About WWI

African Americans made substantial contributions in WWI, on both the front lines and the homefront.

During World War I, families displayed blue star flags in support of family members serving in the military. If the soldier passed, the blue stars were replaced by gold stars.

The task of feeding soldiers during WWI was enormous and the logistics staggering. For the first time in U.S. history, a trained military unit was responsible for supplying the troops.

American servicemen returned from the First World War only to find a new type of violent conflict waiting for them at home.

Mail service has historically been a cornerstone of American life and communication, and that was especially true for those serving overseas during World War I.

On Jan. 16, 1919, after nearly a century of activism, the Prohibition movement finally achieved its goal to rid American society of “the tyranny of drink.” Passed by Congress on Dec. 18, 1917, or...

In his war address to Congress on April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson spoke of the need for the United States to enter the war in part to “make the world safe for democracy.” Almost a year in...

Indelibly tied to Americans, “Doughboys” became the most enduring nickname for the troops of General John Pershing’s American Expeditionary Forces, who traversed the Atlantic to join war weary...

By February 1917, the United States was on the verge of war, though the country was almost totally unprepared.

Temporarily on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., Woodrow Wilson signed Presidential Proclamation 1364 concerning the Declaration of War against Germany...

On March 1, 1917, the American public learned about a German proposal to ally with Mexico if the United States entered the war.

The Paris Peace Conference was held in France between Jan. 18, 1919 – Jan. 21, 1920 to finalize the peace between the Allied and Central Powers.

When the 19th Amendment took effect on Aug. 18, 1920, it followed over a century and a half of activism by and for women.

Grace Banker was the Chief Operator of the U.S. Signal Corps’ women telephone operators.

At the outset of World War I, women in the United States did not have the right to vote in national elections and could not serve in the military.