World War One

The 369th Infantry Regiment in trenches with French army gear in 1918 The 369th Infantry Regiment in trenches with French army gear in 1918. The members of the 369th were attached to the French army to avoid placing black combat troops under U.S. Army command. (National Archives) Questions 1. Why do you think African American men joined the army to fight for a nation that denied them their rights? 2. Why were blacks put in segregated units? 3. Why did many black soldiers wear French uniforms and serve under the authority of French commanders?

Because most of the fighting on the Western Front took place on French soil, the French people suffered innumerable hardships in a war that claimed nearly an entire generation of young men. What are some challenges that American soldiers would have faced when trying to communicate with the French? 2. How were U.S. soldiers generally received by the French?

What is the strategy behind this poster to encourage men to enlist? How effective do you think this message was? Do you think the navy uses similar propaganda to encourage enlistees today? Why or why not? "Be a Man and Do It" this poster for the U.S. Navy Recruiting Station admonishes. (National Archives)

Life in the trenches in World War I represented a particularly brutal new form of warfare. (National Archives) These U.S. soldiers are manning the front line trenches near Chaussers, France, in June 1918. Trench life was an unpleasant reality for millions of soldiers on both sides of the Western Front, from the English Channel to the Swiss border. (National Archives) 1.What was life like for the soldiers in the trenches? How would soldiers have to adjust to surviving life in the trenches? 2.Note the landscape in this picture and consider what it would have looked like prior to actual combat. How does the condition of the landscape after battles compare with what the landscape would have been like before?

Throughout the country, families said goodbye to soldiers as they prepared to fight "Over There." More than 100,000 Americans would not return alive. (National Archives) Note the look on these men's faces. What emotions are these men expressing? 2. Do you think men were excited to get into the war?

This damaged church in Neuvilly served as a temporary shelter for wounded U.S. soldiers during the 1918 campaign against the German line. (National Archives) How many Americans died in World War One (it was mentioned in a caption on a previous slide)? 2. Do you think the U.S. suffered considerably more or considerable less casualties than other nations? Which nations do you suspect suffered the most casualties in the war?

Salvation Army workers making doughnuts for the soldiers Salvation Army workers making doughnuts for the soldiers. The lives of women workers in World War I had changed, and many women joined organizations that ran services for U.S. troops. (National Archives) What are some services the Salvation Army could provide for soldiers? 2.What other organizations most likely aided the war effort in some way?

Administered to groups of soldiers, the IQ test was used in World War I to classify recruits and to determine which of them were "officer material." The results of the tests raised questions not only about the mental abilities and backgrounds of the men but also about possible biases in the tests themselves. Why do you think American troops were required to take such tests during the time period? 2. Which types of men possibly had an advantage when taking these exams?

Though the United States didn't enter the war until 1917, the presence of U.S. troops turned the tide in Europe. Pictured are U.S. troops in France with guns ready for action. (National Archives) 1.Note the landscape. What impact did modern warfare have upon the surrounding area? 2. How did U.S. involvement in the war help the Allies?