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The following summaries, lessons and tools provide both an overview and detailed information on the history of the U.S. in World War I. They are primarily intended for educators (in schools and other programs), but are useful to anyone looking for information on this subject.
These headings for these topics correspond to our Education Guide (created in partnership with Newspapers in Education.) » Download the guide
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Resource Collections
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» General
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» HISTORY – World War I History
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» Library of Congress: World War I
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» National History Day – Teaching WWI
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» Pritzker Miltary Museum & Library • Lest We Forget: Commemorating World War I
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» U.S. Army Center of Military History: General Resources | World War I
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» U.S. Army Center of Military History: World War 1 Centennial Website
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» 100 Years, 100 Legacies: The Lasting Impact of World War I
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Overview
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» The U.S. in World War I
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Infographic: World War I by the numbers
Visual guide to assorted statistics relating to the war. • HISTORY (History Channel)
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How the War Began
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» Europe and the World in the 19th Century
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» The European Powers and Alliances in 1914
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» Europe Goes to War
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Imperial War Museums • Learning Resources
Teaching tools and lessons (includes other eras). Focused on the British experience. Collection • Imperial War Museums (UK)
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In Flanders Fields Museum • Educational Services and Programmes
Lessons (middle- and high-school) and resources with a focus on the Belgian WWI experience. In English; mostly focused on local (Belgian) activities; may spur ideas for adaptation. Collection • In Flanders Fields Museum
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Imperial War Museums • First World War
Comprehensive collection of resource on Great Britain's World War One experience. Collection • Imperial War Museums (UK)
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The Western Front: 1914-1916
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Trench Warfare
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» Life in the Trenches
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Over the Top: Go Into History Itself
Online interactive adventure game that allows players to experience life as a World War I soldier (Canadian) in the trenches. • Canadian War Museum
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The World At War
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» Participants in World War I
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World War I Declarations
Articles from historical newspapers document the news coverage of many nations' declarations of war at the onset of the First World War. Collection, Newspaper • Library of Congress
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» Beyond the Western Front
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U.S. Neutrality: 1914 – 1917
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» Background: The United States in the 19th Century
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The Rise of Industrial America, 1877-1900
(Registration FREE for educators and students) Article • The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
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» The Debate over Intervention
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18 Minutes That Shocked The World
Short article on the sinking of the RMS Lusitania Article • Imperial War Museums (UK)
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» Relief Efforts and Volunteers
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U.S. American Volunteers in World War I, 1914-1917
Four interrelated lesson plans; part of a comprehensive curriculum on American Volunteerism in World War I. Lesson •
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America Enters the War
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» The U.S. entry into the War: Jan~Apr 1917
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Chronicling America: Uncovering a World at War
Students analyze newspaper articles to understand and discuss the diversity of public opinion regarding the U.S. entry into World War I. • National Endowment for the Humanities
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United States Entry into World War I: A Documentary Chronology (3 Lessons)
Three lessons: (1) Two Diametrically Opposed Views; (2) Some Hypotheses About U.S. Entry; (3) A Documentary Chronology. Can be used individually or as an integrated unit. Note the links to other NEH WWI-related lessons/units. • National Endowment for the Humanities
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U.S. Entry into WWI
Explores U.S. decision to go to war through the lens of President Wilson's speech and Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. Lesson • Stanford History Education Group
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World War I: What Are We Fighting For Over There?
