The Enemy Within
Destinee Andrews “The Enemy Within” Christine M. Kreiser Article Review 1.2
The posing question in America in the year 1918 was who is the real enemy, the Germans or the influenza? While Americans were concerned about the threat of the German attacks, we should have been concerned about the threat of a pandemic on our own soil. The true enemy at this time was not the Axis powers, which consisted of Germany and Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Austro-Hungary, but a new kind of flu that spread like wild fire through the streets of our nations’ greatest cities, and over seas on the battle fields, killing millions in the process. The United States had to enter the war to stand up for what was right, even though President Wilson wanted to stay clear out of European affairs, which corresponded with his foreign policies and beliefs. Author Christine M. Kreiser stated in the article “The Enemy Within” between the months of September and June, the Spanish flu swept through America killing 675,000, however this epidemic was not just apparent in America, but all over the world with the death toll summing up to about 40 million. The men and woman who were our nurses, young factory workers, and soldiers were swept up by this flu, and immobilized completely. Not only were the Americans on our soil getting affected but also the brave men on the frontlines in Europe. The United States entered the war with relish, German U-boats were sinking American ships, and killing American citizens in an effort to cut off American supplies going into Europe. America at this point, was already heavily connected
The posing question in America in the year 1918 was who is the real enemy, the Germans or the influenza? While Americans were concerned about the threat of the German attacks, we should have been concerned about the threat of a pandemic on our own soil. The true enemy at this time was not the Axis powers, which consisted of Germany and Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Austro-Hungary, but a new kind of flu that spread like wild fire through the streets of our nations’ greatest cities, and over seas on the battle fields, killing millions in the process. The United States had to enter the war to stand up for what was right, even though President Wilson wanted to stay clear out of European affairs, which corresponded with his foreign policies and beliefs. Author Christine M. Kreiser stated in the article “The Enemy Within” between the months of September and June, the Spanish flu swept through America killing 675,000, however this epidemic was not just apparent in America, but all over the world with the death toll summing up to about 40 million. The men and woman who were our nurses, young factory workers, and soldiers were swept up by this flu, and immobilized completely. Not only were the Americans on our soil getting affected but also the brave men on the frontlines in Europe. The United States entered the war with relish, German U-boats were sinking American ships, and killing American citizens in an effort to cut off American supplies going into Europe. America at this point, was already heavily connected
Bibliography: Christine M. Kreiser, “The Enemy Within” American History (2006) Billings , M. (June, 1997). 1918 influenza pandemic . Retrieved from http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/ United states enters wwi. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_72_Notes.htm -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. 1.Christine M. Kreiser,The Enemy Within (From American History: December, 2006) 2. Molly Billings, The Influenza Pandemic of 1918,(June, 1997 modified RDS February, 2005) 3.Why did the United States enter World War One? (2001-20012)