Alan McLawhorn

UWRT 1102
Aaron Kashtan
3 April 2017

Assignment #3

Did World War One or Two affect American identity more? This question matters

because of the historic significance it holds in America. World War One and Two both affected

many Americans, and their identity. Since they were both important events in history, it is

important to know the details of each war. World War One is usually brought up as the war that

would end all wars, but it obviously did not. World War Two led to peace between Eastern

European countries, as America helped rebuild damaged countries. I hope to learn about the

specifics and how each World War affected American culture and identity. Both World Wars

forever changed the world, but I think that World War Two directly affected American identity

more than World War One. Once I do research about each World War, I will have a more definite

answer, and maybe change my opinion.

Annotated Bibliographies

The Economics of World War 1. The National Bureau of Economic Research,

http://www.nber.org/digest/jan05/w10580.html, Accessed April 3, 2017

In this article, it states that World War One helped the US get out of a recession. It states

that unemployment rates fell because of all the jobs opening in factories for workers. Also stated

in the article is estimates of the total cost of World War I to the United States at approximately
$32 billion, or 52 percent of gross national product at the time. He breaks down the financing of

the U.S. war effort as follows: 22 percent in taxes, 58 percent through borrowings from the

public, and 20 percent in money creation. The War Revenue Act of 1917 taxed "excess profits" --

profits exceeding an amount determined by the rate of return on capital in a base period -- by

some 20 to 60 percent, and the tax rate on income starting at $50,000 rose from 1.5 percent in

1913-15 to more than 18 percent in 1918. Also stated is that after the war America became

active in foreign and economic affairs. All of these things combined show that America came

out of recession due to World War 1, and it helped them financially. It shows that all time

happiness rose in America and helped them decide who they wanted to be. This source can be

trusted and states only facts. They are not biased because of the information they present. This

source presents important and interesting facts about the economic state of America after World

War 1. Stated in this source I did not know was all the numbers about spending and

unemployment in America. This article is connected to other sources in that they state facts

about America after one of the great wars, and how they affected the country.

Japanese-American Relocation. History.com, 2009, http://www.history.com/topics/world-

war-ii/japanese-american-relocation, Accessed April 3, 2017.

In this article, they state that Japanese people living on the West Coast of America were

put in internment camps, by an order from the president. These Japanese were put in these
camps because of America was paranoid about Japanese spies. Ten internment camps were

established in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas, eventually

holding 120,000 persons. This Executive Order 9066 was an obvious breach of civil rights of

Japanese people. This source is unbiased as it just presents truthful information. I agree with

this source since it is from History.com, so it is most likely correct in what it says. I did not

know about where they had built the camps, or that it only applied to Japanese people from the

West Coast, where they were most abundant. This source is connected to other stories from

World War one and two, including the concentration camps, although it was not as extreme.

Saving Private Ryan. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Dreamworks Production, 1998. Film.

Saving Private Ryan follows a squad of soldiers during World War Two as they try to

save Private Ryan. These soldiers go through many battles to save this lone soldier. After losing

comrades they finally find Private Ryan who does not want to go home, and they end up having a

stand against German platoons. What this film shows is that these soldiers were regular people

back home, which means the war changed their identity from a regular person to soldiers, who

have to kill to survive. This movie shows the soldiers nationalism to America, since they are

fighting for their country, even if they do not want to. This film is based on a true event, so it

depicts accurate events, even if the details are not true. Therefore, it is trustworthy. I really like

and agree with this movie. Saving Private Ryan is connected to other war movies, and even

video games, and to the other sources in this paper.

Nationalism as a cause of World War I, Alpha History. Accessed April 3, 2017.

This article talks about how nationalism was a cause of World War 1. Americans were

very patriotic, and this increased after the war. This article mentions that our country became

very invested in the wellbeing of America before the War and this could have caused the war.

Also it only went up from there. This source is credible since it is not biased. I agree with this

source because it seems to only present facts. This article is connected to the other sources I

have used in that they all pertain to the overall topic of war, and American Identity.

Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30, Gearbox Software, Ubisoft. 2005, Video Game.

This video game follows soldiers through different conflicts with German soldiers. It

shows insight to soldiers, and their nationalism for the US. It also shows how the war affected

regular people, so in turn raised the soldiers, and the peoples love for America, therefore

strengthening their nationalism. This game is based on accurate events so it is reliable and

trustworthy. However, the details and people are fictional. I agree and really like this game,

since it shows how America was changed. Also it is fun. It is connected to Saving Private Ryan,

and the other sources.

In conclusion, these sources show that both wars changed American Identity pretty

equally, in that nationalism was raised, and heightened. There seemed to be much love for

America from its citizens. Patriotism was raised also, along with loyalty. My mind has now

changed because of the information I was presented with.