NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
World War I and the 1920s
Lesson 1: Texans and the War
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Why does conflict develop?
Terms to Know
prohibit to forbid or prevent
mobilize to take the necessary steps to prepare a nation to fight and win a war
network a system of connected parts
ration to limit the purchase or consumption of food or other goods
Where in the world?
36°N
New
Mexico
Oklahoma
Arkansas
Call Field
Wichita Falls
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
0
Hicks
Field
200 miles
200 kilometers
0
Albers Equal-Area projection
El Paso
Dallas
Fort Worth
Te x a s
32 °N
Love Field
Camp Bowie
Fort Bliss
Waco
Camp MacArthur
Rich Field
Ellington Field
Leon Springs
Military
Reservation
M E X I CO
Camp Logan
Camp Travis
Fort
Clark
Louisiana
Houston
Kelly Field
Fort Travis
Fort San Jacinto
Galveston
Fort Sam Houston
Fort Crockett
San Antonio
28° N
Laredo
Gulf of Mexico
Fort
McIntosh
Selected railroad lines
Cities
Forts
Training camps
Airfields
Fort
Ringgold
N
Brownsville
E
W
100°W
96°W
S
92°W
Reading Essentials and Study Guide 273
NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
World War I and the 1920s
Lesson 1: Texans and the War, continued
Finding the
Main Idea
1. What were Zapata and
Villa fighting against?
Reading
Progress Check
2. Why did President
Wilson send General
Pershing to Mexico?
Marking the
Text
3. Highlight the text about
the Lusitania.
4. What was the
Zimmermann
telegram?
Defining
5. What does mobilize
mean?
Guiding Question Why did the United States become involved in
the Mexican Revolution?
By 1910, Mexico was in the middle of a revolution. There were
several changes in leadership. By 1915, two leaders fought against
the rule of Venustiano Carranza. Emiliano Zapata led rebel forces in
the south of Mexico. Francisco “Pancho” Villa fought in the north.
The United States recognized the Carranza government, which
angered Villa. In March 1916, Villa led 500 men across the U.S.-Mexican
border to raid towns in New Mexico and Texas. President Woodrow
Wilson sent General John J. Pershing to capture Villa. Pershing led
6,000 troops, including men from Texas National Guard, into Mexico.
The Americans pursued Villa for 10 months, but did not catch him.
During Pershing’s pursuit in Mexico, a group of Chinese immigrants
traveled with the soldiers. They got food, water, and other supplies
for the soldiers. When Pershing returned to Texas, he brought
about 500 of these Mexican Chinese back with him. At the time,
Chinese people were prohibited, or prevented, from immigrating
to the United States, but his group was given special permission.
The United States Enters World War I
Guiding Question Why did the United States enter World War I?
In 1914 France, Great Britain, and Russia joined to fight Germany,
Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. At first the United
States stayed neutral. However, many Americans wanted to enter
the war. In May 1915, a German submarine sank the British ship
Lusitania. Nearly 1,200 people were killed, including over 100
Americans. In early 1917, German submarines sank more ships
carrying Americans, and American anger with Germany grew.
In 1917, German foreign minister Arthur Zimmermann sent a
coded telegram to Mexico’s president Carranza. It asked Carranza
to side with Germany if the United States went to war against
Germany. It also promised to help Mexico reconquer lands it had
lost in the U.S.-Mexican War. This included Texas. When Americans
learned about the telegram, they were outraged. In April 1917,
Congress declared war on Germany.
The government had to quickly mobilize the nation for war.
This meant it had to train and equip soldiers. Texas became
an important location for this effort. Recruits were trained at
military camps near Fort Worth, Waco, Houston, and San Antonio.
274 Reading Essentials and Study Guide
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Identifying
Expedition to Mexico
NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
World War I and the 1920s
Lesson 1: Texans and the War, continued
The railroad network in Texas helped move men and equipment
quickly.
World War I was the first war in which airplanes were used to a
great extent. Most of the Americans who flew planes in the war
trained at Kelly Field in San Antonio. Now named Kelly Air Force
Base, it is still in operation.
Military units from Texas included the Thirty-sixth Division and
the Ninetieth Division. Both divisions suffered heavy casualties in
the major battles that brought about the end of the war. Nearly
200,000 Texans served in the armed forces during the war. More
than 450 Texas women served as nurses.
About 370,000 African Americans served in the army, most in
support roles. Many of these soldiers resented being kept out of
combat. They also resented the other forms of discrimination they
faced. For example, Houston police enforced local segregation
laws against black troops, leading to clashes that killed 19 people.
Marking the
Text
6. Circle the number of
Texans who served in
the armed forces during
the war and box the
number of Texans who
served as nurses.
Contrasting
7. How did the role of
African Americans in
the army differ from
that of Mexicans?
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Mexicans in Texas who were not American citizens did not have
to serve in the military. Many volunteered, however. Hundreds of
Mexican Americans served as combat troops in France.
Several Texans were honored for bravery. Four won the
Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award.
Some Texans held important government positions during the war.
Colonel Edward M. House was one of President Wilson’s most trusted
advisers. Albert Sidney Burleson was U.S. postmaster general. Thomas
Watt Gregory was the U.S. attorney general under Wilson.
Reading
Progress Check
8. How did serving in the
war affect the soldiers?
More than 5,000 Texans died in the war, many from a flu epidemic
in 1918. Experiences during the war changed the lives of many
who survived it. Some gained a broader view of the world. Others
learned new skills. Many recruits from farms and ranches received
their first medical and dental care.
African Americans who served in the war experienced less
prejudice in Europe than they had at home. These soldiers did not
forget this when they returned.
Explaining
9. What was the purpose
of war bonds?
The Home Front
Guiding Question In what ways did Texans support the war effort
at home?
Civilian Texans supported the troops in several ways. They bought
war bonds, which were sold by the government to help pay for the
war. Texans and other Americans also donated money to the Red
Cross and to other groups that helped war victims in Europe.
Reading Essentials and Study Guide 275
NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
World War I and the 1920s
Lesson 1: Texans and the War, continued
Marking the
Text
10. Highlight information
about the Stinson
sisters’ contributions
during the war.
Reading
Progress Check
11. Provide three examples
of actions taken against
Germans in an effort to
root out disloyalty
during World War I.
To ensure that there was enough food for the troops, people
voluntarily rationed food. For example, many Texans ate less sugar
and lard. Some people observed meatless Tuesdays. Wheat was in
short supply, so many Texans did not eat bread on certain days.
Many Texas women worked as nurses and farmers and in
factories. Although women were not allowed to serve in combat,
Katherine and Marjorie Stinson trained pilots at their family’s
flight school in San Antonio. Katherine Stinson flew fund-raising
tours for the Red Cross and drove an ambulance in Europe.
Marjorie Stinson was the only female in the U.S. Army Aviation
Reserve Corps.
The war led some Americans to develop and express strong
anti-German feelings. To show their loyalty to the United States,
some German Texans were pressured into joining the army. Others
were forced to kneel and kiss the American flag.
Some communities banned German music and the teaching
of the German language in schools. Even German foods were
targets of zealous patriots. Sauerkraut was renamed “liberty
cabbage.” Frankfurters became “liberty sausages.” Some Texans
spoke out against such intolerance of German Americans.
However, others felt that strong actions were needed to root
out disloyalty during wartime.
Check for Understanding
1. Expository Why were Americans upset by the Zimmermann telegram?
2. Expository How did people at home ration food during World War I?
276
Reading Essentials and Study Guide
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Writing