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WWI
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Trench Warfare
(Pictured: Two British soldiers watching for German forces charging into no man's land.) Trench warfare was a type of combat where two sides fight each other in trenches. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
(Pictured: The two remaining crew members of the Lusitania right before their watery death.) Lusitania was an ocean liner that was torpedoed by the Germans due to suspicion the boat was carrying supplies for the British. Among the lives of those lost, some were Americans. America declared war on Germany in 1917. -
The Zimmermann Note
Germany sent a note to Mexico as a proposal: if Mexico allied with Germany, Germany would give them parts of the US. Germany was hoping to make an alliance with them if one needed aid. This began to shift public sentiment which in turn, pushed the US into the war. -
Spanish Flu
(Pictured: One poor infected individual.) Starting in January 1918, a deadly influenza virus ripped through the US. It traveled to Europe and all together, it killed more than 500,000 domestically and 30,000,000 worldwide. Symptoms can include fever, body aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headaches and fatigue. It was spread through contact with fluids from infected persons. -
Fourteen Points
The Fourteen points were President Woodrow Wilson's plan to end the war, prevent another, and achieve world peace. It called for no secret treaties among nations, freedom of the seas, free trade, and a reduction in arms. He also proposed the removal of economic barriers between nations, the promise of self-determination for national minorities, and a world organization that would guarantee the “political independence and territorial integrity of great and small states alike" a League of Nations. -
Espionage and Sedition Act
As the war waged on, people began to realize that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. They began to speak out about it, but the government was not happy. The Espionage and Sedition Act banned people from flexing their First Amendment muscles. Then comes along the Schenck vs. US Court case; a socialist protester was handing out pamphlets opposing the war. This case was brought to court and it was determined that handing out pamphlets obstructed the draft and was therefore illegal. -
19th Amendment
(Pictured: A women in her workplace.) The 19th Amendment was the amendment that granted women the right to vote. During the war, women worked in factories, and worked the jobs men were absent from. -
Treaty of Versailles
The signing of the Treaty ended the fighting and humiliated Germany. They had to pay for the damages down and surrender land.
