World War I to the Roaring Twenties SSUSH15 and SSUSH16

Select three factors that contributed to the United Stated entering WWI.

• Strong economic ties with European countries involved in the war.

• Fear of a German alliance with Mexico i.e. the Zimmerman Telegram

• Desire to colonize Europe and Asia

• Germany announcing unrestricted submarine warfare

How could US citizens achieve the goal of voluntary rationing?

Rationing: allowing someone to have only a fixed amount of a certain commodity i.e. food, materials, etc.

• By encouraging the hoarding of resources

• By participating in "Meatless Mondays"

• By purchasing "Liberty Bonds"

• By planting "Victory Gardens"

Answer explanation

As part of the campaign to reduce food consumption on the home front, the US government promoted voluntary rationing by encouraging citizens to reduce their intake of important foodstuffs like beef and bread by participating in "Meatless Tuesdays" and "Wheatless Wednesdays" so more supplies could be sent to troops overseas.

The Great Migration was one of the largest movements of people in US history. Over 6 million Black Americans left the South for the North. What can we infer resulted in cities based on the change in population demographics?

• Increase in racial tensions in urban centers of the Northeast.

• Increase in overseas job competition

• Decrease in farming communities in the Midwest

• No change in population in any cities

Answer explanation

The mass migration of African Americans from the South to the Midwest and Northeast contributed to overcrowding and increased competition for jobs in cities, contributing to rising tensions between African American and white residents.

Use the excerpt from a 1919 speech by Henry Cabot Lodge to answer the following question.

"I am as anxious as any human being can be to have the United States render every possible service to the civilization and the peace of mankind. But I am certain that we can do it best by not putting ourselves in leading strings, or subjecting our policies and our sovereignty to other nations. The independence of the United States is not only more precious to ourselves, but to the world, than any single possession."
— US Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, August 26, 1919

Based on this excerpt, Senator Lodge opposed what?

• Having the US join the League of Nations

• Promoting neo-liberalism

• Advocating for international cooperation
• Supporting US hegemony

Answer explanation

Lodge was among the most vocal critics of US participation in the League of Nations. Many objections focused on Article X of the covenant of the organization, arguing that it threatened the sovereignty of the organization's members.

To prevent another World War, what did US President Woodrow Wilson promote the creation of?

• European Union

• League of Nations
• World Peace Organization
• Global Harmony Alliance

Based on the political cartoon, what can we infer that the artist is trying to say about the United States' lack of involvement in the League of Nations?

• The United States' absence is strengthening the League of Nations.
• The United States' absence has no impact on the League of Nations.
• The United States' absence is causing the League of Nations to thrive.
• The United States' absence is weakening the League of Nations.

How did the sinking of the Lusitania affect American perception of Germany?

• The sinking of the Lusitania made Americans view Germany as a neutral party.
• The sinking of the Lusitania improved American perception of Germany.
• The sinking of the Lusitania had no impact on American perception of Germany.
• The sinking of the Lusitania led to a negative shift in American perception of Germany.

In January 1917 British officials decoded a telegram from the German Foreign Office to the German Minister to Mexico. President Woodrow Wilson saw the text of the Zimmerman telegram by the end of February.

"We intend to begin on the 1st of February unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in spite of this to keep the United States of America neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make Mexico a proposal of alliance on the following basis: make war together, make peace together, generous financial support and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona."

What was the most significant effect of this telegram?

• It pushed the United States to declare war on Germany and enter World War I.

• It caused the United States to join the Central Powers in World War I
• It resulted in Mexico declaring war on Germany
• It led to the signing of a peace treaty between Germany and the United States

Answer explanation

The German plot to make Mexico fight against the United States enraged American public opinion. Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany in April.

The Socialist labor leader Eugene Debs was an outspoken critic of U.S. involvement in World War I. In a speech in Canton, Illinois in 1918, he called for resistance to the military draft. He was arrested and convicted of encouraging rebellion. This excerpt is from his testimony during his appeal to the Supreme Court:

"I admit being opposed to the present form of government. I admit being opposed to the present social system. . . .
I believe in the Constitution of the United States. Isn’t it strange that we Socialists stand almost alone today in defending the Constitution of the United States? The revolutionary fathers who had been oppressed under king rule understood that free speech and the right of free assemblage by the people were the fundamental principles of democratic government."

Which situation led to Debs’s arrest and conviction?

• Supporting the military draft during World War I
• The US government enacting the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918

• Advocating for increased military spending during World War I
• Promoting peace negotiations with enemy countries during World War I

Answer explanation

Concern over the influence of Socialists and antiwar groups caused Congress to limit the right to free speech by passing the Espionage and Sedition Acts that limited First Amendment rights

Which constitutional issue was at the center of Schenck v. United States, a Supreme Court case that challenged the Espionage Act and Sedition Act?

• Sixth Amendment right to a speedy and public trial
• First Amendment right to freedom of speech
• Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures
• Second Amendment right to bear arms

Answer explanation

Schenck concerned the constitutionality of the Espionage Act's restrictions on free speech during World War I. The Supreme Court held that efforts to hinder military recruitment efforts during a time of war were not protected by the First Amendment.