Students will use historical primary sources to explore different perspectives on American involvement in the First World War. (Designed for 3 lessons, can be condensed into 1) Lesson •
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Zimmermannland
Students will analyze the context of the telegram from the perspectives of the U.S., Mexico, and Germany; examine the reaction in the Southwestern U.S. states that Germany promised to return to Mexico; and connect the Telegram's impact to today's U.S.-Mexico border issues. Download Companion Powerpoint Lesson • The National World War I Museum & Memorial
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UNRESTRICTED U-BOAT WARFARE: The German naval tactic of WWI
Article and video clip. Article, Video • The National World War I Museum & Memorial
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ZIMMERMANN TELEGRAM : Germany's secret proposal to Mexico, discovered
Summary, images, and interactive timeline. Article • The National World War I Museum & Memorial
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The Zimmermann Telegram
Online lesson involving analysis of the coded message and discussion on its impact. Lesson • National Archives
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» The Allies on the Brink: Revolution, Mutiny and Exhaustion
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Building a Fighting Force
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» Call to Arms: The Draft and Training an Army
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"Over There": Arriving in Europe
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» An Independent Army & A Race Against Time
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Artists Document World War I
Online activity and discussion, built around artwork of U.S. troops arriving in France. Lesson • National Archives
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» Wilson's Fourteen Points
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» Defeating the U-Boats: The U.S. Navy
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Wars, Conflicts, and Operations: World War I
Official Navy History site, with links to articles, images, biographies and more. • Naval Historical and Heritage Command (U.S. Navy)
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Americans at War
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» The American Doughboy
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» Immigrants
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» African-Americans
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The Harlem Hellfighters: Remembering the 369th Infantry Regiment
Study guide (includes link to 7 min video) with summaries and suggested discussions/activities. • HISTORY (History Channel)
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African-American Soldiers in World War I: The 92nd and 93rd Divisions
Examines the often contradictory perspectives on the service of African-American troops in World War I. Companion lesson to African American Soldiers After World War I: Had Race Relations Changed? Lesson • National Endowment for the Humanities
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African-American Soldiers After World War I: Had Race Relations Changed?
Examines experience of African-American troops in post-war U.S. society. Companion lesson to African American Soldiers in World War I: The 92nd and 93rd Divisions. Lesson • National Endowment for the Humanities
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» Native Americans
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» Women
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U.S. American Women's Volunteerism and Suffrage during World War I
Lesson • AFS (American Field Service)
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Extending Suffrage to Women
Online lesson to stimulate discussion of granting women the vote within the context of World War I Lesson • National Archives
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Women in World War I
Summary and links to images of artifacts, photos and documents from the Smithsonian's collections. • Smithsonian | National Museum of American History
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WWI – Women in the Navy and Marine Corps
Short article and poster/photo gallery. Article, Gallery • Naval Historical and Heritage Command (U.S. Navy)
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Behind the Lines
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» Morale, Comfort and Care
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The Homefront
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» Mobilizing America's Economy & Society
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Analyze a Poster
Poster analysis worksheet; useful for lessons on propaganda or homefront war effort posters. Lesson • National Archives
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Americans on the Homefront Helped Win World War I
Online lesson based on document exploration and analysis. Lesson • National Archives
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Comparing WWI Food Conservation Posters
Online lesson designed to generate discussion on aspects of the U.S. homefront Lesson • National Archives
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Baseball on the World War I Homefront
Online interactive lesson and discussion. Lesson • National Archives
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Birth of an Army: Spring 1918
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» Trial by Fire; Cantigny, Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood, and the Aisne-Marne
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» American Airmen: The U.S. Army Air Service
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» Devil Dogs: The U.S. Marine Corps
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» Sergeant Stubby
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On To Victory: The Hundred Days
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» The Final Efforts: St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne
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» Sergeant York
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» The Lost Battalion and Cher Ami
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The Armistice: November 11, 1918
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» The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month
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Making Peace
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» The Paris Peace Conference, the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations
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» The U.S. returns to Isolationism
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The Debate in the United States over the League of Nations (3 Lessons)
Three lesson plans: (1) League of Nations Basics; (2) Disagreement Over the League; (3) Five Camps: From Voices of Consent to Voices of Dissent. Note links to other NEH WWI-related lessons. • National Endowment for the Humanities
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The Aftermath
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» The Human Cost
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» The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19
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» Intervention in Russia
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Legacy and Remembrance
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» Impact of the War
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» America's Veterans & Veterans Day
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» Poppies
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