world war 1 cont

Today in AP United States History we learned more about World War One. We learned about how the war ended and how President Wilson insisted on a “peace without victory,” a detailed list of war aims, known as the Fourteen Points. The Fourteen Points listed what each nation had to do to restore peace. Germany had to return Alsace and Lorraine to France. Germany had to evacuate Belgium in the west and Romania and Serbia. There had to be open, not secret, diplomacy. There also had to be Freedom of the Seas, which meant that Germany had to stop submarine warfare. The trade barriers had to be taken away, making it so that anyone could trade with whomever. Germany had to reduce their army. There was self-determination for various nationalities within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Association of Nations became the League of Nations. There were also the Big Four which included David Lloyd George, Britain, Vitlorio Orlando, Italy, Georges Clemenceau, France, and President Wilson United States. These people created the Treaty of Versailles.

JUSTO LAMAS!

Today in stead of going to Advanced Placement United States History, I went to the Justo Lamas concert. Justo is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He speaks Spanish and some very bad English. Justo tours the United States visiting schools and putting on concerts for students that are studying Spanish. I have attended the Justo concert three years in a row. Students in my Spanish class enjoy learning the words to the songs and singing them along with Justo. The concert was very memorable and I enjoyed singing along with Justo. During part of the concert Justo told us a story about his childhood. When Justo was three, his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Then when Justo was just five he went into the closet and found his mother with a belt around her neck trying to commit suicide. Justo pulled the belt off and his mother told him that she was a bad mother. Soon after Justo’s mother tried to commit suicide Justo had trouble in school. He was shy, stuttered, and didn’t have any friends. He also had asthma. My favorite song by Justo is Amor.

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WW1 cont

Election of 1916
In the election of 1916 President Wilson proclaimed Americans neutrality. The campaign slogan he used was “He Kept Us out of War.” President Wilson was reelected.

Events of 1917
February first Germany announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. They would attack without warning all vessels headed for Allied ports. War was a stalemate and Germany needed to break the English blockade. United States breaks off diplomatic relations with Germany after the Zimmerman Note. Germany promises the lost territories in southwestern United States to be returned to Mexico for their support in the war. Americans reacted angrily. Soon after the Zimmerman Note, four United States merchant ships sunk by the Germans Renewed Submarine attacks. The Russians overthrew the czar during the Russian Revolution. This made it appear that democratic forces in Russia were going to gain control. If the United States entered the war, it would be joining an alliance of democratic nations.

Declaration of War
On April 2, 1917, ninety-one years ago President Wilson went before Congress, and asked that Congress recognized a state of war existed between the United States and Germany.

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WW1

Economic Links with Britain and France
The British blockade prevented trade with Germany and President Woodrow Wilson tolerated British blockade while restricting Germany submarine blockade. United States trade was going to one side and not the other. United States government permitted J.P. Morgan and other bankers to extend loan and credit to Allies, he gave three billion dollars.
Public Opinion
Germany was perceived as a cruel bully. Ruthlessness of the German people was reinforced by the sinking of the Lusitania. Second generation immigrants backed the United States neutrality, yet they were sympathetic to their country of origin. German-Americans sympathized with the struggles of their homeland; Irish-Americans hated the British for their own reasons. Majority of native-born Americans wanted the Allies to win.
Propaganda
Allies controlled the transatlantic cable. This allowed Allies to promote the war as one of civilized democratic nations against the barbaric Germans. Effective uses of propaganda were films, posters, and slogans.
Mobilizing for War
Passage of the National Defense Act and Navy Act in 1916 began the expansion of the armed forces. May 1917, congress passed the Selective Service Act, providing for a draft. All males eighteen to forty-five had to register. 400,000 African American soldiers served in the war in segregated units. Many women served in the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Over two million American served in France in a separate command, the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), under General John J. Pershing. Their effort tipped the scale in favor of the Allies. The United States lost about 51,000 men. The United States entered the war of the side of the Allies in April of 1917. They were poorly prepared for the war.

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