Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
World War I, at home and in the trenches
The years 1914-1918 were a time of unusual tension in Wisconsin, as the nations in Europe with which the state's residents identified squared off against one another in a bloody conflict. The sizable German American population, as well as the politically dominant Progressive and Socialist parties, generally opposed American entry into the war in Europe. Wisconsin's most famous politician, Senator Robert La Follette, risked both his reputation and influence first in opposing American entry into the war, and then in opposing ratification of the settlement drafted at the 1919 Peace Conference. Several groups did manage to use the international crisis... more...
Original Documents and Other Primary Sources
 | Wisconsin develops solutions to wartime shortages |
| Two Wisconsin soldiers write home from the front |
| Wisconsin's Telephone Brigade solicits support for the United War Work Campaign, 1918 |
| Patriotic songs to welcome home the troops |
| Wisconsin's National Guard encourages men to enlist |
| Suffrage publications from the Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association |
| A sketch of the life of Meta Berger |
| The end of war marked by a parade in Sturgeon Bay, 1918 |
| Health suggestions to help contain the spread of influenza in 1918 |
| The aims and plans of the Wisconsin Federation of Women Wage Earners |
| A high school biology class organizes a war garden competition, 1917 |
| The U.S. Army seeks volunteers in Milwaukee, 1917 |
| A German American professor is tarred and feathered, 1918 |
| The Wisconsin Food Administration responds to national food shortages in 1918 |
| La Follette publicly opposes U.S. entry into the war, 1917 |
| The State Board of Health seeks to contain influenza, 1918 |
| The Spanish flu sweeps across Wisconsin in 1918 |
 | Influenza Quarantine sign |
 | Supporting the war one meal at a time, 1917 |
| Bringing peace through backyard gardens, 1919 |
| The Wisconsin men and women who lost their lives during the war |
| Wisconsin's contributions to the war, 1919 |
| Julia Grace Wales suggests an influential proposal to end the war, 1915 |
| Descriptions of Wisconsin disasters and catastrophes, 1848-1948 |
| Homefront propaganda efforts, 1917-1919 |
| The Wisconsin Loyalty Legion nurtures patriotism, 1917-18 |
 | Milwaukee's former mayor speaks out against WWI |
| Life magazine portrays La Follette as a traitor in 1917 |
 | The Board of Health reports on the flu |
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