Exhibition Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I

*The Anti-War League of the District of Columbia Will Hold a Public Meeting …*, [November 17, 1915]. Broadside. Ford Peace Plan Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (003.00.00)

*The Anti-War League of the District of Columbia Will Hold a Big Peace Meeting in Bethesda Hall on Rockville Electric Line, Bethesda, Md. Thursday, December 16th, 8:00 P.M.* … Washington, D.C., [1916]. Printed Ephemera Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (003.01.00)

The Dangers of Preparedness

This meeting notice, published by the Anti-War League of the District of Columbia, illustrates one group's opposition to the preparedness movement. The flyer argued that building up the armed forces—what American groups like the Navy League were calling "preparedness"—caused the war in Europe. The D.C. Anti-War League also feared that a large military and a society regimented by its preparations for war would bring a militarized culture to the United States, which would threaten American values.