Chapter 23 Study Guide
Mush
Mr. Rose
Selective Service Act
Passed by Congress in May, 1917 after the U.S.
decided to enter the war. It created a national draft
for the military, requiring all men ages 21-30 to
register for service at local polling stations.
American Expeditionary
Force
The first U.S. troops to reach Europe, arriving in
France in June 1917. Nicknamed “doughboys”, they
fought under General John J. Pershing as mostly
infantry.
369th Regiment
The first all-black regiment in the U.S. military, they
actually fought under French command, seeing action
on the front lines and earning the respect of their
allies and enemies.
Convoy System
A system where merchant and supply ships traveled
across the Atlantic from the U.S. in groups with Allied
warships escorting them in order to defend against U
boat attacks that had decimated supply ships
previously.
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
An offense launched by the Allied Powers in late
September in an effort to finally put an end to the war.
The goal was to reach the Sedan railroad in northern
France, a main German supply line.
Question 1
The U.S. instituted a draft for the first time in their
history to ensure they had the number of soldiers
necessary to fight a war. They used propaganda to
encourage soldiers to sign up and trained them as
quickly as possible to help the Allies, who were
struggling.
Question 2
General Pershing was in command of the first
American troops in Europe, the AEF. Pershing was
adamant that the AEF not fight in Allied regiments
because he did not like their strategy, and wanted to
use the potential success of the AEF in peacemaking
talks.
Question 3
The old ways of fighting a war were not feasible.
Huge artillery guns, howitzers meant armies could fire
from miles away at troops. Machine guns meant a
small number of soldiers could stop head-on
advances easily. Trenches were supposed to provide
protection, but ultimately made the a defensive
stalemate, with little or no movement by either side.
The sky, with planes, and sea, with new battleships,
also saw more fighting.
Question 4
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was an offensive
attack by the Allied Powers to try to end the war. The
goal was to fight through the Argonne Forest in
northern France to reach the Sedan railroad, which
was Germany’s main supply line into France. It was
risky because it meant changing the dynamic of
trench warfare, and was successful largely due to the
use of tanks, aircraft support, fresh U.S. soldiers, and
an influenza outbreak in the German troops.
Question 5
The biggest cost was human life. Nearly 30 million
were killed or wounded throughout the war. Millions
of other civilians, due to starvation, disease, and other
war-related reasons died. Much of the infrastructure
was destroyed, including roads, bridges, railroads,
and personal property. The final casualty of the war
was the human spirit, especially those in Europe who
had witnessed the war first hand.