America sings of war

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The outbreak of hostilities in Europe on 4 August 1914 caught Americans by surprise, leading to mixed feelings: disbelief that cultured nations failed to find a peaceful resolution and indifference, as the war seemed distant from American interests. While intellectual and political leaders leaned toward the Allies, the general public preferred to remain uninvolved. Officially, the stance was neutrality, but when Congress declared war on Germany in 1917, a vigorous propaganda campaign was launched to sway public opinion in favor of engagement. Thousands of sheet music pieces emerged across America, supporting these efforts, with over 30,000 war songs created, primarily for commercial success. Featuring eye-catching covers, clever titles, and engaging lyrics, these songs reflected and shaped public sentiment. They were sung in homes, performed on vaudeville stages, and recorded for phonographs, illustrating the shift in American attitudes from neutrality to preparedness and patriotic fervor. With printings sometimes exceeding one million copies, the sheet music reached diverse audiences. The anthology of selected songs, arranged by year of publication, documents the evolution of American public opinion regarding U.S. involvement in the war, serving as an accessible resource for understanding American history and society during World War I.