Chapter 23 Study Guide Mush Mr. Rose

Selective Service Act Passed by Congress in May, 1917 after the U.S. decided to enter the war. It created a national draft for the military, requiring all men ages to register for service at local polling stations.

American Expeditionary Force The first U.S. troops to reach Europe, arriving in France in June Nicknamed “doughboys”, they fought under General John J. Pershing as mostly infantry.

369th Regiment The first all-black regiment in the U.S. military, they actually fought under French command, seeing action on the front lines and earning the respect of their allies and enemies.

Convoy System A system where merchant and supply ships traveled across the Atlantic from the U.S. in groups with Allied warships escorting them in order to defend against U boat attacks that had decimated supply ships previously.

Meuse-Argonne Offensive An offense launched by the Allied Powers in late September in an effort to finally put an end to the war. The goal was to reach the Sedan railroad in northern France, a main German supply line.

Question 1 The U.S. instituted a draft for the first time in their history to ensure they had the number of soldiers necessary to fight a war. They used propaganda to encourage soldiers to sign up and trained them as quickly as possible to help the Allies, who were struggling.

Question 2 General Pershing was in command of the first American troops in Europe, the AEF. Pershing was adamant that the AEF not fight in Allied regiments because he did not like their strategy, and wanted to use the potential success of the AEF in peacemaking talks.

Question 3 The old ways of fighting a war were not feasible. Huge artillery guns, howitzers meant armies could fire from miles away at troops. Machine guns meant a small number of soldiers could stop head-on advances easily. Trenches were supposed to provide protection, but ultimately made the a defensive stalemate, with little or no movement by either side. The sky, with planes, and sea, with new battleships, also saw more fighting.

Question 4 The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was an offensive attack by the Allied Powers to try to end the war. The goal was to fight through the Argonne Forest in northern France to reach the Sedan railroad, which was Germany’s main supply line into France. It was risky because it meant changing the dynamic of trench warfare, and was successful largely due to the use of tanks, aircraft support, fresh U.S. soldiers, and an influenza outbreak in the German troops.

Question 5 The biggest cost was human life. Nearly 30 million were killed or wounded throughout the war. Millions of other civilians, due to starvation, disease, and other war-related reasons died. Much of the infrastructure was destroyed, including roads, bridges, railroads, and personal property. The final casualty of the war was the human spirit, especially those in Europe who had witnessed the war first hand.