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The Draft
The draft in America had started on June 5, 1917. The draft was for men between the ages of 21 and 31. When America was under that act over 24 million men registered for the draft. When they sent troops to Europe 2.8 million of the people were drafted and 2 million had volunteered. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife took place on June 28, 1914. They were shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip. Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. While his wife was the Duchess of Hohenberg. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Germany had declared a war zone on the British. They had started unrestricted submarine warfare in the hope of getting rid of the blockade. Which was the cause of many unnecessary deaths. They would shoot at anything and everything no matter what they had on it. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of the Lusitania occurred on May 7, 1915. Germany's (U-boat) U-20 torpedoed the Lusitania sinking it. 1,959 women, men, and children were on the boat 1,195 of them died. 123 of them were Americans. This was a big reason why America ended up declaring war on Germany. -
The Zimmermann Telegram
The Zimmermann Telegram was a secret alliance between Germany and Mexico against America. The telegram said if Mexico aided Germany if America joined the war then Germany would help Mexico get their land back. Mexico had lost Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico during the American War. The telegram was later published in the American press after finding out what was said. -
America Declared War on Germany
On April 6th, 1917, America declared war on Germany. The Americans had offered a deal to the Germans to make them stop submarine warfare. Instead, Germany decided to continue and they ended up sinking many American Merchant ships and British Isles. It is said that Germany had taken into account that America would declare war on them but decided to do it anyway. -
The Espionage Act
The Espionage Act was passed on June 15, 1917. They did this because they sought out anyone that was disloyal to America. This included trying to share defense-related information, signal books, photographs, and blueprints that had anything to do with the war. If the crime was committed during wartime then they would punish you with 30 years in prison, sometimes even the death penalty. -
Letter from Forbes to father 1
Forbes writes about his father in regards to not being able to come home. He had expressed that he had thought he would be able to return home sooner rather than later. He also mentioned that he had met up with his brother several times in the past month. While he was serving in France. -
The Sedation Act
The Sedition Act of 1918 made it so that you couldn’t speak out, write, print, or publish anything against the American Government. People weren’t able to talk about the things they knew about the war in public and weren’t able to promote the enemy in any way. The act was in action from 1918 to 1920. If people were found guilty they were put in prison for 20 years or had to pay a $10,000 fine while in other cases, you got both. -
Letter from Forbes to Father 2
As Forbes writes to his father again he tells him about the harsh conditions his team and he must endure to get to camp. At night he said it got so cold that the 40 men in the cattle car had to huddle up to stay warm. He had also mentioned it was very damp on the ride. He also tells his father that he hopes that he is put on the front in France so he can see his brother. -
The Last Battle
The last battle of World War I was the Battle of Mons. Mons was a Belgian town that had been under control by Germans since 1914. Mons was the main coal mining region for the British. Germany had been using Mons to fuel their war effort for 4 years. On November 11 Canadian armies had captured most of Mons without heavy shelling. -
Chrismas Card from Forbes to Family
Forbes sends his family a Christmas card from Paris. He tells them about how he saw hundreds of guns, tanks, airplanes, and balloons taken from the Huns. While he was in Paris he told them that he had seen Napoleon’s tomb and the Eiffel Tower. But they had left that night for Nancy and were expected to arrive by 9 o’clock in the morning. -
Letter from Forbes to Father 3
Forbes writes to his father about how he had a surprise visit to his brother who was going home that week. But Forbes wasn’t going to be discharged for another 6 ish months. He also wrote about what he did on the front. He had been on the front twice so far to deliver shoes and for a pioneer regiment. He thanked his family for the Christmas gift and wished them a happy New Year. -
Letter from Forbes to Father 4
This is Forbes's last letter to his father before he is discharged. Which talks about how he and the rest of the men are stuck there till June 15th. He talks about a baseball team that the camp had put together and how they were going into the championship the next week. Forbes had mentioned to his father that he wished for him to do anything to get him home earlier because he was sick and disgusted with the army. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. The main 4 leaders that signed the treaty were the leaders of France, England, Italy, and the United States. The treaty was very hard on Germany. It stated that Germany had started the war and had to surrender all of their overseas colonies. They also had to pay massive reparations to the Allied countries.