Though World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, fighting in “The Great War” had stopped seven months earlier, when, on November 11, 1918, the Allied nations and Germany agreed to an armistice. The following November, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as Armistice Day, a day to celebrate veterans of World War I and rally for the cause of world peace. When World War II resulted in the greatest mobilization of armed service members in U.S. history, in 1954, at the approval of Public Law 380, November 11 officially became the day the country would honor American veterans of all wars, not just World War I.
This year, once again, we celebrate all past and present members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps and all the contributions they’ve made in supporting the country and fighting for the common good.
Browse our resources for Veterans Day, including poems for Veterans Day, poems about pacifism and war, and a related lesson plan, “The Literature of War.”