America Joins the War U.S. Involvement in World War I

Mobilization of the Military a.The first thing the U.S. needed to do after joining the war was to recruit more troops. i.In order to do this, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which called up 3 million men to serve. ii.Women could not join the army, but they could serve in the navy in non- combat positions. iii.African-Americans did serve in the army, but not the navy. They were only allowed to serve in segregated units.

Mobilization of the Military b.The next thing the U.S. needed to do was build enough ships to get the men and supplies to Europe. i.Shipyard workers were given draft exemptions or deferments. ii.The government used a public relations campaign to recruit workers to help build ships. iii.Shipyards began using fabrication, which meant bringing in parts that were built elsewhere to be assembled at the shipyard. It made production much faster. iv.The government also took over every ship being built for private use and for use on the Great Lakes and converted them for transatlantic warfare.

Mobilization of the Military a.The U.S. also needed to develop a way to get cargo across the Atlantic without the German U-boats sinking them. i.The U.S. began using the convoy system where merchant ships would sail together with U.S. Navy destroyers escorting them. ii.The U.S. also helped put up a 230 mile barrier of mines to keep the U-boats out of the Atlantic.

Americans Fighting in Europe a.The Americans helped turn momentum to the Allies, not only because of the sheer numbers of troops, but also because of the freshness and enthusiasm of the troops who had not been worn down by years of fighting. b.U.S. troops in Europe were originally replacements for Allied casualties, and were known as doughboys. c.Eventually, the American Expeditionary Force, or AEF, was formed and commanded by General John J. Pershing. He did not believe in having American troops being commanded by other countries.

New Weapons Airplanes Machine Guns Tanks Poison Gasses

The collapse of Germany a.November 3, 1918, the Germany naval leaders ordered the Grand Fleet to leave its base, but the sailors had a mutiny, meaning that refused to man the ships. b.The mutiny spread throughout the German military. c.On November 9, 1918, Germans in Berlin rebelled, and the Kaiser gave up his throne and fled. d.The Germans had not lost any major battle, but the war had grown weary on the people and soldiers of the country. e.On November 11, 1918, at the eleventh hour, Germany agreed to a cease fire that ended the war.