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Woodrow Wilson is elected president
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was an American politician, lawyer, and academic who served as the 28th president from 1913-1921. He was significant to the US and WWI, because he was the president of the United States and tried to keep the US neutral during the war. However, he ultimately called on Congress to declare war with Germany in 1917. He also helped negotiate a peace treaty that included a plan for the League of Nations, after the war was over. -
The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife,
The assassination was planned and executed by a secret Serbian military called The Black Hand. Ferdinand and his wife were on an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. The assassination was significant to the start of World War I, because it sparked a chain of events that led to the outbreak of WWI. -
KKK revived
A major contributor to reviving the KKK was the film "The Birth of a Nation", that was released on February 8, 1915. The film depicted the KKK as the saviors for the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction. -
The sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of the Lusitania occurred on Friday, May 7th, 1915. The Lusitania was a British-owned passenger ship that a German U-boat torpedoed, killing 1,195 people, including 123 Americans. The tragedy immediately strained the relations between Germany and the United States, fueling anti-German sentiment. It set off a chain of events that eventually led to the United States entering World War I. -
Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa was a Mexican General during the Mexican Revolution. The Wilson Administration declared the Pancho Villa Expedition, which was an expedition for the capture of Villa, in retaliation for his attack on Columbus New Mexico. It lasted from March 14, 1916 to February 7, 1917. -
National Park Service
Congress created the National Parks Service in 1916, a few months before the United States entered WWI. The site of National Parks used to be Civil War battle fields, and training grounds for WWI. -
The Zimmerman telegram intercepted
The Zimmerman telegram was intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence in January, 1917. The telegram instructed the ambassador to offer significant financial aid to Mexico if it agreed to enter any future US-German conflict as a German ally. The Germans anticipated that it would send the US into war. -
German Unrestricted Submarine Warfare Resumes
On January 31, 1917, Bethmann Hollweg went before the German government and declared that submarine warfare would resume the next day (February 1). This meant that the German submarines could attack any and all ships in the Atlantic that supported the Allied Powers. -
US officially entered World War I
On April 6, 1917, the United States joined its allies, Britain, France, and Russia, to join in World War I. Many Americans wanted to remain neutral, including President Woodrow Wilson. -
The Espionage Act of 1917
The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law that was passed on June 15, 1917. It is an act to punish acts of interference with the foreign relations, and foreign commerce of the US. The Espionage Act prohibited individuals from expressing or publishing opinions that would interfere with the US military's efforts to defeat Germany and its allies. -
Bolshevik Revolution is complete
The effects of World War I gave rise to the Russian Revolution and the rise of a provisional government. On November 7, 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution took place to overthrow the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky. Germany helped Russia, which resulted in Russia being forced to give up territory to Germany. Set up an interesting relationship between Russia and Germany. -
Wilson's 14 Points Presented
Wilson's 14 points were statements of peace that were used for peace negotiations to end WWI. Wilson outlined the points in a speech on January 8, 1918 to Congress. -
The Sedition Act
The Sedition Act of 1918 was an Act by the US Congress that extended the Espionage Act of 1917, in order to cover more offenses. For instance, speech, interfering in the sale of government bonds, or expressing of opinion that did not favor and casted the government and war effort in a negative light. It made it illegal to "willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of the Government of the United States". -
End of World War I
Germany had formerly surrendered on November 11, 1918, and all the nations agreed to stop fighting while the terms of peace were negotiated. On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, officially ending the war. -
18th Amendment
The 18th Amendment established the prohibition of "intoxicating liquors" in the United States. It was proposed to Congress on December 18, 1917, and was ratified on January 16, 1919. The 18th Amendment was significant to WWI, because without the production of alcohol the US saved grain for the production of food for the soldiers. -
19th Amendment Passed
Congress passed the 19th amendment on June 4, 1919. It granted all women the right to vote. Many states gave women the right to vote in 1917, but the U.S. Constitution was not amended to enfranchise women until after WWI. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the most important of the peace treaties that brought World War I to an end. It was signed on June 28th, 1919, and ended the war between the Allied Powers and Germany.
