Classroom Materials

What caused the United States to enter World War I?

In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson declared that neutrality in the Great War was "no longer feasible" and that the U.S. had to intervene to make the world "safe for democracy." What changed between...
Stanford History Education Group
Classroom Materials

U.S. Participation in the Great War

This introduction from the Library of Congress spotlights a number of primary sources documenting U.S. Participation in the First World War.
Library of Congress
Article

Unmanned Drones Have Been Around Since World War I

While drones may seem like a new phenomenon, the military began experimenting with unmanned aerial vehicles during World War I. This article by Jimmy Stamp from 2013 published in Smithsonian Magazine...
Smithsonian Magazine
Articles

Vande Mataram in the USA

From The United States World War One Centennial Commission, this website looks at the experience of Indian-Americans during the First World War by juxtaposing the German-Indian Conspiracy Trials that...
US WWI Centennial Commission
Article

War and Revolution in Russia 1914-1921

Russia signaled its withdrawal from World War I soon after the October Revolution of 1917, and the country turned in on itself with a bloody civil war between the Bolsheviks and the conservative White...
BBC History
Online Exhibition

War Fare: A Culinary Exploration of World War I

The National World War I Museum and Memorial addresses an often overlooked aspect of the war: food. In addition to reevaluating the effects of food on World War I and the home front, War Fare includes...
Article, Primary Source Interviews

Was the WWI U-boat a death trap?

Delve into the world of WWI submarines with this online article by Matthew Seligmann for BBC's iWonder guides. iWonder is an archived series of online articles from BBC, intended to provide "thought...
BBC
Online Exhibition

We Return Fighting: The African American Experience in World War I

Discover how post-WWI society built the foundations of the Civil Rights Movement with this online content from the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of African American History and Culture's...
National Museum of African American History & Culture
Short Video

WW1 Uncut: Weird and Wonderful Creatures

How were glow worms used during World War I? This six-minute YouTube video from the BBC show WW1 Uncut answers this question and describes the unexpected service of unique animals including slugs, sea lions and elephants.

BBC
Article, Short Video, Lesson Plan

World War: Choices and Consequences - Western Front at the Cinema

This short article about the 1916 British film Battle of the Somme looks at its effectiveness in stirring public sentiment during the war. From Facing History and Ourselves, this article is part of a...
Facing History and Ourselves
Downloadable Lesson Plan

When Flyers Flew: Analyzing "The Flight of Flanders" Poem

What was life like as an aviator in WWI? Why did flyers agree to take on such a dangerous job in the war? As middle school students review primary sources and analyze a poem written by a Royal Flying...
Article

When Paper Clothing Was the Perfect Fit

A cheaper, light-weight alternative to wool and cotton materials that were either scarce or too expensive to afford in countries ravaged by the war, paper quickly became a popular fabric for garments...
Smithsonian Magazine
Downloadable Article

With One Voice: The American Musical Experience of WWI

It is easy to forget music's power to sway public opinion. Examining popular music during World War I helps us understand the public's changing sentiments about the war effort from the pacifist song ...
Articles, Lesson Plans, Primary Sources

Modernizing America: 1889-1920 - Women & The American Story

A departure from years of isolationist policies, the U.S. entry into WWI signaled a change in the way Americans thought and felt about the rest of the world - a change reflected in their fashion. In...
New-York Historical Society