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World War I WebQuest
What is it like to be in a conflict at the homefront?

Wars are not only fought at the war's front. They are also fought at the homefront. Here, the battles are for the hearts and support of those at home, as well as for the parents and children of those sent to battle.

Instructions:

Your task is to follow each of the following pairs of links. After visiting each set of sites, your team should:

  1. discuss what it was like to be a citizen, a parent, a sister, a child asked to support World War I from home, outside of the war zones.
  2. go to your team's worksheet and write down an understanding or truth, based on the set #1 workstation/Internet sites that you just visited [see below]. If you need a worksheet, click here.
  3. then proceed to the next pair of sites of materials and repeat steps 1 and 2
  4. When you have visited, discussed and written down your understandings from the 3 sets of websites and/or other work stations that you visited, you will then complete the last section of your worksheet that answers the question "What was it like to be a citizen, a parent, a sister, or a child during this conflict?".

    Remember, in the next stage [Stage 2] of this WebQuest, each member of your team will be sharing your team's response with a larger group of participants. Make sure your understanding and analysis will help this larger group understand the essential question better.

Remember - your entire team will be assessed on what you write down and turn in!

Be sure to use your BACK button to keep returning to this page!

Visit these sites:

Set #1: as a citizen
Citizen support was essential to the success of the war movement. Many forms of both education and persuasion were used to support government decisions and to focus resources.

Food will win the war

Read the first paragraph, then scroll to the bottom;click on, read and discuss documents #4 - #9

Go to the Poster War site. Read the introduction, then click on continue with exhibit.

Follow the arrows that point to the right, at the bottom of each page.

Take to time to view several of the posters.

Set #2: Mixed views

A Question of Honor - the Selective Service

Letters to and from an Alabama Senator:

Read the first paragraph, then scroll to the bottom;click on, read and discuss
documents #1, #11, #14, #16

Women's contribution to the War effort

 

Set #3: as a parent, child, sister or brother:
Soldiers are always part of someone's family. These relationships are often what we remember the most from a conflict.

The letters of Francis James Mack
An Australian Soldier at the European front.

Scroll slowly down the page. Read the letters dated:

  • January 27, 1917
  • April 8, 1917
  • February 1, 1918
  • May 27, 1918
  • July 12, 1918
  • July 18, 1918
  • July 30, 1918

From the British homefront, there is the Order of the White Feather

 

 'Swavesey will Remember' memoir

 

An Unfortunate Region
Epitaphs from the headstones of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; scroll down the page and the memorials [note the ages].

 

Bibliography:

homefront.gif
Doll, M.F.V. "The Poster War - For Home and Country." The Poster War: Allied Propaganda Art of the First World War. 21 March 1999. The Provincial Museum of Alberta. 28 December 1999. <http://www.pma.edmonton.ab.ca/vexhibit/warpost/english/post27.htm>.
Poster War:
The Poster War: Allied Propaganda Art of the First World War. 21 March 1999. The Provincial Museum of Alberta. 28 December 1999. <http://www.pma.edmonton.ab.ca/vexhibit/warpost/english/exhibit.htm>.
"Food will win the war" and "A Question of Honor"
Using Primary Sources in the Classroom: World War I: lessons 2 and 4. 1 July 1998. The Alabama Department of History and Archives. 1 January 2000. <http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/ww1/lesson4/index.html> and <http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/ww1/lesson2/index.html>.
The Letters of Francis James Mack
Mack, Frank. "ANZAC Memories." Trenches on the Web. 10 November 1999. member of HistoryChannel.com affiliate program . 1 January 2000. <http://www.worldwar1.com/sfanzac1.htm>.
Women's contributions
"The Great War: Interviews." The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century. . PBS Online, KCET (Los Angeles) and the BBC. 1 January 2000. <http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/interviews/braybo1.html>.
'Swavesey will Remember' memoir
Curme, Phillip. "Commemorations of the Somme" World War I Document Archive. 11 January 1999. The Great War Primary Documents Archive, Inc. 1 January 2000. <http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/~kansite/ww_one/memoir/somme.html#swave>.
Order of the White Feather
"Order of the White Feather." British History 1700 - 1950. Spartacus Educational Internet Encyclopedia. 1 January 2000. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWfeather.htm>
An Unfortunate Region
Hoveling, M. and van den Heuvel, P.. "Individuals: epitaphs." The Unfortunate Region. 17 December 1999. . 8 January 2000. <http://www.igr.nl/users/vandenheuvel/Individuals/individuals.htm>.
 
 

Send questions or feedback to Barry Sovel

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last updated 4 December, 2001