Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Paola Torres

 

  Franz Ferdinand was born in 1863 and was in Graz, Austria. He was the person that was next in line to inherit the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Ferdinand was not very popular among the people because of the policies he wanted to put into practice once he ascended to the throne. When Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were on a trip to Sarajevo, a Serb nationalist by the name of Gavrilo Princip shot them while they were on their way from a town hall reception. Archduke Franz Ferdinand died on June 28, 1914.

The Germans Attack on the Lusitania

 

The Germans Attack on the Lusitania

Paola Torres

 

Up until this time, the United States had remained neutral in the war. People still had their own opinion on which side the U.S should support, but, nevertheless, the country remained in a state of neutrality. Germany had already warned that they would fire upon any ship that was near Britain. This was the result of Britain forcing ships to stop in British ports to check for contraband being sent to Germany and its allies. The declaration from Germany angered Americans.

On May 1st, 1915, the Lusitania left New York to make its way to Liverpool. There were 1,959 total people on board, and 159 of those people were Americans. The Germans had spies all over and were tipped off about the ship. On May 7th, 1915 when a German Submarine spotted the ship, it attacked. Many people died in this attacked, including 128 Americans. The U.S. was outraged, and this event eventually led to the U.S. joining the war.

John J. Pershing

 

 

John J. Pershing

Blake Mullet

 

  John Joseph Pershing was born September 13, 1860 in Laclede, Missouri. Pershing was sworn in as a West Point cadet in the fall of 1882. He was the promoted to the highest rank in the army. Nobody in his lifetime had ever done that. Pershing was the General of the Armies. He led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. He also got the nick name Black Jack. Perishing go that nickname because he commanded an all-black troop in the 10th U.S Calvary. John Pershing died July 15, 1948. He died because he had coronary artery diseas and he also had congestive heart failure.

America Enters the War

America Enters the War

Karissa Troyer

 

  On April 6,1917 America entered World War 1. Up until then America had stayed out of the war and was even trading with some of the countries involved in the war. May 7, 1915 was a major turning point for American involvement in the war. On that day the Lusitania was sunk. On board the ship were 1,959 people, 159 of them were Americans.The Germans were the ones responsible for sinking the ship. Their story is that there were explosives on board the ship and they were trying to get rid of them.

  One other reason for The U.S. to join the war was because of the Zimmerman note. The note was sent from the German foreign secretary to the German ambassador to Mexico. The note was intercepted by British intelligence and was sent to the Americans. The note said that if Mexico was to ally with Germany then after the war was over Mexico would get back control of New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. This made most Americans angry, and on the 6th of April America was involved with World War 1.

Red Scare

Red Scare

Blake Mullet

   The Red Scare was a time period where nationwide they were scared that the communists (reds) would seize power. People that expressed their views were being put in jail. There were over 150,000 anarchists and communists in the U.S., which is why the U.S. was very afraid. Some of the communist and other union members started to protest against the jailing of the American Socialist Party. The protest started turning into parades, which eventually started riots. During the parade, two people died and forty were injured. A few months later, eight bombs in eight different cities exploded. People were led to believe it was the radicals destroying the American way of life.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson

Madison Norment
 

   Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born on December 28, 1856 in Staunton, Virginia. FHe spent his education years at many different schools. One year at Davidson College in North Carolina, three at Princeton University where he received a baccalaureate degree in 1879. He graduated from Law School at the University of Virginia. Then later he went on and practiced for a few years in Atlanta, Georgia but it was a feeble practice. A while longer he entered graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University in 1883 and three years later he received the doctorate.

   In 1885 he published the Congressional Government. It analyzed the difficulties arising from the separation of the legislative and executive powers in the American Constitution.
He entered politics as a governor of the State of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913. In 1912 Wilson won the presidential election. Thomas was set on instituting the reforms he had out line which included: changing the tariff, revising of the banking system, checking monopolies, fraudulent advertising, and prohibiting of unfair business practices.

   When WWI had started he wanted to remain neutral. He protested British as well as German acts but he offered both sides mediation but was rebuffed. In 1917 issues with the freedom of the seas began and a change was needed. On January 31 Germany announced that unrestricted submarine warfare was already started. Then on March 27 after four American ships had been sunk Wilson decided to ask for a declaration of war. April 2 he made formal requests to congress then four days later on April 6 congress granted it.

   January 8, 1918 he gave congress a speech on his fourteen points. It was a decisive stroke in winning that war for the people everywhere, for in his peace was the vision of a world in which freedom, justice, and peace can flourish. In 1919 Peace Conference assembled in Versailles. Wilson had failed to carry his total conception of peace. He did secure the adoption of the League of Nations.

   Woodrow Wilson’s major failure was when the senate declined to approve American acceptance of the League of Nations. This happened because he lost his long ruling control over congress after he made the congressional election of 1918, from his failure to appoint to the American peace delegation, for his unwillingness to compromise when some minor compromises might well have carried the day, from his physical incapacity in the days just prior to the vote. That was from strain of massive effort he made to obtain the support of the American people for the ratification of the Covenant of the League of Nations.

   After a speech in Pueblo Colorado on September 25, 1919 he collapsed and a week later suffered a cerebral hemorrhage from the effects of which he never fully recovered.

The Open Dorr Policy

The Open Door Policy
Blake Mullet

   In 1894 there was a war between china and Japan over Korea. The Japanese won the war. China gave Korea independence and gave Japan some territory. The land that was given to Japan was close to Russia. Russians started to get concerned about how much power the Japanese were getting. In 1898 Russia demanded that the China lease the land to Russia instead. That meant that the land would still belong to China but was ruled by Russia. Politicians started to worry about these events, so they made a policy called the open door policy. This just meant all countries were allowed to trade with China.