World War I
From LibraryWiki
American Participation in World War I
On April 2, 1917, the United States declared war on the German government (to the exclusion of the German people). This political decision was the product of a growing frustration with Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare policy. In Febuary 1915, the German government announced its position that any ship taking goods to allied countries was in danger of being attacked. Shortly thereafter, on May 7, 1915, the German U-boat, U-20, was ten miles off the coast of Ireland when it noticed the British civilian passenger ship, Lusitania, and fired upon the ship, sinking it within eighteen minutes. 1,198 people died; 128 of them United States citizens. Woodrow Wilson increased mobilization in the States, but remained neutral, trying to be conscious of its large population of native-born Germans and Austrians. It was in January of 1917, however, that Germany announced a new submarine offensive, and Wilson finally broke ties diplomatically. Following the publication of the Zimmerman Telegram, a document inferring that Germany would help Mexico win back certain southwest territories (Arizona, Texas) the United States finally declared war in April, mobilizing its American Expeditionary Force (AEF). However, it was not until December of 1917 that Austria-Hungary was included in the declaration of war.
Once offically at war, the United States required all males between the ages of 21-30 to register for military service. By September 1918, 23,908,566 were registered, but only 4,000,000 had been drafted, and only half of those men, 2,000,000, were sent overseas. 50,554 of these men were killed in battle, and another 25,000 died of disease (mostly influenza).
Of these 2,000,000 men who fought in the Great War on the side of the United States, many of them documented their experiences through a variety of means. The personal trials of daily existence proved to be psychologically trying and physically demanding at times. The individual testimonials of a few soldiers from Ohio seem to capture the visual imagery of the ruin and ravages left in the wake of the utter wreckage of the European continent.
We invite you to explore the Personal Journals of World War I held by the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at The Ohio State University.
In addition, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library offers the insight of a Collection of World War I Correspondence belonging to the Stambaugh family.
