The United States and World War I featuring Tin Pan Alley Songs

Why did the United States enter World War I and how did music reflect the changing viewpoint of Americans toward the war?

Know (knowledge):

• Events in Europe that led to World War I
• Initial neutral status of the U.S. toward the war
• Events that led to the U.S. entering World War I
• Music that reflected the changing viewpoint of Americans toward the war
• U.S. rejection of the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations

Mastery Objective

• Students will be able to describe what led to World War I, explain how the U.S. participated in the war and what occurred as a result of U.S. participation, and identify the changing viewpoint of Americans toward the war by analyzing primary sources, viewing images, and listening to music.

In this lesson, students assume the role of history detectives to conduct an investigation into why the United States entered World War I and what occurred as a result of U.S. participation in the war. As part of their investigation, students will identify how Tin Pan Alley produced songs released during the war reflected the changing viewpoint of Americans toward the war. Throughout their investigation, students will analyze a variety of contemporaneous primary sources, including song lyrics and recordings, newspaper images, sheet music, and speeches. Additionally, some primary sources in the lesson are paired with related secondary sources so students have the necessary materials to conduct a comprehensive investigation, and become acquainted with standard research practices.

World War I began in Europe during the summer of 1914 and millions of people would be killed or wounded until combat ended in November 1918. By the war’s end, multiple regions on continents around the world had been affected. The war resulted in centuries-old monarchies falling and new nations emerging from the former empires.

The combatants in World War I consisted of two opposing groups, the Allies and the Central Powers. The Allies were led by Britain, France, and Russia, while the Central Powers were led by Austria-Hungary and Germany. Other countries would join the conflict over the course of the war and align with one of the two warring groups. Notably, the United States entered the war in 1917 on the side of the Allies.

Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States during World War I. When the war began, President Wilson declared that the U.S. would take a neutral position toward the war and maintain an isolationist foreign policy. However, international incidents drew the U.S. closer to the conflict and challenged its neutral position as the war progressed.

Two events in particular challenged the U.S.’s neutral position during World War I. The first was the brazen sinking of the RMS Lusitania ocean liner by Germany in May 1915. The sinking resulted in over 1,000 deaths, including over 100 Americans. The second event was the interception and publication of the covert Zimmermann Telegram in the early months of 1917. Publication of the telegram made the American public aware that Germany was secretly offering a military partnership to Mexico if the U.S. entered the war on the side of the Allies. Both events caused public outrage in the U.S. and led to an increase of support by Americans for U.S. participation in the war.

As President Wilson surveyed the international upheaval occurring during the war, he recognized a leadership role for the U.S. in world affairs. Wilson concluded that the U.S. should lead in two distinct roles. First, the U.S. should join the conflict in order to secure a military victory for the Allies. Second, at the end of the war, the U.S. should lead the international negotiations that would establish a peaceful postwar new world order.

Throughout World War I, newspapers around the U.S. provided extensive coverage of the war. News stories kept Americans informed about the war’s events in Europe and beyond, but how Americans felt about the war wasn’t necessarily frontpage news. The feelings of Americans toward the war were more likely to be found in the popular songs of the day. Two particular songs that were produced in New York City’s Tin Pan Alley, an early American music industry district, reflected the changing viewpoint of Americans during the war.

“I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier” was released in early 1915 and is considered one of the first American anti-war songs. The song’s lyrics expressed the U.S. position of neutrality toward the war from the perspective of a concerned mother - which is also illustrated on the song’s sheet music cover. The recording reached No. 1 in sales during March and April of 1915 and the song’s sheet music sold over one million copies. The song has endured as an American pacifist anthem.

“Over There” was written as a direct response to the U.S. declaration of war against Germany on April 6, 1917. The U.S. entered World War I on the side of the Allies and by that time American public opinion had shifted toward support for U.S. military involvement in the war. The lyrics to “Over There” expressed a popular public sentiment that American soldiers were heading “over there” to Europe to vanquish the Central Powers and bring the war to an end. While “Over There” is now considered an American patriotic anthem and sharply contrasted with the theme of “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier,” both songs utilized musical arrangements and instrumentation often found in traditional American patriotic music.

President Wilson gave a speech to Congress on January 8, 1918 where he proposed a fourteen point plan to secure world peace after World War I. The plan called for an end to secret treaties, a reduction in arms, and various methods to promote democracy. Point 14 proposed an intergovernmental agency that would promote cooperation among nations to ensure international peace and security. While nearly all of President Wilson’s proposed points were left out of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, the intergovernmental agency known as the League of Nations was established by the treaty in 1919. However, the United States Senate opposed both the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles. Weakened without U.S. involvement, the League of Nations failed in its mission and international peace and security did not take hold.

This lesson contains primary source documents and other materials that may include terms and images reflecting the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times that today are considered offensive and demeaning. Teachrock.org does not endorse the views expressed in these documents, but recognizes the value such materials provide for historical inquiry. For guidance on introducing controversial historical materials into the classroom, we suggest reviewing this document from The Library of Congress.

• An internet accessible device for each student