Introduction

The United States entered the First World War in April 1917, after three years of neutrality while Europe tore itself apart. The country switched gears from a peacetime economy to war mobilization within months. During the transition and the subsequent fighting, many Americans felt a desire to support the war effort in anyway they could. The students and facutly of Morningside College were certaintly no exception. 

Many of Morningside's young men volunteered for the military while others sought to continue their studies while they waited to be drafted. Morningside women served the red cross or helped with fundraising drives. There were faculty who traveled to Europe to do humanitarian work, and another who served the US government. The college even hosted a unit of student soldiers for the government towards the end of the war. The methods were diverse, but Morningside was fully committed to the war effort in one manner or another.