-
Trench Warfare
Trench warfare was a type of land warfare using occupied fighting lines that significantly protected troops from arms fire and artillery. It meant that U.S. troops would be able to fight overseas despite the revolution in firepower with more defense. -
Period: to
WWI
-
Sinking of Lusitania
The American ship was sunk by a German submarine after Germany had waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom, killing over a thousand people. This turned the public of the U.S. against Germany and caused them to enter the war. -
Zimmerman Note
The Zimmerman note was a secret diplomatic communication from Germany that proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico. The message was intercepted by British intelligence, and revelation of the contents enraged the American public, which helped generate support for the U.S. entering the war. -
Espionage and Sedition Act
The act targeted people who would speak against the war or in favor of its enemies. This was to prevent spying, sabotage, and interference. It violated the first amendment because it made free speech a crime in those cases. Charles Schenck printed and mailed more than 15,000 fliers to men slated for conscription during World War I. The fliers urged men not to submit to the draft. Schenck was charged with the Espionage act, which the Supreme Court upheld despise the 1st amendment violation. -
Spanish Flu
The strain of the influenza virus caused rapid progressive respiratory failure and death through a cytokine storm (overreaction of the body's immune system). The viral infection itself was not more aggressive than any previous influenza, but malnourishment, overcrowded medical camps and hospitals, and poor hygiene promoted bacterial infection that killed most of the victims. It infected 500 million people around the world and resulted in 50 to 100 million deaths. -
Fourteen Points
The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The fourteenth point stated that "a general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike." This became the League of Nations. -
Women
The 19th amendment is an amendment to the Constitution that states that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Large numbers of women were recruited into jobs vacated by men who had gone to fight in the war. New jobs were also created as part of the war effort, such as in munitions factories. The government began coordinating the employment of women through campaigns and recruitment drives. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. Germany had to accept their responsibility and that of their allies for causing all the loss and damage during the war. It forced Germany to disarm, make substantial territorial concessions, and pay reparations to certain countries that had formed the Entente powers. This came to about 31.4 billion dollars at the time, which would now come to about 442 billion.
