World War I Aftermath

Memorial to the 107th US Infantry, located at 67th Street and 5th Avenue, New York City

World War I permanently transformed the political, social and economic development of Europe as well as other parts of the world. The United States joined the war relatively late in 1917. In what ways did the war and the aftermath of the war permanently transform life within the United States?

World War I

Suffragist with "Kaiser Wilson" Poster. National Archives.

Painting of African-American soldiers fighting German soldiers during World War I. NEH. Click here for a larger image.

Members of the women's suffrage movement initially opposed President Wilson's decision to enter the war in Europe, citing the disenfranchisement of female citizens at home. African-American soldiers served in a segregated army and many returned home questioning the value of fighting for "freedom" in Europe while facing discrimination, disenfranchisement and lynching at home. How did President Wilson's plans to make the world "safe for democracy" contrast with conditions within the United States during World War I?

1912 Presidential Election

The four candidates in the presidential election of 1912: William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Eugene V. Debs. Photo from CSPAN.

Look here for detailed information about the Election of 1912. Listen to and/or read both Theodore Roosevelt's speech "The Liberty of the People" and Woodrow Wilson's speech "On Labor." What are the differences between the two candidates for the presidency? How does each reflect the values of the Progressive Era?

Progressive Era Labor Struggles

"Bread line outside the Pressed Steel Car plant, McKees Rocks, 1909" Photo from Explore PA History.

Read John Ingham's article on the McKees Rocks strikes in 1909. The article citation is:

Ingham, John N. "A Strike in the Progressive Era: McKees Rocks, 1909." The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 3 (1966): 353-77.

You can find the article through JSTOR, a database of scholarly journals.

1. Go to the Hunter Library website
2. Click on "Databases/Articles"
3. Find "JSTOR" in the alphabetical list
4. If you are not on campus, you must enter your Hunter netID and password to access JSTOR
5. Use the advanced search option to find the article with the citation information above.

Consider the following questions:

What is the author's argument?
What examples does he provide to prove his point?
What are the issues and/or conditions that led to the strikes?
How were the McKees Rocks strikes similar to or different from other strikes?

Plate Lunch Imperialism

Plate lunch from Rainbow Drive-In, photo from Go Visit Hawaii

In her book on the US conquest of Hawaii, Unfamiliar Fishes, Sarah Vowell writes:

Sugar plantation workers used to share food at lunchtime, swapping tofu and Chinese noodles for Korean spareribs and Portuguese bread. That habit of hodgepodge got passed down, evolving into the plate lunch now served at diners, drive-ins and lunch trucks throughout the Hawaiian archipelago….Rainbow Drive-In's menu, offering teriyaki, hot dogs, mahimahi, and Portuguese sausage, reads like a list of what America is supposed to be like--a neighborly mishmash (8).

Considering the imperialism debate within the US at the end of the 19th century, the Filipino resistance and the acquisition of colonial territories, to what degree do you think that America's increasing involvement in world affairs led to a "plate lunch" culture at home?

Vowell, Sarah. Unfamiliar Fishes. New York: Riverhead Books, 2011.