What is How WWI Changed America?
How WWI Changed America includes a series of “toolkits” for educators with resources, lessons, videos and podcasts about the enduring impact of the First World War in the United States. This project was created to improve the resource materials for teaching history in the United States and to increase fundamental knowledge of World War I. These resources are free to use and edit, and can be downloaded to share with students directly or through your preferred Learning Management System (Canvas, Google Classroom, Blackboard, etc.)
How WWI Changed America was created by the Doughboy Foundation, the National WWI Museum and Memorial and the World War One Centennial Commission thanks to the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. It was created in partnership with National History Day and the Gilder Lehrman Institute with the invaluable assistance of five historians who specialize in World War I: Drs. Christopher Capozzola, Jennifer Keene, John Morrow, Jeffrey Sammons and Herman Viola.
World War I is largely a forgotten war in the United States, even though more Americans lost their lives in that war than in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts combined. It is a war that reshaped the 20th century and America’s place in the world.
This educational content has been made freely available to educators and the public at large in an effort to contribute to the strengthening of history teaching and to strengthen America’s understanding of the past.
The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission was created by an Act of Congress in 2013, with the mission to plan, develop and execute programs, projects and activities to commemorate the Centennial of World War I, raising awareness of and give meaning to the events of a hundred years ago, using educational experiences and programming for all ages.
The Doughboy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of “Keeping Faith with the Doughboys.” The Foundation works closely with the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission in support of the Commission’s goal to build the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., and provide educational and commemorative activities around the Memorial.
Artist’s rendering of the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo.
The National WWI Museum and Memorial is America’s leading institution dedicated to remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community.
Dedicated in 1921, it was officially designated as the National WWI Museum by the 108th Congress in 2004 and later a national memorial in 2014. The facility is the only American museum solely dedicated to preserving the objects, history and personal experiences of a war whose impact still echoes in our world today.
These downloadable resources for educators are organized into toolkits by subject, providing an easy way to access all the resources and lessons from How WWI Changed America related to a specific subject area.
