How World War I Impacted American Society

World War I changed many aspects of American society and led to a very large shift in U.S. foreign policy away from isolationism and toward involvement in world affairs. Many circumstances led to the shift in American position regarding entrance into the war such as, The Zimmerman note, and German U boats. World War I Impacted American society by changing and improving the roles of women in the U.S and a new found use of propaganda. The Zimmerman note was a letter and or note issued from the German foreign office in January 1917 that offered a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event that the U.S entered the War and fought against Germany . The note was intercepted by British code breakers. The note contained words that threatened the U.S territories, and this shifted public sentimentality towards the allied forces of Great Britain,

Before the war, the most common form of employment for a woman was as a domestic servant. However, women were also employed in what were considered suitable occupations e.g. teaching, nursing, and office work. When the war started in 1914, many women were forced to leave their jobs in things such as jewelry making and coal mining. These women needed work so they decided to do whatever they could to help the war effort. They began doing things such as, becoming nurses, working in naval factories and becoming rail workers. After accepting bigger position in the society women fought for suffrage. “At the first session….proposing an amendment to the Constitution extending the right of suffrage to women”, “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State of account of sex” (Doc. 1) . Suffragists and suffragettes suspended their campaigns for the vote. They believed that the war was more important than their