About WWI

Learn why veterans of WWI, in a racially integrated movement, marched on Washington D.C. in 1932 and how they created a camp at Anacostia Park.

As Western empires colonized more nations and grabbed more influence, travelers to previously distant regions like Africa and West Asia sent back rapidly reproducible images that made them accessible...

This red silk stole belonged to an Italian chaplain who worked in the 9th Field Hospital during World War I.

Besides mud and artillery, WWI armies had another critical condition to consider – the cold. Fighting in the cold was a war unto itself.

Soldiers, sailors and marines in World War I used a variety of visual and auditory signals to communicate over the noise of battle – including the trusty whistle.

Clad in his American flag suit, Uncle Sam has long been popular as the personification of the United States. His most famous depiction comes from a 1917 WWI poster.

Using it as food, fiber, medicine and recreation – even playing a role in religious rituals and warrior traditions – humanity has known cannabis for thousands of years.

As Black men and women strove to “make the world safe for democracy” in World War I they also faced battles for equality – overseas and at home.

“The Great Gatsby,” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, offers a vivid portrayal of post-World War I America.

Portable Communion sets allowed chaplains to bring the spiritual comfort of sacraments to service members wherever they were stationed, even under active bombardment.

In almost every country involved in WWI, propaganda played its part as a munition of the war.

This small charm highlights chaplains’ efforts to keep the bonds between service members close after the end of the war.

Not understood by outsiders – including Germans – Native American Code Talkers could send messages that the enemy could not decipher, successfully concealing battle plans and tactics which led to...

Native Americans, like millions around the world, were moved to action during World War I, highlighting a strong commitment in a global struggle that often overlooked their own rights and...

European empires convened in 1899 and 1907 to draw up "Laws and Customs of War on Land" among those who signed the agreements.