On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and entered World War 1. The Great War. The War to End All Wars. President Wilson, who campaigned with the slogan “He kept us out of war,” asked Congress to approve the war declaration with a new slogan. The United States should make the “world safe for democracy.” On July 4, 1917, American soldiers marched to the Marquis de Lafayette’s gravesite to pay homage with the phrase “Lafayette, nous voilà” – Lafayette, we are here.

The Great War. The War to End All Wars. Make the world safe for democracy. Lafayette, we are here.

The above phrases are an important part of world history. The impact of the first global war is still being examined and discussed. A century later, we still have war and democracy may be in peril, but as long as we remember Lafayette and the soldiers inspired by him, as long as we read the stories of soldiers, there is hope that global wars may be history.

World War 1 and America Writing Workshops