America and World War I

WWI

100

How did Americans initially feel about the United States joining World War I?

Most Americans were against the idea that the United States should become involved in World War I. They felt that Americans had no business interfering with European problems.

200

While many did not wish for America to become directly involved in the War, what were some others ways that the United States found herself already involved early on in the war?

The United States helped out the Allies by shipping millions of dollars worth of supplies, ammunition, explosives, and vehicles.

300

What is the name of the domestic policy that suggested the United States stay out of other people's affairs, particularly those happening in Europe?

Isolationism.

400

How did Britain try to starve Germany into losing the war?

Britain set up a naval blockade in the North Sea and prevented ships carrying goods from reaching Germany. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Germans died because they could not receive important supplies like food and medicine.

500

The British naval blockade pushed Germany to engage in this warfare tactic:

Unrestricted submarine warfare.

WWI

100

What is the name for a German submarine?

U-Boat

200

Explain what unrestricted submarine warfare was.

If a German U-Boat commander saw any British or Allied ship in the North Sea, he could attack and sink it without any warning.

300

Because of the unrestricted submarine warfare, this event caused outrage in America and pushed the United States closer to joining WWI.

The Sinking of the Lusitania.

400

This man was the President of the United States during WWI.

Woodrow Wilson.

500

What was the Zimmerman note and how did it push the United States to declare war against Germany?

The Zimmerman note was a telegram sent from the German foreign minister to the German ambassador in Mexico. It essentially urged Mexico to join in Alliance with Germany and to fight the United States at her southern border to retake the Southwestern states of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico. Mexico looked into the possibility of doing this, but ultimately rejected it due to the expense and sheer stupidity of the plan.

WWI

100

What was the social environment like at home during WWI, particularly in regard to ideas, people, and things of German origin? Explain.

German-Americans and German immigrants were shunned and many lost their jobs simply for being of German descent. The overall atmosphere in America was very hostile to anything that could be seen as German. Music from German composers was not played, books by German authors were removed from libraries, towns with Germanic names changed them, etc. Violence was also a real possibility for German-Americans and was known to occur in a few instances.

200

Explain what the Espionage and Sedition Acts of 1917 were.

This was federal law which stated that any speech criticizing the government, war effort could be punishable by fines or even jail time. This included speech which was considered abusive, critical, or disloyal.

300

What amendment did the Espionage and Sedition Acts violate?

The First Amendment. Americans have the right to free speech, no matter if others agree with it or not.

400

What were some examples of how people were punished by the Espionage and Sedition Acts?

Newspapers who spoke out against the war lost their mailing privileges, people lost their jobs because of their views on the war, and some people were even sent to prison, deported, or both. Eugene V. Debs of the IWW was sentenced to prison for 10 years for publicly urging people to reject the military draft. Others, like Emma Goldman and Bill Haywood left the United States for Russia to avoid punishment by the US government.

500

What years did WWI last from? When did America join the war?

1914-1918. America entered the war in 1917.