Accomplish as many of the applicable SOL as time allows.

 

Social Sciences: 6.3, 6.10, 6.11; 9.9, 9.10; 10.11, 10.13, 10.14, 10.15; 11.8, 11.9, 11.15, 11.17.

   Classroom activities developed by a teacher committee (funded through a grant from the Jesse Ball dupont Fund) involve students in a study of World War I using the collection of primary sources in the archives of the General Douglas MacArthur Memorial. The focus is on the period 1914 to 1919.

Length of Program: 4+ Hours to accomplish all aspects of the lesson.

Cost: Field Trips to the MacArthur Memorial can be taken without charge.

1. If intending to take your class on a field trip to the MacArthur Memorial, please contact Linda McCubbins, MacArthur Memorial Education Coordinator, to arrange the date and time of the visit.
2. Confirmation of the visit will be sent to the lead teacher, with pre-visit information and a parking map.

   Also called the "great war" or the "war to end all wars," World War I was the first truly global conflict. The war, stemming from nationalism and imperialism, had been brewing in Europe for many years. However, when Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Bosnia, a province of Austria-Hungary, on June 28, 1914, war was inevitable. Austria-Hungary blamed the assassination on a Serbian terrorist group, the "Black Hand," who wanted to unite Bosnia with the independent nation of Serbia. Soon, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Knowing that Russia would come to Serbia's aid, Austria-Hungary's ally, Germany issued an ultimatum to Russia. If Russia mobilized to come to Serbia's aid, Germany would declare war on Russia. Russia ignored the ultimatum and Germany declared war on Russia and Russia's ally, France.

   The two sides consisted of the Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria, and the Allies: Russia, France, Great Britain, and Japan. The United States entered the war in 1917.

   Why did the United States enter the war so late? In 1914, there was still quite a bit of isolationist sentiment among Americans, and the United States remained neutral. However, after events such as the sinking of the Lusitania (1915), the Zimmerman Note (1917) and unrestricted submarine warfare by the Germans, the U.S. entered the war on the side of the Allies.

   The entry into the war of the U.S. was a great help to the allies. The Germans were stopped short of Paris in the second Battle of the Marne, and American troops also fought in battles at the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel. The central powers surrendered to the allies on November 11, 1918. The war was officially over when representatives of the Paris Peace Conference signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

   The U.S. and the rest of the world underwent much change during World War I. For the first time, planes, trucks, and tanks were used in warfare. Although the U.S. went back into semi-isolationism, it was beginning to play a large part in international affairs.

   Activities have been designed using primary source documents from the MacArthur Collection to help students receive a better understanding of the events surrounding World War I, including the social, political, and technological changes in the U.S. and abroad. Suggested activities, copies of photographs, newspapers, maps, and other documents are available in the MacArthur Memorialís education department. To obtain copies of the documents and activities, call Linda McCubbins at 441-2965.

   Assessment activities should be developed around the objectives outlined in the SOL covered in this field trip activity and appropriate to the various grade levels participating.

http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/EMS/WWI/WWI.html

Linda McCubbins
Education Coordinator
General Douglas MacArthur Memorial
MacArthur Square
Norfolk, Virginia 23510

PHONE: (757) 441-2965
E-MAIL: macmem@norfolk.infi.net