6th April 1917

[Julian Dawson]

What may be termed in 21st Century media-speak - a defining moment of the Great War....?

[Old Tom]

Hello,

I think you are correct. A few details in the following months, General Pershing to France 17th June, 1st Divison 28 June 1918, 1,867,673 troops by Oct 1918. A very large helping hand.

Old Tom

[Nebogatoff]

Interesting to note, that I have heard literally nothing in any media here in the US about Great War anniversaries. Almost like it never happened. Just an occassional piece about the passing of a veteran. Otherwise, pretty much zippo.

[AndyHollinger]

The cynic knows there was no mention in the press because right now there is too much scandal to exploit. America loves a scandal ... we always have. Our past is much to complex to really look at. We want Walt Disney movies as our past. We want "Glory" (the movie) as our past. We want Mel Movies as our past.

World War one was incredibly complex and the stuff we did on the home front ... if American knew about it now, would make the Patriot Act look like a cub scout party!

No, better let this one go ... besides there is no news in we came, we saw, we won the war and fixed the world ... I mean, hasn't that been America's mission? geez guys, get on the program!

[truthergw]

What you say is certainly true Andy and needs no endorsement from me. There was, however, a distinct ambivalence in USA towards the war. It could not be otherwise, given the large part of your population who were German or of German stock. Perhaps there was a strong movement after the war to forget about it and get on with living. The twenties and thirties certainly presented people with enough problems and would allow little time for reminiscing. Not to mention round two looming, from mid thirties on.

[Borden Battery]

Formal U.S. Declaration of War with Germany, 6 April 1917

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson outlined the case for declaring war upon Germany in a speech to the joint houses of Congress on 2 April 1917. The text below is the formal declaration of war which followed four days later, on 6 April 1917.

[Firstworldwar.com website][CEF Study Group – Feb 2007]

http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/usoffi...declaration.htm

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Joint Resolution Declaring that a state of war exists between the Imperial German Government and the Government and the people of the United States and making provision to prosecute the same.

Whereas the Imperial German Government has committed repeated acts of war against the Government and the people of the United States of America; Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled, that the state of war between the United States and the Imperial German Government which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared; and that the President be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial German Government; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.

CHAMP CLARK

Speaker of the House of Representatives

THOS. R. MARSHALL

Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate

Approved, April 6, 1917

WOODROW WILSON

Source: Source Records of the Great War, Vol. V, ed. Charles F. Horne, National Alumni 1923

[AndyHollinger]

What you say is certainly true Andy and needs no endorsement from me. There was, however, a distinct ambivalence in USA towards the war. It could not be otherwise, given the large part of your population who were German or of German stock. Perhaps there was a strong movement after the war to forget about it and get on with living. The twenties and thirties certainly presented people with enough problems and would allow little time for reminiscing. Not to mention round two looming, from mid thirties on.

Actually at the time it was greeted with wild enthusiasm by most "majority" Americans. Hundreds were thrown in jail for opposing it. The mail was opened and censored. Volunteers were funded by the gov't to make speeches at movies and other gatherings. Lists of unpatriotic Americans were kept both by volunteers and the gov't. The US actually took control of all US Railroads ... it was major. It went beyond WWII in many respects.

My grandfather actually lost his job (he's German) and Beethovan was banned from many states public performances. Frankfurters became Hot Dogs ... etc. etc.

The dissallusionment of the 1920s was probably responsible for the US lack of memory.

[Take on me]

The dissallusionment of the 1920s was probably responsible for the US lack of memory.

I have read (I think in Hugh Brogan's Penguin History of the USA) that many Americans felt that they had been taken for a bit of a ride by the Allies who had inflated stories of atrocities in order to ensure American participation in 'their' war. I also believe that it is surely the case that senior politicians etc felt disillusioned by a belief that the British and French had not listened to them in the post war period, instead persuing their own agendas.

Although I have read somewhere else (might have been Gary Sheffield's Forgotten Victory) that the majority of AEF men, from statistics taken by veterens groups, always believed that what they had done during the First World War had been the right thing to do.

Moreover the American military involvement did not see the same proportion of the US population in uniform as during the Second World War while the Civil War was bound to endure in popular memory. Perhaps its just that they prefer to remember other wars in the States?

Jon