European War Worries Most North Dakotans; Most Against Intervention
The war in Europe has been going on for over a year. The Central Powers (Germany and Austria) and the Allied Powers (England and France) are engaged in bloody trench warfare in western Europe. To the east Russia, an ally of England and France, is in fierce combat against the German armies. Neither side is close to winning the war.
War posters from Europe. Courtesy of the British Museum.
In this country President Woodrow Wilson is advancing a program of preparedness, in case the United States becomes involved in the war. The preparedness movement has little support in North Dakota. Its representatives in Congress have voted against Wilson’s plan to enlarge the army and navy. Most North Dakotans blame the munitions makers for pushing the preparedness movement.
War posters from Europe. Courtesy of the British Museum.
From all corners of the state come demands that the United States stay neutral in the conflict. Many fear that British propaganda will influence Americans to enter the war on the Allied side. British propaganda posters are making their way to this country. They depict the Germans, who are referred to as Huns, in the worst possible way. Here in Fryburg, Gerald P. Nye, the editor of the Pioneer, vows that he will not support American intervention until the Kaiser’s German army marches on American soil.
By Dr. D. Jerome Tweton
Source
Originally published as The North Star Dakotan student newspaper, written by Dr. D. Jerome Tweton and supported by the North Dakota Humanities Council.
Grade Level
4-7, 9-12
Subject Matter
Social Studies
Standards
Identify similarities and differences between past events and current events in North Dakota (e.g., in the lives of people from different cultures past and present)
Describe similarities and differences between past events and current events in U.S. history (e.g., in the lives of people from different cultures past and present)
Explain the significance of scientists, inventors, and historical figures (e.g., Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce De Leon, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere, Benjamin Rush, David Rittenhouse, Thomas Paine)
Explain how differences among cultures (e.g., differences in beliefs and governments) often result in conflict.
Create mental maps of the world that demonstrate understanding of relative location, direction, size, and shape (e.g., freehand maps)
Use maps to find location, calculate scale, and distinguish other geographic relationships (e.g., latitude and longitude, population density)
Identify major historical events and issues (e.g., conflicts and resolutions, natural resources) within regions of the world and their impact
Explain how rivalry and tension between cultures contribute to world conflict
Trace the causes, course, and legacy of the United States’ involvement in World War I at home and abroad (e.g., neutrality, military technologies, isolationism, Zimmerman Note, Lusitania, home front, Wilson’s Fourteen Points)
Analyze the global causes, course, and consequences of World War I (e.g. imperialism, militarism, nationalism, alliance system; ethnic conflicts and assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand; Russian Revolution of 1917; Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations)