Life in the Trenches
Life in the Trenches
There was nothing that could have prepared the American Expeditionary Force for the battlefields of Europe when they entered the Great War in 1917. Both the Allies and the Central powers were deeply entrenched, fighting from bunkers dug into the earth. The opposing trenches formed parallel lines that ran from Belgium in the north to the border of Switzerland in the south. This defensive strategy, combined with new weapons such as the machine gun and poison gas, brought about heavy casualties for both sides.

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Wilson was president throughout World War I. He attempted to keep America out of
the war and even won reelection with the slogan "He kept us out of war." Nonetheless,
after the sinking of the Lusitania, continued run-ins with German submarines, and
the release of the Zimmerman Telegram, America became involved. with the Lusitania,
the continued harassment of American ships by German submarines, and the release
of the Zimmerman Telegram meant that America joined the allies in April, 1917.
Woodrow Wilson was President when the 19th amendment was ratified in 1920 giving
women the right to vote.
Wilson piloted the ship that brought America onto the world stage. He made the first
steps of leading us out of isolationism, violating Washington's tenet of avoiding
foreign entanglements.
He led America during World War I. His fervent hope was for the US to join a League
of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations.
A Woodrow Wilson Quote: "Life does not consist in thinking, it consists in acting."
A Woodrow Wilson Quote: "The Constitution was not made to fit us like a straitjacket.
In its elasticity lies its chief greatness."
A Woodrow Wilson Quote: "I believe in democracy because it releases the energies
of every human being."
The Seventeenth Amendment was formally adopted on May 31, 1913. Wilson had been
president for almost three months at the time. The amendment provided for the direct
election of senators. Prior to its adoption, Senators were chosen by state legislatures.
Wilson was the first president to receive a PhD which he got in Political Science
from Johns Hopkins University. He had received his undergraduate degree from the
College of New Jersey, renamed Princeton University in 1896.
Woodrow Wilson could not read during the first decade of his life. Though undiagnosed,
he may have suffered from a learning disability
Woodrow Wilson was known as "Tommy" until his college years.
Woodrow Wilson during his boyhood, helped establish the "Lightfoot Baseball Club"
with his friends. Wilson played second base and was an avid sport fan throughout
his adult life.
Woodrow Wilson was the first president to attend the Major League Baseball Fall
Classic. He saw the debut of a young 20 year old pitcher by the name of George Herman
"Babe" Ruth.
Woodrow Wilson was a graduate of Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University
and the only president to hold an earned doctoral degree.
Woodrow Wilson image is on the $100,000 bill although it is no longer in circulation
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