World War I and America

Spotlights on Primary Sources

The following Spotlights on Primary Sources highlight select documents and provide a brief description and summary of the context, a transcript and image of the featured document, and discussion questions. Spotlights prompt critical analysis of primary sources and a better understanding of historical context. They also serve as excellent classroom or public forum discussion activities and can be printed as activity sheets. 

• Theodore Roosevelt on the sinking of the Lusitania, 1915

• Food Will Win the War, 1917

• Recruiting posters for African American soldiers, 1918

• WWI poems: “In Flanders Fields,” and “The Answer,” 1918

• Diary of World War I Nurse, Ella Osborn, 1918-1919

• Emma Goldman on the restriction of civil liberties, 1919

• Rules for discharging disabled veterans, 1919

• Why Black men fought in WWI, 1919

• Treaty of Versailles and President Wilson, 1919 and 1921

• American Indians’ service in WWI, 1920

Click here for even more Spotlights on Primary Sources related to World War I

History Now Essays 

History Now, the online journal of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, offers the latest in historical scholarship to K−12 teachers, students, and general readers. Each issue is organized around a major topic in American history and features short, informative essays by leading scholars. 

• “‘Dear Miss Cole’: World War I Letters of American Servicemen” by Phillip Papas, Union County College
• “Fighting for Democracy in World War I - Overseas and Over Here” by Maurice Jackson, Georgetown University
• “Harlem’s Rattlers: African American Regiment of the New York National Guard in World War I” by Jeffrey Sammons, New York University
• “The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919” by Carol Byerly, University of Colorado, Boulder
• “The Puerto Rican Experience in World War I” by Harry Franqui-Rivera, Bloomfield College
• “The William Shepp Diaries: Combat and Danger in World War I” by Michael Neiberg, US Army War College
• “The Zimmerman Telegram and American Entry into World War I” by Michael Neiberg, US Army War College

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Inside the Vault

Inside the Vault: Highlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection is an online program that highlights unique primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. Each session will investigate primary sources and discuss their background, impact, and potential use in the classroom. 

• The Diary of WWI Nurse Ella Jane Osborn 
• The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt 

Videos and Lectures 

• “Life in the 20th Century: Innocent Beginnings 1917-1950” with Arthur Schlesinger Jr. - 57 minutes
• “The Lion’s Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and His Family in Peace and War” with Edward J Renehan Jr. - 36 minutes
• “Their Full Measure: American Service in World War I” with Kara Vuic, Texas Christian University - 2 hours, 24 minutes 

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Books for Further Reading

Each of the following books has been featured in an episode of the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s Book Breaks program. The links below lead to the Book Breaks interview with the authors. 

• The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Plague in History by John Barry, Tulane University

Gilder Lehrman Online Courses

• World War I (Michael Neiberg, US Army War College): This course explores American involvement in World War I both in Europe and at home.  
  • History U for Students 
  • Self-Paced Course for teachers and the general public
• The World at War (Michael Neiberg, US Army War College): This course examines the role of the two world wars in shaping modern American history. (Only available as a Self-Paced Course) 

Lesson Plans

These are just a few of the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s lesson plans related to World War I. Click here for even more lesson plans. 

• America’s Role in the War: World War I to World War II (Grades 7–12)
• America’s Unseen Soldiers (Grades 7–12)
• American Women and World War I (Grades 6–12) 
• Americans All: Foreign-Born Soldiers and World War I (Grades 6–12)
• The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (Grades 7–12)
• The Soldier’s Experience: Letters from Four American Wars (Grades 7–12) 
• World War I, African American Soldiers, and America’s War for Democracy (Grades 7–12)