This database includes articles, lesson plans and primary sources from the National WWI Museum and Memorial and our partners around the world, presented in collaboration with the United States World War One Centennial Commission.
Do you have resources that you want to share or have questions? Contact us at education@theworldwar.org.
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They Came to FightAfrican American Experience in World War ICreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialIn this lesson orginally created by Dr. Pellom McDaniels, III, Students will examine the conditions for African Americans living in the United States during the time of the Great War (1914-1918), paying particular attention to Jim Crow laws and the high rates of lynching in many states. They will learn about the Selective Service Act of 1917 and consider why African Americans were expected to serve a country that did not bestow on them full citizenship rights and allowed widespread and institutional discrimination.Download PDF |
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WWI Hero Henry Johnson Finally Receives Medal of HonorArticle by Sarah PruittCreator: HISTORY®Though Henry Johnson was hailed as one of the bravest Americans to fight in WWI, due to lasting racism in the U.S. it wasn’t until 2004 that he was granted the Medal of Honor. This article from HISTORY® tells his story from soldier to posthumous Medal of Honor recipient.Read Online |
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The Chinese Labour Corps at the Western FrontCreator: Commonwealth War Graves CommissionThe Chinese Labour Corps and its work is described in this article from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, along with information about the cemeteries in France that serve as many members’ final resting places.Download PDF |
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The Forgotten MarchCreator: National Parks Conservation AssociationIn 1924, U.S. Congress agreed to pay a bonus for military service during the Great War—to be issued in 1945. Desperate to support their families during the Great Depression, veterans of all colors marched in Washington, D.C. to urge Congress to release the promised funds prior to 1945. Learn more about the legacy of The Bonus March of 1932 through this article by Nicolas Brulliard for the National Parks Conservation Association.Read Online |
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We Return FightingThe African American Experience in World War ICreator: National Museum of African American History & CultureDiscover 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 exhibit, We Return Fighting: The African American Experience in World War I, which examines both the military and non-military lives before, during and after WWI.View Online |
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A Comparative Study of White and Black American Soldiers during the First World WarCreator: Jennifer KeeneThough the American military reflected the diversity of the U.S. population, federal segregation policies limited the visibility and opportunity of Black servicemen and women. From assignments to increased health risks, examine the contrasting experiences of white and Black soldiers with Dr. Jennifer Keene’s article, published in Annales de démographie historique.Read Online |
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World War I, African American Soldiers and America’s War for DemocracyTeaching Literacy through HistoryCreator: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American HistoryThis lesson plan provides an opportunity to analyze written texts and political cartoons in order to both understand the participation of Black soldiers in World War I and sharpen literacy skills related to the distinction between imply and infer. Students will answer two essential questions: How did World War I impact the lives of African Americans? To what extent did the patriotism of African Americans in World War I result in greater civil rights and racial justice?Download PDF |
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Art and Understanding World War ITeaching Literacy through HistoryCreator: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American HistoryThis three-lesson unit examines artistic expression from complementary perspectives of two American World War I soldiers. These works of art shed light on World War I in a compelling and very human way. Students will demonstrate what they have learned through their analysis of various primary sources with responses to essential questions.Download PDF |
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The Gladstone Collection of African American PhotographsCreator: Library of CongressThese images from the collections of the Library of Congress document African American participation in the First World War.Explore Online |
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Influenza Epidemic of 1918 (Spanish Flu)Topics in Chronicling AmericaCreator: Library of CongressBetween the spring of 1918 and 1919, a virulent and fatal influenza swept the United States. This guide provides information for researching the "Influenza Epidemic of 1918 (Spanish Flu)" in the Topics in Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers from the Library of Congress.View Online |
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The Influenza Epidemic: Educator ResourceHow WWI Changed AmericaCreator: U.S. WWI Centennial Commission, Doughboy FoundationThe 1918–1919 Influenza Pandemic was one of the deadliest in history, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide and killing upwards of fifty million people. Occurring against and worsened by the global movements of World War I, the pandemic added to the devastation felt by communities worldwide. This video is made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and is a partnership of the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission, the Doughboy Foundation and the National WWI Museum and Memorial as part of the teaching and learning resources of "How WWI Changed America.”View Online |
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Pandemic Then and NowLessons from the 1918 InfluenzaCreator: Nancy Bristow, National WWI Museum and MemorialAs American soldiers mobilized for war in the spring of 1918, a handful of army physicians began noticing a worrisome influenza moving among their soldiers. Often resulting in a deadly pneumonia, it struck down previously healthy young men, sometimes with surprising rapidity. This timely article by professor/author Nancy K. Bristow, written in March 2020 for the National WWI Museum and Memorial, parallels the 1918 Influenza epidemic with the COVID-19/Coronavirus.outbreak.Read Online |
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Women and WarThe Experience of European Women in the First World WarCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialWhat was the experience of European women during the First World War? Using primary sources, students will examine a wide variety of documents and artifacts that represent the experiences of European women during the First World War in this lesson created by Laura Huffman for the National WWI Museum and Memorial.Download PDF |
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African American Doctors in World War IWorld War I Podcast SeriesCreator: MacArthur MemorialPart of the MacArthur Memorial’s World War I Podcast Series, this episode explores the little known story of African American doctors who answered the call to service. Why did they serve? And what is their legacy? In this podcast, W. Douglas Fisher and Joann H. Buckley, authors of the book: African American Doctors of World War I, shed light on the little known story of African American doctors who served during World War I. Fisher and Buckley discuss the difficulties these men faced in obtaining medical degrees, their service in a segregated military, and their ultimate return to life in the United States.Listen Online, Visit Website |
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Medicine in the First World WarCreator: University of Kansas Medical CenterDuring the war, the U.S. Army mobilized medical resources to create one hundred large base hospitals. This website has been created to tell the story of Base Hospital #28, the 2,500 bed military base hospital that was formed by Kansas City doctors and nurses and which arrived in Limoges, France, in July 1918. During the six months of its active operation it served nearly 10,000 patients. The hospital was led by doctors who were associated with the medical school of the University of Kansas before and after The Great War. The website will also examine unexpected medical challenges, e.g. the influenza epidemic of 1918 and gas gangrene.Explore Online |
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about this project
The United States World War One Centennial Commission and the National WWI Museum and Memorial are dedicated to educating the public about the causes, events and consequences of the conflict and we encourage the use of these resources to better understand the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community.
Assisting in this endeavor are:
