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

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

First Publication in America of the Paris Peace Treaty

"First Publication in America of the Paris Peace Treaty," New York American, June 10, 1919. Serial and Government Publications Division, Library of Congress (178.00.00)
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First Publication in America of the Paris Peace Treaty

Recognizing the importance of the Treaty of Versailles, the New York American published the draft in full. The final document, signed on June 28, 1919, ended the state of war between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany. Some argued that the treaty was excessively harsh toward Germany and others that it was too weak to guarantee a lasting peace. Aspects of the treaty's first twenty-six articles, which established the League of Nations, concerned many U.S. senators. Unable to reach a compromise with Wilson, the Senate refused to ratify the treaty. The U.S. signed separate treaties with Germany, Austria, and Hungary and never joined the League of Nations, despite President Woodrow Wilson's efforts to establish and promote the League.