Written by some of the most renowned scholars in the field, the authoritative articles on Missouri Over There give users an overview of the Missouri’s significant role in World War I.
From the war’s complex origins, Missouri’s home front contributions, combat on the Western Front, and the war’s troubled legacy, these articles provide important context for the diverse collections.
Photograph of the 129th Field Artillery on Parade in Kansas City - n.d.
Image courtesy of the National World War I Museum
Written by Jay Winter
Casualties: Bringing The Dead Back Home The place of the 1914-18 conflict in American memorial practices and culture is modest, and contrasts sharply with its central place in the memorial practices and cultures of Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The primary reason for this difference is reflected in casualty statistics. The losses suffered in combat by American soldiers were dwarfed by those suffered in combat by men serving in other armies, victorious and vanquished. Roughly 55,000 American soldiers died in combat covering roughly six months in 1918. A similar number died of the Spanish influenza epidemic, but since many of them succumbed to the flu in training in the United States, their deaths have been excluded from many calculations of military losses. Even… Continue Reading
Photograph of Governor of Missouri Frederick Gardner reading a welcome address to General John J. Pershing in Laclede, Missouri - January 11, 1920
Image courtesy of General John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site
Written by Petra DeWitt
Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War and chairman of the Council of National Defense, requested in April 1917 that all state governors create state councils of defense “as the official war emergency organization of the states … charged with conducting all of the war activity of the states not directly within the fields of the established executive departments.”1 Governor Frederick D. Gardner responded by calling for a statewide conference to establish the Missouri Council of Defense and appointed Frederick B. Mumford, the dean of the Missouri College of Agriculture, as the council's chairman. Although instructions required that Missouri establish a state council and county councils, conference delegates decided to create additional councils at the township and school district level. The gover… Continue Reading
Photograph of Women's Troop Train Service parade - n.d.
Image courtesy of Missouri History Museum
Written by Tammy M. Proctor
With the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1917, women mobilized to show their service to the nation just as men did. At home women formed the front line of food and resource conservation, they volunteered for the Red Cross and other war relief organizations, and worked in war-related capacities. However, this essay focuses on another part of female war service, namely their overseas service. World War I marked the first major mobilization of American women in Europe in U.S. History. More than sixteen thousand women served as part of the AEF in sex-segregated environments in non-combat roles.1 Thousands of women worked stateside in the armed services (army, navy and marines) in order to free up men for war. Hundreds more traveled to France to work for other organizat… Continue Reading
Lieutenant E.V.M. Izac "Living Heroes of U.S. Forces" - October 22, 1939
Image courtesy of Missouri History Museum
Written by Petra DeWitt
The search for the enemy within the United States and the frenzy to reduce opposition to the Great War resulted in several attempts to curtail expressions, outlaw the speaking of German, and suspend the publication of any newspaper critical of the government. States, such as Missouri, usually preferred to deal with dissent in their own way through gubernatorial proclamations and municipal orders and insisted on minimal federal government interference.1 Congress’ passage of the Espionage Act in 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 transformed this citizen-to-government relationship. Article III, Section 3 of the American Constitution defines treason as taking up arms against the United States and “giving…Aid and Comfort” to the enemy. But until 1917, few acts addressed vocal dissent or oppo… Continue Reading
Photograph of Hugo Schroeder - n.d.
Image courtesy of Velma Schroeder Rohan
Written by Petra DeWitt
During the Great War, German Americans and those of German or Austrian extraction, felt pressured to demonstrate their loyalty to the United States owing to national, state, and local mobilization efforts. Men volunteered for active duty, registered with the Selective Service, served when drafted, or if too old participated in the Home Guard. Families invested in Liberty Bonds, purchased War Savings Stamps, conserved food, and supported the Red Cross. Most did so to express their heartfelt patriotism; others intended to appear loyal to divert attention from their ethnicity; and some resented the war’s and government’s interference in their daily lives.1 Federal legislation directly impacted many German Americans. Immigrants from Germany and Austria who had not yet become naturalized citiz… Continue Reading
