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. Be sure to join the mailing list to get updated content and resources every other month.
Do you have resources that you want to share or have questions? Contact us at education@theworldwar.org.
Teaching Resource Database
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World War One: The original code talkersBBC News MagazineCreator: BBC NewsThough Native Americans were not considered U.S. citizens during WWI (that would not change until 1924), more than 10,000 still volunteered to fight in the war. Find out more about their contributions, especially the use of the Choctaw language as a communication code, in this online article from BBC News.Read Online |
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The Harlem HellfightersCreator: HISTORY®Watch this short video from HISTORY® (Rated TV-PG, 7 minutes) which briefly tells the story of the Harlem Hellfighters, an African American infantry unit in World War I that spent more time in combat than any other American unit in the war. Despite their courage, sacrifice and dedication to their country, they returned home to face racism and segregation from their fellow countrymen.Watch Online |
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Letter from the Commanding Officer of the 142nd InfantryRecords of the American Expeditionary ForcesCreator: National ArchivesThe Choctaw Code Talkers used their own language as basis for a military code that was never broken. This 1919 letter from the Commanding Officer of the 142nd Infantry to the Commanding General of the 36th Division details plans to use the code so that the enemy could not decipher messages.View Online |
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Puerto Ricans become U.S. citizens, are recruited for war effortThis Day in HistoryCreator: HISTORY®Puerto Ricans recruited and drafted into the war effort after the Jones-Shafroth Act of March 1917 made Puerto Ricans U.S. citizens (though those on the island could not vote in U.S. elections or pay federal taxes). This short article from HISTORY® gives an historical overview of this recruitment effort.Read Online |
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Letter from the Syrian American Club of BostonCreator: Arab American National MuseumFrom the Arab American National Museum, this primary source letter from the Syrian American Club of Boston to a soldier provides a glimpse into the lives of Arab Americans during the war. Explore more documents and images from the WWI-era in their collection.View Online |
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African Americans and World War IAfricana Age ExhibitionCreator: New York Public Library, Dr. Chad WilliamsDr. Chad Williams of Brandeis University describes the African American experience during World War I in this essay, which is part of New York Public Library's Africana Age Exhibition. From those in the American Expeditionary Forces to those who labored for the war effort at home, the contribution by the African American community to the war effort was immense, both abroad and on the home front.Read Online |
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Puerto Rican Laborers during World War IThe Deposition of Rafael MarchánCreator: History MattersThe Jones-Shafroth Act of March 1917 made Puerto Ricans U.S. citizens (though those on the island could not vote in U.S. elections or pay federal taxes). In addition to serving in the military, Puerto Ricans were also sought to fill in labor shortages though these laborers were not always treated well. This 1918 legal testimony is provided online by History Matters and brings to light some of the difficulties Puerto Ricans endured.Read Online |
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Make Way for DemocracyGoogle Arts & Culture ExhibitionCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialIn an era of federal segregation, the national call as "champions of the rights of mankind" rang hollow. Many African Americans saw the war as an opportunity to redefine their U.S. citizenship and improve social, political and economic conditions. Created by the National World War I Museum and Memorial in partnership with Google Cultural Institute, Make Way for Democracy! portrays the lives of African Americans during the war through a series of rare images, documents and objects.View Online |
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How WWI Sparked the Gay Rights MovementCreator: Smithsonian MagazineAs true with all Americans, LGBT individuals volunteered for, objected against and fought in World War I. With few exceptions, notably American expatriates Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, most Americans did not publicly "come out" during the era as it was considered illegal under varying interpretations of laws throughout the United States. The war left its own enduring legacy on LGBTQ history: sparking the modern gay rights movement.View Online |
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Vande Mataram in the USACreator: United States World War One Centennial CommissionFrom 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 took place in 1917 with individual profiles of the contributions of Indian-Americans to the war effort.View Online |
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America's Foreign-Born DoughboysPodcast SeriesCreator: MacArthur MemorialForeign-born soldiers were critical to U.S. participation in the Great War. The logistics of registration, training and post-war citizenship were quite complicated. From the MacArthur Memorial, this interview with Virginia National Guard Command Historian Al Barnes discusses the more than 800,000 foreign-born men who served in the U.S. Army during WWI. Visit the podcast archive for more recordings.Listen Online (mp3) |
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World War I Sheet MusicCreator: Library of CongressThousands of pieces of sheet music from the collections of the Library of Congress, with the greatest number coming from the years of the United States' active involvement in the First World War and the immediate postwar period.View Online |
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Lessons of Liberty: PatriotismAnalyze WWI Propaganda PostersCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialThis lesson plan asks students to examine their understanding of "patriotism" by analyzing over 60 primary source propaganda posters that called America to action during World War I.Download PDF |
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Museum Film ScriptsFull transcripts of videos used within the Museum and MemorialCreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialThe following PDFs are the full transcripts of three videos used within the National WWI Museum and Memorial's Main Gallery. Use the script from the video as reference for an onsite field trip, or as a groundwork for discussing WWI with your class. Introductory Film - Download PDF, Horizon Theater Film - Download PDF, Peace Film - Download PDF |
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Remembering WWIVillanova University Digital History ProjectCreator: Villanova UniversityIn the Fall of 2015, graduate students in the Villanova Digital History course explored these scrapbooks as a form of memory and source of information on varied experiences during the First World War. Each student developed both an article exploring a key topic related to understanding World War I as well as a digital project based on the photos, letters, texts, and other items contained within the primary source scrapbooks.View Online |
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about this project
The United States World War One Centennial Commission and the National World War I 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:
