Archives,Andmuseums

AtRisk-TheFederalInvestmentinLibraries,

Archives,andMuseums

byStateLibrarianKendallF.Wiggin

On March16,2017,PresidentDonaldTrumpproposed abudget(AmericaFirst -A BudgetBlueprintto Make AmericaGreatAgain)for discretionaryspending in federal Fiscal Year2018. Itdetailedproposedspending bydepartment,amountingtoanoverall10% increase in defense spendingand a10% decrease innon-defense outlays.Ofgreatconcern tolibraries,archives,

museums andothermemory institutions is the proposal toeliminate theNational Endowmentforthe Arts(NEA), the National Endowmentforthe Humanities(NEH),and the Institute of Museum andLibraryServices (IMLS). Over the yearsthese programshave funded a varietyofimportantprojects in libraries,museums, andarchivesacrossConnecticut. The State Library receivesannualfundingfromIMLS under theGrantstoStatesprogramas partof the LibraryServicesandTechnologyAct(LSTA)andhasbeen the directbeneficiary ofseveral NEHandIMLSgrants. ForFederal Fiscal Year(FFY)2016,the State Libraryreceived

$2,022,715.00in LSTAfunds.Overthepastseveral years the State LibraryhasreceivedNEHgrantstotaling

$524,034under the National Digital NewspaperProgram. Thatfundingisbeingusedtodigitize historically

significantConnecticutnewspapersforinclusion inthe Libraryof Congress’ChroniclingAmerica project.

As arule,presidentialbudgetsare pretty muchdead on arrival. Butwe areinapolitical climate wheresomeof the oldrulesdon'tapply. WithRepublicancontrol ofthePresidencyandCongress,there is somereason tobeconcernedaboutthe future ofNEA,NEH,andIMLS .In 2015the U.S.House Republicansissued "ThePathto Prosperity:FiscalYear2015BudgetResolution"whichcalled for eliminating,youguessedit, theNEA, NEH,andIMLS. In reference totheIMLS,the plan said"[t]hisfunction can befundedatthe state andlocal levelandaugmentedsignificantly by charitable contributionsfromthe private sector."I think we allknowthestate andlocalfundingsituation. The LSTAfundshave a maintenance of effortrequirementwhichhas been important in maintainingstate fundingforlibraries.

The federalgovernmenthasprovidedaidforpubliclibrariessince1956. On June19 ofthatyear,PresidentEisenhowersignedtheLibraryServicesAct(LSA) intolaw.Althoughthe federal rolein supportof librarieshas been questionedoverthe years,oneconstanthasbeen theneed toserve the underserved andthedisadvantaged.There hasbeen debate over the yearsastowhetherthe programshouldfosterinnovationthroughgrantsfordemonstration projectsor fundongoingservices.

A themethroughoutthehistory of thisprogram isthe importantrole librariesplay in providingthe citizenrywithaccesstolearningopportunitiesandinformation inavarietyof formatsinarapidly changingeconomy,and the need to supportlibraries in these efforts.

Throughout its history, the program hasbeen state based. Withoverall goalsestablished by Congress,thestateshaveadministeredtheirgrantsto bestmeettheneedsof theirlibrariesand the citizensthey serve.

Congress debated theLibrary ServicesandConstruction Act in 1963asthe successortoLSA. Inthedebates,ThomasMcIntyre(D-NH)statedthat:

We arelivingin a complex and rapidlychangingage. It isanagebuiltupon the creation,thecollection, and the rapiddissemination of accurate information. At the very heartof thiscommunicationschainstandsthe American free publiclibrary whichcollects andmakesavailablebooks and othermaterialsto all who have needof them.

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Those words couldnotbe more true today. Funding forpubliclibrariesin Connecticutderives mainly fromlocal taxdollarsandprivate support.State fundingsupportsthe sharingof resourcesacrossall libraries,lessening the burdenonany one library whileprovidingthe citizensof thestate withthe information they need.Federalfundsare matched by state fundstosupportlibrary servicestothe blind,those withprintdisabilitiesand those withphysical disabilities; resource sharing; andinnovation inlibrariesthroughsmall grants.

Libraries areanational resource thatdeserve supportfromgovernmentatall levels. Now is notthe time tocutthe modest,buteffective,federal investment in libraries. Infact,let'sthinkbig-howabout a federalinvestmentof $1.00 percapita.

Federalfundsare matched by state fundstosupportlibrary servicestothe blind,those withprintdisabilitiesand those withphysical disabilities; resource sharing; andinnovation inlibrariesthroughsmall grants.

TheMuseumof ConnecticutHistoryhas greatstuffbutnot every school can gettheirstudents toHartfordtoseemanyof these treasuresfirsthand. SoourMuseum

Curator Patrick Smithgoesouttomany schoolsevery yearto

connectstudentswithConnecticuthistory. Tomake history vibrantandengaging in schoolsthe MuseumofConnecticut History wantstodomore andbringthe historical treasurestothe schools.

Historyonthe Move projectintendstouse a refurbishedbookmobile,forourMuseumCuratortoloadupwithfascinating artifactsfordisplay andpresentwonderful programstoschoolsaround thestate

Would youlike tohelpourMuseumCuratorPatrick Smithbringitemsfromthe Museum of CTHistory toschoolchildren acrossthe state? Ourgoal is toretrofitthe bookmobile,picturedhere,toaccommodate booksandhistorical items fromthe MuseumofConnecticutHistory.

Thiswould enable Patrick tocarry educational items toschoolsthroughout thestate. If youare interested inhelping supportthisfineprojectreadmore on ourwebsiteor gostraightto the GoFundMepage!

MuseumCuratorPatrickSmithspeakingwithanattentivegroupofchildrenattheSomersPublicLibrary

duringa“ConnecticutInvents”program.TotherightisPatrickwiththeConnecticutmadewiffleball.

ProjectLaunch-March62016intheMuseumofCTHistory-Fromlefttoright,SecretaryoftheStateDeniseMerrill,DirectorofEducationandRehabilitationBrianSigman,CRISRadioExecutiveDianeWeaverDunne,CRISRadioChairmanPaulA.Young,U.S.WorldWarOneCentennialCommissionerJohnMonahan,EducationConsultantSteveArmstrong,andStateLibrarianKendallWiggin.

PictureCredit:CRISRadio

OnMarch20, 2017, stateofficials,historians,archivists, educators,and CRISRadio(ConnecticutRadioInformationSystem)board,staffandvolunteersgathered in Memorial Hall of theMuseumof ConnecticutHistory tolaunchacollaborativepilotprojectcalled“VoicesofWorld WarI.”CRISRadio,the ConnecticutState Library,andIDEALGrouphave workedtogetherover the pasttwoyears to developafirst-of-itskindservice toprovide accesstohistoricrecordsanddocumentsthroughhuman-narratedrecordingsforindividuals whoareblind or unable toreadduetootherprintdisabilities.The goal ofthisprojectis todemonstrate that archives andlibrariescan provide these individualswithaccesstothe same historicdocumentsthatotherstudents,researchers,andcitizenshave enjoyed.Financial supportforthisprojectisprovided inpart by theNational HistoricPublication Records Commission [NHPRC],whichisthe fundingarm of the National ArchivesandRecordsAdministration [NARA]inWashington DC.

Because theprojectcoincidedwiththe centenary commemoration ofWWI,State Archivesstaffalongwiththeproject'sadvisorycommittee selected more than 100 historicWWIera documentsfromthe State Library'sextensive archival andgovernmentdocumentscollection,includingservicemen’sdiariesandletterstohome,government-pamphletssuchas“CuttingYourMeatBillswithMilk,”andselections of articlespublished inConnecticut newspapersfromthe era. The staffalsoselected anumberofthe military service questionnairesthatStateLibrarian GeorgeS. Godarddevelopedandcollectedduring1920-1930 fromveteransandfamilymembersofthose whodied in combatthatcapturedtheirmemoriesandfeelingabouttheirservice.StafffromtheState Library'sConnecticut in WW1projectscanned the documents. Otherstaffandvolunteersprovidedtranscriptsof handwritten materials. CRISradio volunteersthen recordedeachitemasthe personwritingwouldhaveread it aloud.Careful attention waspaid topronunciation. The audiofilesare available on theCRISwebsite

As partofthe launchcelebration,State Archivesstaffput aselection ofthedocumentsrecorded in twodisplaycases inMemorial Hall.CRISstaffprovidedforeachofthedocumentsQRcodesdevelopedforitsCRISACCESSTMmuseumservice. Visitorsare able touse theirsmartphonesto listen tothehumannarrated

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recording foreachdocument while they are viewing it inthecase.

Theprojectalsoincluded the development of newtechnologiestohelpteachers,librarians,andarchivistsrender hard-copy historical documentsintoaccessible formatsforindividualswithprintdisabilitiesaswell asmakethemsearchable.The newtechnologytoolswere developedby IDEALGroup,an Ohio-basedcompanythatmakes accessible mobileapplicationsforpeople withdisabilities. Followingthe launchcelebration,IdealGroupPresidentSteve JacobsandCRISRadioExecutive DirectorDiane Weaver Dunne demonstrated thenew technologytomembers of theConnecticut State HistoricalRecordsAdvisoryBoardandinterestedStateLibrary staff membersatthe State Library's75Van BlockAvenue facility. At the end of the grant,the toolswill bemade available freeof charge toarchives, libraries,andotherinstitutions to allowthemtoexpandaccessibilityof theircollections.

As the projectprogressed,educators on the projectadvisory committee realizedthatthe recordings will alsobenefit classroomteachersbybringinghistory alive fortheirstudents.Ratherthan justreadingaboutanevent or viewingstaticimages,studentswill be able tohear a letter,diaryor othercontemporary accountreadaloud.

To listen torecordingsgoto click on “Voicesof WWI”.Formore on the State Library’sWWIcollections andevents,visittheConnecticutin the GreatWarwebsite at orthe StateLibrary'swebsite at informationaboutIDEAL Groupsee: ideal-group.org,

(ThisarticlefirstappearedinConnecticutExploredVol.15,No2,Spring2017.)

InConnecticut,we are very fortunate tohave incredible primary andsecondaryresourcematerials in unique collectionsaround thestate. Thefactthat some of the mostsignificantrecordsareheld intheConnecticutState Archives islargely attributable tothe visionanddrive ofone man,State LibrarianGeorge Godard(1900-1936).

In1917the General Assembly passedlegislation thatprovidedforthedepositing in the State Library all of the filesand otherofficial papersrelatingtothe State Council of Defense,the ConnecticutState Military Census,andothersimilar organizations in connectionwiththe World War.Atthattime the State Councilof Defense establishedtheDepartmentof Historical Recordswithin the StateLibrary underthedirectionof Godard.

On November 2,1918the Committeeon Historical Records,whichadvised theDepartmentof Historical Recordsand waschaired byGodard,metanddecidedthatis wasofgreatimportance tosecure fromthe several committees anddepartmentsthathadbeen created by the ConnecticutState Council ofDefense a"full statementcovering the work accomplishedor in progress.. .." Godardwasinstructed torequestthese reportsand onNovember14,1918,justthree daysafterthe armistice wassigned,Godardwrote tothe chairmanofthe Town WarBureausacross Connecticutsayingthattheirreports"willbe essential toanadequateunderstanding" of theservicestheir committee provided. Hewent onto say thatthe committee was"interested inhavingavailable whenneededthematerial necessary toformulate a true andadequate narrative of the part ithasbeen Connecticut's duty andprivilege totake. It is the dutyof the Departmentof Historical Recordstosee thatsuchofficial andreliable datais securedandmade available here inour State Library."

In1919the Departmentof Historical recordsbecame the Department ofWar Recordsby actof the GeneralAssembly. The goal of the WarRecordsDepartmentwas,accordingtoGodard, “tocollect,classify, indexandinstall all available materialrelating toConnecticut’sparticipation,publicorprivate, inthe WorldWar . . . orthebenefit ofourchildren andtheirchildren.”So eagerwasGodardtoshowoff the work ofthe Department ofWarRecords,that he inviteda reporterfromtheHartfordCourantfor a tour. The story appeared intheHarfordCourant onJuly 27,1919under theheadline "Preservingthe RecordsofConnecticut'sSoldiers"withthe subheading "Ourstate leadsall others in the way it istabulatingthe information concerningthe sonswhowentforthtodotheirpart inmaking the worldsafe fordemocracy." The reporternotedthatGodardwas"intenselyinterested in thiswork"and"convincedofthe greatvalue" of the recordsthe Libraryhadacquiredandcontinuedtoacquire. Whilemany state'shadfoundthe task of indexingandclassifyingtheirwarrelatedrecordsdaunting,Connecticut was"sailingalongserenely under theleadershipof the state librarian,witha system that is simplicityitself."

In1975 the General Assembly repealed thelanguage establishingthe Department ofWar Recordsandinsteadsubstituted language calling forthe State Library tomaintain acollection ofwarrecordswhichit continues todotothisday.

Few stateshave thebreadthanddepthofdocumentation of thestate role inthe builduptothe UnitedStatesentryintothewarandparticipation inthewarasdoesConnecticut. BecauseofGodard'sleadershipandhis innate sense of the importance of documentinghistory and the diligentwork of the women andmen in the State Library'sDepartmentof WarRecords,today we are able totell the story of Connecticut’sRole inthe GreatWar.

TheConnecticutStateLibrary commemoratedthe100thanniversaryoftheUnitedStates'entry intoWorld WarI withan event in Memorial Hall thatincluded the PostingandRetiringof the Colorsbythe Connecticut National Guard,remarksfromGovernor Dannel Malloy,StateLibrarian KendallWiggin,CommissionerDianna Wentzell,StateHistorian WalterWoodward,Commissioner ofVeterans AffairsSean Connolly, LieutenantColonelTimothy Tomcho,George King III andDr.JeffreyKlinger fromthe Ambulance 255Project. Theeventbegan with abeautiful renditionof the NationalAnthemsung bySgt.JosephColavito,102ndArmyBand.Kendall Wigginbegan thepresentations bythanking the formerState Librarian GeorgeSeymour Godardforrecognizingthe value ofcollectingthe ‘treasure trove”of recordsfromConnecticut World War I Veterans. He commendedChristine Pittsleyforherefforts in organizingConnecticut’sRememberingWorld War One:SharingHistory/Preserving Memoryproject,whichhasevolved over the pastyear.Please visit

EducationCommisionerDiannaR.Wentzellwithotherdistinguishedguests.

Sgt.JosephColavito,102ndArmyBand,singingtheNationalAnthem

the websiteat toseeimagescollectedfromover100 descendentsof thewarandnewsabout digitization andothereventstakingplace throughoutthe state .GovernorMalloy recognized the State ofConnecticutforitsmany contributionstothe war.State Historian WalterWoodwardspoke aboutConnecticut’smassive role in manufacturingeffortsand the impacton Connecticut’sworkforce(see his remarkson the nextpage).He alsospoke ofGovernorHolcomb’sinvolvementand thegreatpatriotismshownby Connecticutresidents. Education CommissionerandState Library BoardMemberDianna Wentzell spoke about theimportanceof bringingthe history ofWWIintothe classroomandshe thanked the organizationsthathavehelped provide the necessary material forhistoryandsocial studyteachersinthe state.Military DepartmentLieutenantColonel Timothy Tomchospoke aboutthe ConnecticutNational Guard’scontributionsandConnecticut Legislation passedduringthewarperiodthatwasinstrumental tooursuccess.CommissionerofVeterans AffairsSean Connolly welcomedandrecognizedveteransfromall warsandthe importance oforganizations thatwork togethertopreserve theirlegacy.George King IIIfromthe Ambulance 255ProjectandhiscolleagueDr.JeffreyKlingerwere notable tobring a1914modelambulance,whichtheyrestored,due torain, buy they didbringphotographsand a video.The ambulance wasused to evacuate soldiersduringthe war.Dr. Klingerspoke aboutthe challengesandtragediesfaced by bothdriversandsoldiers.Healsomentionedthevalue ofbeingable toshare these storieswithothers,howeverdifficultthatmay be.Watchthe CTNVideoof the Eventon the CTNWebsite orwatchthevideofromtheCSLWebsite.

(Theseremarks werepresentedatThe YanksAre Coming:Connecticut’sCentennial Commemorationofthe U.S.Entryinto WorldWar IonApril6,2017inthe Museum ofCTHistory)

When WorldWar Ibegan in July,1914,mostConnecticansviewedit asaspectator event– someoneelse’sfight,in a placefar away. Inhis1915 stateofthestatespeech to theGeneralAssembly, GovernorMarcusHolcombefailedto mention thewar assomethingthat wouldaffectConnecticut.

But affect that stateit did – profoundly andalmostimmediately.

Fromthebeginning,thewarringEuropeanpowers flooded Connecticut’sarmsmakers with hugeorders.ConnecticutbecameEnglandandFrance’sarmory years beforeitbecameits ally.

In Bridgeport,NewHaven,HartfordandtheBrassValley,munitionsfactoriesrampedup production ona massivescale, hiringthousandsofnewworkers– never enough - andpushingthemto provide maximumoutput.Thepressuretoproduceledto labor strife–the422strikesaffecting68,000workers in1915 and16werethe most inthestate’shistory, thoughthearcofincreasedproduction wasunwavering.

