Neiberg, professor of history at the U.S. “For most Americans, going to war in 1917 was about removing the German threat to the U.S. For the first time in its history, the United States joined a coalition to fight a war not on its own soil or of its own making, setting a precedent that would be invoked repeatedly over the next century. In April 1917, President Wilson stood before Congress and said, “The world must be made safe for democracy.” With those words, he asked for a declaration of war, which Congress gave with gusto. But after the Zimmermann telegram revealed Germany’s plans to recruit Mexico to attack the United States if it did not remain neutral, Americans were ready to fight. Even as Germany’s campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic put American sailors and ships in jeopardy, the United States remained aloof. For three years, the United States walked the tightrope of neutrality as President Woodrow Wilson opted to keep the country out of the bloodbath consuming Europe.
For African-American soldiers, the war opened up a world not bound by America’s formal and informal racial codes.Īnd we are still grappling with one of the major legacies of World War I: the debate over America’s role in the world. On the home front, millions of women went to work, replacing the men who had shipped off to war, while others knitted socks and made bandages.
It helped forge the military careers of Dwight D. The war shaped the writings of Ernest Hemingway and John Dos Passos. By the time of the armistice, more than four million Americans had served in the armed forces and 116,708 had lost their lives. The American Expeditionary Forces arrived in Europe in 1917 and helped turn the tide in favor of Britain and France, leading to an Allied victory over Germany and Austria in November 1918.
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