American Homefront WWI

As over two million American soldiers boarded the transport ships bound for France. More than one million American women sustained the wartime labor force. A great many jobs, which had previously been considered “man’s work,” were being filled by women, in the factory, the shipyard, and the armed forces. Women plowed the fields, fixed the cars, delivered the mail, ran the elevators and the streetcars, and even wrote the traffic tickets.

President Wilson encouraged employers to pay female workers the same wages they had paid men but few did. Even worse, when the war was over and men returned to the workforce, a great many women were fired. Other women contributed to the war effort by volunteering. They served in the Red Cross, sold liberty bonds, and planted victory gardens. Others, like Jane Addams and Carrie Chapman Catt, raised public awareness by actively demonstrating against war and militarism.

As the war dragged on, the nation began to appreciate the valuable contribution made by women in the war effort, creating a prime opportunity for a change in women's civil liberties. On January 10, 1917, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns of the National Women's Party took action. For almost a year they paraded and picketed the White House demanding passage of a constitutional amendment granting women suffrage—the right to vote. Wilson was out of office by the time the 19th amendment was ratified, but there was no doubt that the new role of women in America during World War One was a catalyst leading to the right to vote. 

Society also had to come to grips with a new role for African-Americans. Like most Americans, African- Americans were divided in their opinions about the war. Many felt that African-Americans were victims of racism and should not support a racist government. 

At home, the war contributed to the large-scale migration of more than half a million African-Americans into the industrialized cities of the north. They provided the workforce desperately needed to produce wartime goods. In addition, immigration into America had slowed to a trickle, and many immigrants had returned to their native homelands, leaving more jobs to be filled. 

Despite the many women employed, companies were still short of workers. Many African-Americans were anxious to leave the south and its pattern of racial discrimination, low pay, and all-too-often life threatening conditions. Between 1892 and 1919, approximately three thousand African-Americans were killed by lynching, mainly in the south.

When northern manufacturing companies sent recruiting agents with free railroad tickets into the south looking for laborers, hundreds of thousands of men and women boarded trains and headed for cities like Chicago, New York and Philadelphia.

Get comfortable and watch this 9 minute video on Women in WWI. 

This 6 minute video about the Great Migration of African Americans during WWI.

One more 4 minute video about Alice Paul the suffragist. 

Comment on the Blog today. Tell us one thing you learned from each video. 

WWI: The end of the War

The Last Battles of The Great War

In August of 1918, the Allied commanders on the western front decided to go on the offensive. Starting on August 8th, a series of battles were fought called the Hundred Days Offensive. These battles included the Battle of Amiens, the Second Battle of the Somme, and several battles along Germany's Hindenburg Line. The Germans were pushed out of France and were forced to retreat back into Germany. 

 
People celebrating after the armistice 

Armistice 

By the end of the Hundred Days Offensive, the German forces were exhausted and running out of food and supplies. On November 11, 1918 they requested an armistice. An armistice is when both sides agree to stop fighting while a peace treaty is negotiated. The Allies agreed to the armistice and at 11 AM on November 11, 1918 the fighting in World War I came to an end. 

Treaty Negotiations 

The Allied Nations met in Paris at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 to decide the fate of Germany and the Central Powers. Although a number of nations took part in the negotiations, the major decisions and discussions were between the leaders of the "Big Four" nations which included Georges Clemenceau (Prime Minister of France), David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of Great Britain), Woodrow Wilson (President of the United States), and Vittorio Orlando (Prime Minister of Italy). 

 
The Big Four

Each of the four nations had different opinions on how Germany should be treated. President Woodrow Wilson felt that the best solution was to incorporate his Fourteen Points. He thought that Germany should not be blamed for the war or punished too harshly. However, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau felt that Germany was responsible for the war and should take the blame and be forced to pay large reparations. 

