting for. -
Second Battle of Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne marked the turning of the tide in WWI. The American Expeditionary Force with over 250,000 men fighting under overall French command played key roles both in the initial defense and the later advances. In the Second Battle of Marne with 30,000 killed and wounded, the United States started suffering casualties on the enormous scale usually associated with the battles of the Great War. -
Paris Peace Conference
The Paris Peace Conference convened at Versailles just outside Paris. The conference was called to establish the terms of the peace after World War I. Though nearly thirty nations participated, the representatives of the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Italy became known as the “Big Four.” The “Big Four” dominated the proceedings that led to the formulation of the Treaty of Versailles, a treaty that ended World War I. -
Rejection of the Treaty of Versailles
The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles based primarily on objections to the League of Nations. The U.S. would never ratify the treaty or join the League of Nations. -
German Surrender in Compiegne, France
Hitler dictates that the French capitulation take place at Compiegne. Hitler intends to disgrace the French and avenge the German defeat. To further deepen the humiliation, he orders that the signing ceremony take place in the same railroad car that hosted the earlier surrender. Under its terms, two thirds of France is to be occupied by the Germans. The French army is to be disbanded. In addition, France must bear the cost of the German invasion. -
American Troops Enter Europe
Although the war began with Nazi Germany's attack on Poland, the United States did not enter the war until after the Japanese bombed the American fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Between those two events, President Franklin Roosevelt worked hard to prepare Americans for a conflict that he regarded as inevitable. -
America Declares War
Franklin D. Roosevelt walked haltingly into the House of Representatives at noon to request a declaration of war from the House and address the nation via radio.The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. No matter how long it may take us to overcome the premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