Holcombewas quick to concludethat Americaninvolvementin awar ofthisscalewas a questionofwhennot ifandeven asthenation preparedto reelect WoodrowWilsonon a campaignslogan that said“HeKeptUs OutoftheWar”.Holcombebent hiseffortsto preparingConnecticut andConnecticansfor the battlesto come.

Thesinkingofthepassenger liners Lusitania in May1915,andtheSussex in1916,fedConnectican’santi-Germanhostility, asdidrumors–relatedto thestate’smassive defenseproduction– that Germany secretlyplannedto usethestateas abaseforfifth-columnsaboteurs. Warnedbya Holcombeofficial that “thepenalty for failureto prepareisnational death,”Connecticutmobilizedwell in advanceofAmericanentry into thewar. In1915 and1916,encouragedbystateofficials,businessmenpaidtheirownexpensesto receive military trainingat acampinPlattsburgh New York.Yale alumnifundedconstruction ofanoncampusarmory.100,000 spectatorslinedHartfordstreets to watch 17,000marchers stagea patrioticpreparednessparadeinJuneof1916.Similarmarcheswereheldincitiesandtownsaroundthestate. That samesummer,theConnecticut StateGuardwasthefirst to answer WoodrowWilson’scall to mobilizetroopsto stop thecrossborder incursion ofthe Mexican guerilla PanchoVilla into Arizona.

Otherstatesmay havevotedfor isolationism,but Holcombe,withoutmakingasinglecampaignspeech,was reelectedinthe fall of1916on a platformofpreparedness.

When Germany,in January of1917,declaredtheirintention tosink allNorth Atlanticshipping, Holcomberecognizedwar wasimminent,andcalledonConnecticansto set asideany andalldifferencesand“meet onthecommonplaneofpatriotism”.

Within two months, a volunteergroup of over 10,000citizensconductedandcompleted a statewidecensusofeveryConnecticutmaleover16years to determinetheir capacitiesandability to serve in themilitary in caseof a draft. A homeguardwas createdto protect thestate’sfactoriesandinfrastructurefromsabotage,andin three months 10,000men rangingfromCivil War veteransto high school students, wereorganized,uniformedandarmed.So by thetimethisday came,100years ago today,Connecticut anditspeoplewereready for war. Connecticut troopswould beamong thefirstto seeactionin France,and earn fame,honor,andrespect for theirbattlefieldbravery andcourageunderfire. Andthey wouldbesupportedback homeby apopulaceofmenwomenandchildrencommittedto sacrificeandserviceon thehomefront, in thecauseofpeace.Andsacrificethey did, but that’sanotherstory,for another time.

As GovernorHolcombewouldsay.“Thewararousedusfromour lethargy andforeighteenmonths we thoughtseriously,andactedpatriotically,andunitedly.”It isthat seriousness,andpatriotism,that readinessto pay theprice offreedom,that weremember,andgivethanksfor today.

Connecticut’srole inWorld War Iwas featuredaspartof a class“Sendthe Word....TheYanksare Coming”presentedtoagroupof4th-6thgrade homeschooledstudents. I recently finishedteachingthiseight-week class, whichI created,toseventeen students as partof theMonday HomeSchool classeshosted by the LutzMuseum in

Manchester. Each week the kidsand I delved intoanewtopicrelatedtotheGreatWarandConnecticut’srole init.Objects,documents,andimagesfromthe MuseumandLibrary madethetopic come alive forthe kidswhowere thrilledtosee whatnewtreasures I brought ineachweek. Thestudentswhosignedupfor theclasswere alsoprovidedwiththebookWar Horse byMichael Morpurgo, andas a groupwe readthe book andexploredtopicsinit eachweek. Wecovered alotofhistory ineightweeks!

Theclassbegan withalook at thepre-warpolitical situation inthe worldand severaleventsthatactedas a triggerforthe war. Weofcourse lookedatfamousbattlesandsoldiers'storiesfromthe many nationsthattook part.Letters,descriptions,anddocumentsfromConnecticutsoldiersbroughtthe warclosertohome forthoseintheclass.Oneof my favorite classeswasone where we lookedattrenchfightingduring the war. I setupthe classroomas a “trench”usingdesksandtablesfor the trenchesandoverturnedchairsasbarbedwire in“no man’sland." I had the kidstuckeddown lowasI readdescriptionsofthemiserable conditionsinthe trenchesandshowedthempicturesfromseveral frontsof thewar. Periodically I lobbedpaper“mortars”tokeepthem on theirtoes.

