World War I and America: WWI History & Primary Sources

The Ransom Center’s First World War digital collection contains over one hundred posters that illuminate the lived experience of the war from the point of view of its participants and observers worldwide.

Heeding the call from artist Charles Dana Gibson to “Draw ‘til it hurts,” hundreds of leading American artists galvanized public interest in World War I. The posters, cartoons, fine art prints, and drawings in this display chronicle this massive international conflict from its onset through its aftermath.

When the U.S. declared war in April 1917, it had only a small standing army. By the end of 1918, 2.8 million Americans had been drafted.

Primary sources and teaching activities on various aspects of the war effort.

Records, personal stories, and photos from the British National Archives.

A long list of websites with military information about WWI.

Interactive online exhibits on each war with American involvement.

Learn about the events that led the U.S. to enter WWI in 1917 through videos and essays.

Explore online and examine major artifacts from "The Great War," read stories of heroes who served in Europe and on the home front, learn about technological advances that enabled Allied victory, the impact of WWI on popular culture, and how the Smithsonian Institution contributed to the war effort.

A timeline and battle statistics.

Supported by over 500 historical sources from across Europe, this resource examines key themes in the history of World War One. Explore a wealth of original source material, over 50 newly-commissioned articles written by historians, teachers' notes and more to discover how war affected people on different sides of the conflict.

Lieutenant Pat O'Brien was one of the first Americans to fight in World War I and the first American-born pilot to escape as a prisoner of war during that conflict. As a young man, both fascinated with flight and determined that America was not entering the war soon enough, O'Brien travelled to Canada in 1916 to enlist as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps. O'Brien was shot down over German lines in 1917 and spent a month in a prisoner of war camp before making a daring escape, after which he spent two months evading capture behind enemy lines before tunneling under an electric fence to rejoin his own forces. This is an excerpt from his book, Outwitting the Hun.

Arthur Guy Empey, an American, voluntarily enlisted with the 1st London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), T.F., of the British Army, going on to serve with it in the 56th (London) Division on the Western Front as a bomber and a machine-gunner. He was medically discharged from the British Army after being wounded in action at the commencement of the Battle of the Somme. Over the Top is his vivid and eye opening account of the horror of trench warfare.

The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

A large collection of WWI footage.

Famous [African American] regiment arrives home on the France. New York's famous 369th (old 15th) Infantry [African American] troops arrive at Hoboken, New Jersey. They are the only regiment which never had one of their men captured and never lost a foot of ground or a trench.