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The Election of President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson was elected president in 1912 after serving only two years as governor of New Jersey. President of Princeton University from 1902 until his election as New Jersey governor, Wilson succeeded in his campaigns for both governor and president with significant aid from practical political organizers. -
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: The Outbreak of WWI
Was scheduled to visit Sarajevo in June of 1914, the Black Hand decided to assassinate him because of his perceived threat to Serbian independence. -
America Proclaims Neutrality in World War I
Many Americans saw little reason to entangle themselves in what they viewed as European quarreling and intrigue. As the war persisted and the destruction spread, many Americans could not ignore the crisis. -
The Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne marked the end of the German sweep into France and the beginning of the trench warfare that was to characterize World War One. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of RMS Lusitania caused international outrage and helped turn public opinion against Germany, particularly in the then-neutral United States. -
The Interception of the Zimmermann Telegram
On January 17, 1917 British signals intelligence intercepted and decrypted a coded German telegram from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann that was intended for Germany's ambassador to Mexico. -
The Battle of the Verdun
It represents the checkmate of a supreme effort on the part of the Germans to end the war swiftly by a thunderstroke. -
The Sussex Incident
The attack prompted a U.S. threat to sever diplomatic relations. The German government responded with the so-called Sussex pledge (May 4, 1916), agreeing to give adequate warning before sinking merchant and passenger ships and to provide for the safety of passengers and crew. -
The United States Enters World War I
the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later. -
The Landing of the American Expeditionary Force in France
Just after their arrival in France some American soldiers became a symbol of deliverance for the French people. The first American Expeditionary Forces' (AEF) contingent landed in France in late June 1917 at Saint-Nazaire. The war would soon enter its fourth year with no end in sight -
The Battle if the Somme
The attack prompted a U.S. threat to sever diplomatic relations. The German government responded with the so-called Sussex pledge (May 4, 1916), agreeing to give adequate warning before sinking merchant and passenger ships and to provide for the safety of passengers and crew. -
The Landing of the American Expeditionary Force in France
contingent landed in France in late June 1917 at Saint-Nazaire. The war would soon enter its fourth year with no end in sight. Every French family had been touched by the injury and loss of loved ones, and the austerities of war. -
The Re-election of President Woodrow Wilson
The 1916 United States presidential election was the 33rd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 1916. Incumbent Democratic President Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeated former associate justice of the Supreme Court Charles Evans Hughes, the Republican candidate. -
The Declaration of New Unrestricted Submarine Warfare by Germany
Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchant ships such as freighters and tankers without warning. The use of unrestricted submarine warfare has had significant impacts on international relations in regards to both the First World War and the Second World War. -
The Selective Service Act
Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which authorized the Federal Government to temporarily expand the military through conscription. The act eventually required all men between the ages of 21 to 45 to register for military service. -
The Espionage Act
The Espionage Act broadly sought to crack down on wartime activities considered dangerous or disloyal -
Armistice Day Ends World War I
The armistice was the culmination of a coordinated Allied offensive extending across the western front, a distance of more than 400 miles -
The Fourteen Points by President Wilson
These points were later taken as the basis for peace negotiations at the end of World War I. In this January 8, 1918, speech on War Aims and Peace Terms, President Wilson set down 14 points as a blueprint for world peace that was to be used for peace negotiations after World War I. -
The Beginning of the Spanish Flu Epidemic
World War I claimed an estimated 16 million lives. The influenza epidemic that swept the world in 1918 killed an estimated 50 million people. One fifth of the world's population was attacked by this deadly virus. Within months, it had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history. -
Russia Pulls Out of World War I
Russia left WW1 because it was in the interest of Russian Communists (Bolsheviks) who took power in November 1917. -
The Passing of the Sedition Act
Passed in preparation for an anticipated war with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts tightened restrictions on foreign-born Americans and limited speech critical of the government. -
The Battle of Argonne Forest
It was one of the attacks that brought an end to the War and was fought from September 26 – November 11, 1918, when the Armistice was signed. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the largest operation of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I, with over a million American soldiers participating. -
The Paris Peace Conference and Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles subjected Germany to strict punitive measures. The Treaty required the new German Government to surrender approximately 10 percent of its prewar territory in Europe and all of its overseas possessions.