Today in History: April 6
U.S. Enters World War I
Company I, 102nd Infantry, 2b Division, American Expeditionary Forces,
El Juan Studio, photographer, circa 1919.
Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991
On April 6, 1917, the United States formally declared war against Germany and entered the conflict in Europe. Fighting since the summer of 1914, Britain, France, and Russia welcomed news that American troops and supplies would be directed toward the Allied war effort. Under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, over two million U.S. troops fought on battlefields in France.
"I'm Hitting the Trail to Normandy So Kiss Me Good-bye,"
Charles A. Snyder, words and music, 1917.
Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
For three years, President Woodrow Wilson strove to maintain American neutrality. Anti-war sentiment ran across the political spectrum. Middle class reformers like Jane Addams as well as radicals like Emma Goldman opposed U.S. involvement in the World War.
Although he later supported the war effort, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, resigned over the Administration's failure to remain neutral. However, a series of incidents, including the loss of 128 American lives when German submarines sank the Lusitania, transformed public opinion. On April 2, 1917, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war, warning that "the world must be made safe for democracy."
The war mobilization effort placed tremendous demands on both American military and civilian populations. In a wartime speech, Samuel Gompers, President of the American Federation of Labor, noted that the U.S. work force was fully committed to victory:
The World War in which we are engaged in is on such a tremendous scale that we must readjust practically the whole nation's social and economic structure from a peace to a war basis. It devolves upon liberty-loving citizens, and particularly the workers of this country, to see to it that the spirit and the methods of democracy are maintained within our own country while we are engaged in a war to establish them in international relations…
The workers have a part in this war equal with the soldiers and sailors on the ships and in the trenches…They are demonstrating their appreciation and loyalty by war work, by loaning their savings, and by the supreme sacrifice. Labor will do its part in every demand the war makes. Our republic, the freedom of the world, progress, and civilization hang in the balance. We dare not fail. We will win.Samuel Gompers,
"Labor's Service to Freedom," circa 1917-1918.
American Leaders Speak: 1918-1920
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American participation in the World War permanently transformed the nation. In order to meet increased demands for goods, the federal government expanded dramatically, taking an unprecedented role in guiding the economy.
Active supporters of the war to preserve democracy, women made a step towards political equality when the Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised them shortly after the war. Meanwhile, military service and wartime jobs beckoned African Americans northward. In what is known as the Great Migration, thousands of African Americans left the South and its systems of oppression to face new challenges in Northern cities.
Airplane, Possibly World War I Fighter Plane, October 12, 1916.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920
This World War I hit was America's war anthem.
"Over There,"
George M. Cohan, music and lyrics, Billy Murray, performer
recorded 1917.
The American Variety Stage, 1870-1920
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Learn more about World War I in American Memory:
- Search the Today in History Archive on World War I for relevant features on the war, such as the sinking of the Lusitania, Armistice (Veterans) Day, the Saint-Mihiel Offensive, and General John J. Pershing, leader of the U.S. forces in Europe.
- Search the collection Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991 on World War to retrieve over 100 panoramic photos of battlefields and military life. Twelve photos associated with the battles of Meuse-Argonne are among these. During the Fall of 1918, more than 1,000,000 Americans fought with the French in this hilly region of France. Search on Argonne to locate these pictures.
- Search on World War in Historic American Sheet Music: 1850-1920 to find over one hundred pieces from the period of the First World War, including George M. Cohan's "Over There" and "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" by Jack Judge and Harry Williams. Cover illustrations and song lyrics contribute valuable information to our understanding of the popular culture of that time, with themes ranging from politics and patriotism, to racial stereotypes, to sentiments about home and family.
- Search the American Memory Collection of sound recordings to listen to some of the songs sung by the soldiers of the American Expeditionary Forces. For example, don't miss "Madelon (I'll Be True to the Whole Regiment)," "It's a Long Way Back to Tipperary," and "Over There."
- Search on the term World War in American Leaders Speak: 1918-1920 to find additional recordings of speeches on the subject of World War I. This collection includes a thirty-three-second speech by General John J. Pershing, "On the Battlefields of France," recorded on location and Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels' speech, "There Is No Rank In Sacrifice," honoring the naval heroes of the war. Don't miss World War I: An Introduction, part of the Special Presentation, From War to Normalcy, associated with this collection.
- View films shot during the First World War in the collection Early Motion Pictures, 1897-1920. Examples include films showing members of President Theodore Roosevelt's family who were active in the war effort:
- Read Mobilizing Woman-Power available in the collection Votes for Women, 1848-1921. Written by Harriot Stanton Blatch in 1918, this book emphasizes the importance of women's contributions to World War I.
"For Every Fighter a Woman Worker; Y.W.C.A.: Back Our Second Line of Defence"
Ernest Hamlin Baker, artist, 1918.
Prints and Photographs Collection - Search on the term 1916 AND 1917 AND 1918 in Origins of American Animation to see cartoons from the World War I era. See, for example, AWOL—All Wrong Old Laddiebuck, which concerns an American soldier in Europe after the 1918 armistice who goes AWOL only to be thrown in a guard house while his fellow soldiers go home: a cautionary tale for the troops.