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Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the thrown of Austria-Hungary, and his wife were assassinated. The assassin was 19 year old Gavrilo Princip. Austria-Hungary is convinced that Serbia is behind the attack.
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Exactly one month after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. In turn, Russia began to mobilize troops against Austria-Hungary. This caused. Germany to declare war against Russia. By August 3, France and Germany had declared war on each other, followed by Great Britain declaration of war against Germany.
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President Woodrow Wilson declared American neutrality. American pledges to stay out of the fighting in Europe.
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Germany declared that the waters around Great Britain were a war zone and all ships , including those from neutral countries, would be attacked and sunk.
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A German U-boat fired on and sank the Lusitania, a British ship. The death toll was 1,198 including 128 Americans. The sinking of the Lusitania caused a major rift with Germany.
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Woodrow Wilson signed this law to expand the Army and National Guard.
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Germany announces that it will sink all ships carrying supplies to their enemies.
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Woodrow Wilson announces that in response to unrestricted submarine warfare, America will no longer have any dealings with Germany.
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The Zimmerman telegram was intercepted and decoded by the British. Germany asked Mexico to declare war on the United States. Germany promised Mexico the southern US when they were victorious.
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Communist rebels force Czar Nicholas to resign. Lenin will eventually become the leader of the country. Lenin withdraws Russia from WWI. Germany now only has a 1 front war.
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Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war. Congress officially declares war on April 6, 1917.
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The act required men between the ages of 21 and thirty to register for military service. By 1918, 24 men had registered for the draft.
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This act made it a criminal offense to publish or express information meant to interfere with the war effort or to promote any American enemies. In 1918, Eugene Debs, speaking in Canton, urged Americans to resist the draft and he was arrested.
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This government office managed the US food supply. Americans were asked to conserve food so there was enough food for soldiers.
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The first report of influenza, flu, were reported. A soldier reported a sore throat, fever, and headache in the morning. Within hours, over 100 soldiers were sick. The flu killed 30 million people worldwide.
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This law made it illegal to make fun of or talk bad about the US government or military.
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369th Infantry nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters successfully protected the town of Sechault for a year against German forces. The Harlem Hellfighters would win the Croix de Gueirre from France, the highest honor the country awards.
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Germany signs an an armistice agreement with the Allied forces. Armistice means cease fire. The agreement ended all fighting in WWI. Celebrations happened in major cities across Europe.
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Leaders of the Allied powers met in Paris to negotiate the peace treaty for WWI. The US, France, Great Britain, and Italy led the negotiations. Germany and Austria-Hungary were not part of the negotiations, they were simply presented the terms of peace.