Treaty of Versailles 

The Treaty of Versailles was signed between the Allied Powers and Germany on June 28, 1919. This officially ended World War I. The treaty was extremely harsh on Germany. It forced Germany to "accept the responsibility for causing all the loss and damage" of the war. Germany was forced to disarm, give up land to France, and to pay reparations of 132 billion Marks (around $442 billion in 2015 money). 

New National Borders 

The map of Europe changed significantly after World War I. Several new independent countries were formed including Poland, Finland, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia. Russia became the Soviet Union and the Ottoman Empire later became the country of Turkey. Germany also had to give up some land to France. 

League of Nations 

As part of the Paris Peace Conference, an organization called the League of Nations was formed. The League of Nations was formed in an effort to establish world peace. Its member countries hoped to prevent wars by helping to settle disputes between countries. The League also aimed to establish fair labor conditions, improve global health, control the global arms trade, and protect minorities in Europe. The League was officially founded by the Treaty of Versailles and had 42 founding member countries. 

Interesting Facts about the End of World War I

• The United States did not sign the Treaty of Versailles, but established its own treaty with Germany.
• The United States also did not join the League of Nations which was first introduced by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen Points.
• The reparations that Germany owed from the Treaty of Versailles were renegotiated several times and were not finally paid off until well after World War II.


Four European Empires disappeared after World War I including the German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian Empires.

Please view "Ten Remarkable facts about WWI." 

Watch this video about the end of WWI.

Do this map puzzle of Europe. 

Battles of WWI

Where was most of the fighting? 

The majority of the fighting took place in Europe along two fronts: the western front and the eastern front. The western front was a long line of trenches that ran from the coast of Belgium to Switzerland. A lot of the fighting along this front took place in France and Belgium. The eastern front was between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria on one side and Russia and Romania on the other.

Major Battles 

A lot of the war was fought using trench warfare along the western front. The armies hardly moved at all. They just bombed and shot at each other from across the trenches. Some of the major battles during the war included the First Battle of the Marne, Battle of the Somme, Battle of Tannenberg, Battle of Gallipoli, and the Battle of Verdun. 

How did it end? 

The fighting ended on November 11, 1918 when a general armistice was agreed to by both sides. The war officially ended between Germany and the Allies with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. 

Credit: http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/ 

Watch these two videos on the 

Battle of Somme

&

Battle of Ypres

Finally, complete your worksheet using the following website. 

WWI: Wilson

Although World War I began in 1914, the United States did not join the war until 1917. The impact of the United States joining the war was significant. The additional firepower, resources, and soldiers of the U.S. helped to tip the balance of the war in favor of the Allies. 

When war broke out in 1914, the United States had a policy of neutrality. Many people in the U.S. saw the war as a dispute between "old world" powers that had nothing to do with them. Also, public opinion on the war was often split as there were many immigrants who had ties to both sides.

 
United States recruiting poster

 

When the Germans sunk the Lusitania in 1915, a passenger ocean liner with 159 Americans on board, the public opinion in the United States toward the war began to change. 

In January of 1917, the German leaders asked Mexico to join in the fight and in return Germany promised to return to Mexico that land that was once theirs - Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. 

 President Woodrow Wilson gave a speech to Congress on April 2, 1917 asking for them to declare war on Germany. In his speech he said that the U.S. would go to war to "fight for the ultimate peace of the world." On April 6, 1917 the U.S. officially declared war on Germany. 

The U.S. army in Europe was under the command of General John J. Pershing. At first, the U.S. had few trained troops to send over to Europe. However, the army was quickly built up through the draft and volunteers. By the end of the war around 2 million U.S. troops were in France.

 
U.S. troops marching through London

The U.S. troops arrived just in time to turn the tide of the war in favor of the Allies. Both sides were exhausted and running out of soldiers. The influx of fresh troops helped to boost the morale of the Allies and played a major role in the defeat of the Germans. 

Watch this video on Woodrow Wilson (3.33)

Comment on the Blog: 

According to the video:

What are two reasons that America wished to stay out of WWI? (There are more than two) 

What slogan did Wilson use when he was running for President?  

What did joining in the War effort do for the USA’s reputation?