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Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was a British passenger ship that was sunk in 1915 carrying British and American citizens alike. The sinking caused a total of 1,998 deaths including 128 Americans. This angered America and turned citizens against Germany thus, made the nation one step closer to war.
This was a product of the German military tactic of unrestricted submarine warfare, where German troops used U-Boats to sink ships they saw as a threat, regardless if they were for the war. -
Zimmerman Telegram is Intercepted
The Zimmerman telegram was an intercepted piece of communication between Germany and Mexico. It was found to explain that in the case that the US joined the war, Germany would offer Mexico an alliance to help them annex territory they lost. Ultimitally, the Zimmerman telegram was the last straw in American joining the war. Less than a month later America abandoned neutrality and declared war on the Central Powers. -
American Protective League is created
The American Protective league was created as another way to protect American from outside influence, especially from german influence. The organization cooperated with the the Justice Department and the Bureau of Investigation during the war. The APL curtailed speech, assaulted and censored radicals during the war. -
World War One
World War One, also called the War to end all Wars, started in July of 1914 and ended 4 years later in November of 1918. In April of 1917 the US joined the war. The war was fought between The Central Powers and the Allies . WWI is known as one of the deadliest wars in history because of the new weapons and horrible living conditions. Once the war ended, The Treaty of Versailles was created that was meant to stop another tragedy but in the end it was just a bandaid on a bullet wound. -
American Expeditionary Forces is created
The American Expeditionary Forces was created to fulfill the need for troops in Europe, since British and French soldiers were weary of fighting. This program was greatly needed, and helped the Allies successfully defeat Germany. -
War Industries Board is created
In order to be more organized, the government created the war industries Board, which helped coordinate the selling, purchase, and standardizing of products between the US and its allies. This brought the war effort closer to many American families and communities, -
The National War Labor Board is established
The National War Labor Board was an agency created during the war to solve labor disputes. It was headed up by union members, corporations and the public. The creation of the NWLB showed that the Government was taking more control of the economy and corporations during the war. -
Espionage and Sedition Acts Created
The Espionage and Sedition Acts were another way that the government suppressed some rights for the sake of natural security during the war. The Espionage Act prohibited activities that were anti-war, such as criticizing the draft or speech against the war. The Sedition Act penalized those who were thought to be hostile towards America. -
Treaty of Versailles is signed
The Treaty of Versailles was the formal document ending WW1, which was signed by the Allies and Germany. The document ductated Germany disarm their military, take responsibility for the war, pay extensive financial reparations, and lose territory. -
League of Nations is created
The League of Nations was created in 1920 in order to achieve international cooperation between countries. It was the first intergovernmental organization to be created, and is an inspiration behind the United Nations we know today (although it failed to prevent WW2 and was overall unsuccessful).