The technology ofwarreally changedduringWWI. We examined the

WWI“Brodie”helmetfromtheMuseum’scollection

role of airplanes,submarines,andtanks.Connecticutaviatorswerehighlightedandourindustrial output,includingtanks,otherweapons, andmilitary suppliesmadeinthe NutmegState were featured.The efforton the home frontback herein Connecticutincludedlearningabout warbonddrives,RedCrossefforts,andfoodconservation. Adifferentperspective onthe warwas shown by usingart,music,andpoetry of theperiod.We all went “OverThere”for atime.

Stubbywithhisowner/bestfriendPVT.JamesRobertConroy

The bookWar Horse allowedus a chance tolook at many differentwartime experiences.Animals played abigpart inthe war,andwelearned aboutthe use andcare ofhorses,pigeons,and ofcourse dogs,includingConnecticut’s ownSergeantStubby. Thebook

alsogave us aglimpse into the disastrouseffectthe warhad oncivilians throughoutEurope andbeyond,includingchildren andyoung adultswhofoughtin many battles orsuffered itsconsequences. As we finishedthe book andthe semester,the kidsand I discussedtheoutcome of thewarandwhatcame after the“War toEndAll Wars"--it wasofcourseWorldWar II. A fewof thekidsandparentsasked ifI wasteachingaboutthatnext--I thinkI’llneedmore than eightweeks!

MajorGervaisRaoulLufberry(andaunitmascot!)wholivedforashorttimeinConnecticutandflewfortheLafayetteEscadrilleduringthewar.

StateLibraryLaunchingWWITwitterCampaignFeaturingHartfordCourant'sOriginalCoverage

A century after theU.S.joined"the wartoendall wars," theConnecticutState Libraryis launchinga projecttouse Twitter as a vehicle forhistorical postsfeaturing the dailycoverageofWorld WarI fromthe HartfordCourant.

The "Overthe Top:HartfordCourantReportstheGreatWar"social mediacampaign isintendedtogive today'sinternet-orientedgeneration asense ofhowthe warwasreportedon a day-to-day basiswhen the U.S.enteredtheconflict.Eachpost will showthe Courant'sfrontpage fromthatparticularday duringthe war.

Libraryofficials plan tofolloweachday'sHartford Courantpostswith othertweetsaboutotherConnecticutstories relatingtothe war,bothatthe front in Europe andathome.

"We've beenthinkingaboutthisfor awhile,"saidChristine Pittsley, projectmanagerforthelibrary'snewTwittercampaign.About a monthago,officialsdecidedto goaheadwiththe socialmedia effort.

"This is away togetthisinformation outthere,"Pittsley said,andtogive 21stCenturypeople afeeling forhownewspapers coveredmajorevents100 yearsago."Mostpeople on social media probably don'treadnewspapersanymore," she said.

Additional, more in-depthstories ontopicsincludingmanufacturingof gasmasks towhetherpublicschoolsshouldberequiredtoprovide military trainingwillalsobe postedontheLibrary's Facebookpage.Pittsley said

Libraryofficials willbe workingon those in-depth articleswithConnecticut History.org,an armof thenon-profitgroup,ConnecticutHumanities.

Therewillalsobe imagesfromthe HartfordCourantadded toInstagram.Those imageswillcome fromProQuest,whichhasputtogether adigital databaseof the HartfordCourant'sarchives tomake itavailable tolibrariesandresearchers.

Anyone interested in the World WarI Twittercampaign canfollow itvia@CtinWW1,or #OTTHC.Thein-depthcontenton Facebook can beaccessed bygoingto@CtinWorldWar1or on Instagram,

@CtinWW1.

PresidentWoodrowWilson askedCongresson April 2,1917 for adeclaration of waragainstImperialGermany.Hisrequestcamemorethan two-and-a-halfyearsafter thestart of WWIat a time when Germany andits opponents, GreatBritain,France andItaly, were locked inatrench-warstalemate acrossEurope.

Wilson'sdecisioncameafter aseriesofcontroversies,includingthe sinkingof the BritishpassengershiptheLusitania in1915thatresulted inthe deathsof128AmericansanddisputesoverGermany'sunrestrictedsubmarine warfare.In early 1917,Germany infuriated the U.S.by sendingthe famous"ZimmermanTelegram"toMexico, urgingthatnation togotowaragainst theU.S. inthe eventAmerican declaredwar onGermany.

The war endedonNov.11,1918withGermany'sdefeat.