Preparedness Day: At the onset of the Great War in Europe, the United States had an army of less than one twentieth of the German forces. Fearing the inevitable, the former White House Chief of Staff General Leonard Wood and former president Theodore Roosevelt encouraged the development of the Preparedness Movement.
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On June 28, 1916, nearly a year before the United States declared war on Germany, St. Joseph held a Preparedness Day parade, proving that a large population within the city supported the Allies and U.S. entry into the Great War overseas.
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Right: Photo of 8th St., Felix St., and Frederick Ave. during the Preparedness Day Parade June 28, 1916
General Alvaro Obregon, Pancho Villa, and General John J. Pershing with George Patton in the background, August 27, 1914, by Otis A. Aultman, Runyon (Robert) Photograph Collection, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
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Imperialism: Imperialism was the way of the world in the early twentieth century and the United States was no stranger to expansionism. Having successfully spanned “from sea to shining sea,” the U.S. government was heavily involved in Latin American and Caribbean politics following the Spanish-American War in 1898. During the course of WWI, and in some cases long into the 1930s, the United States occupied parts of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico during a period known as the Banana Wars.
The Mexican Revolution (1910-1919) was of particular concern for the United States. Fear of war with Mexico fueled the Preparedness Movement and influenced the 1916 election of Woodrow Wilson, who ran on the platform that “He kept us out of the wars” referring to war with Mexico and in Europe. Tensions flared when Pancho Villa raided into American territory, leading to an eleven month chase led by General John J. Pershing of Laclede, Missouri.
The very real threat of Mexico joining the Central Powers against the United States came in March 1917 when the Zimmerman Telegram, a decoded message, proved Germany was encouraging a Mexican invasion. The deciphering of the telegram, and Germany’s intent, was one of the primary reasons the U.S. declared war on Germany.
Above: General Frederick Funston
Right: The Zimmerman Telegram
General Frederick Funston, the man in charge of defending the border with Mexico and Wilson’s choice to lead the American troops in Europe, died in February, leaving General Pershing as the head of the American Expeditionary Force. Camp Funston in Kansas was named in his honor.
