Teaching World War I in the 21st Century 1 | Page 8

LEADERSHIP AND
LEGACY IN HISTORY:
EXPLORING WORLD WAR I FROM MULTIPLE
PERSPECTIVES
Kim Gilmore, HISTORY®

Teaching about World War I can be both a challenge and an opportunity for educators in the U.S. On the one hand,

the Great War transformed American society. The sharpening of nationalist conflict exploded into war in July 1914,
lasting for four long years. Some nine million soldiers lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands of civilians were
affected by the conflict. Yet the United States did not enter the war until 1917, and in many ways its memory has
been eclipsed by World War II. The story of the war is intricate and confusing at times, and it can be difficult to

make it engaging for students. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the war, and gives educators

the opportunity to revisit World War I and take advantage of some of the excellent new educational resources
developed for the commemoration.

The 2015 National History Day theme, Leadership and

One of our taglines at HISTORY is “Making History

think first of President Woodrow Wilson and his

unfolded in the many other countries involved in the

Legacy in History, offers a valuable lens through which
to explore World War I. When we consider leadership
during World War I from a U.S. perspective, we may

path from neutrality to leading a nation at war to his
14-point program for world peace and failed efforts

to convince U.S. leaders to join the League of Nations.
Wilson was a layered and complex president, and his

tenure in office offers numerous avenues for exploring
themes of leadership and legacy, including his record
on civil rights. Students can also reflect on the ways

national leaders like Wilson have inspired opposition

and about the many ways everyday citizens exercised
their own leadership skills in response to Wilson’s
policies.

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Essays & Resources

Everyday.” Looking at the roles of everyday people

during World War I is also important from multiple
perspectives. Students can research how the war

conflict, and examine the ways people shaped and were

shaped by the war in many parts of the world as well as
in the U.S.

Aileen Cole, for example, became the first African-

American woman in the Army Nurse Corps during

World War I. While both the Red Cross and the U.S.

Army prevented black nurses from joining, women
like Cole were eager to join the effort and make a

contribution. After the massive influenza outbreak took
its toll in 1918, the Red Cross decided to accept black
nurses for service. Cole was sent by the Red Cross to