America’s entry into WW1 is being commemorated with a centennial exhibition at the US Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, highlighting the response of Congress to both world wars.
Curator Dr Matt Field talks about his research for the exhibition, and the ‘intriguing’ similarities it revealed, in an interview with the US World War 1 Centennial Commssion.
“We decided to expand the content of the exhibit to include World War II as well, so that we could compare and contrast how Congress reacted to both world wars and show how they were inherently interconnected,” he says.
Overwhelming majorities of both parties supported the declarations of war in 1917 and 1941, Dr Field points out, after extended periods of debate reflecting a clear preference for non-intervention.
Read the full interview with Dr Matt Field on the US WW1 Commission website.
America’s national ceremony marking the centenary of the declaration of war in 1917 – ‘In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace‘ – will take place at the National World War I Museum & Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, on 6 April 2017.
Source: US WW1 Centennial Commission
Images courtesy Architect of the Capitol
Posted by: CN Editorial Team