Liberty. The United States entered world war i on april 6, 1917 when congress voted to declare war on germany. The conflict was already in its third year. More than four million american men and women would eventually serve in uniform, and the influx of manpower changed the tide of the war, bringing it to a close in 18 months. Next, we travel to kansas city to learn about the National World war i museum and memorial, bit to preserve the history of what was then called the great war. And to honor the americans who served. Im president and ceo here at the National World war i museum and memorial. Really, this memorial and museum is such an image on the kansas city skyline, and what a great story goes with that. It was in 1919, soon after the november 1918 armistice that a group of Business Leaders gathered and said, m lets do something to honor the war dead of kansas city and create a tribute to peace. What you see behind me is the outcome of that. A Fundraising Campaign that lasted only two weeks that raised more than 2 1 2 million dollars, equivalent today of about 40 million. Then the people gathering here on this site in 1921 were the five allied commanders, about 100,000 people in a city of about 250,000, and then the remarkable memorial being constructed, with president Calvin Coolidge, and about 160,000 people gathered, said to be the largest crowd that the president or president of the United States had spoken to up until that time. Such was the i think the outpouring of honor for those who had served in world war i right across the nation, and also a yearning for peace and a different sort of future than the most recent past. And then this memorial with many complexities, it is really quite a striking architectural feature. It serves as a Gathering Place for many, many years. In the late 80s, early 90s some deferred maintenance issues needed to be addressed and, again, the people of the region responded to that, having been the conceivers of this, the funders, the stewards of it throughout the year, and they raised about another 110 million to restore and refurbish the memorial. At that time then creating an Extraordinary Museum in its structure. The Liberty Memorial association, as it was named in 1921 when it was formed, began collecting in the 1920s, and it is the second oldest collecting institution in the world. At the time it really made i think a consequential decision, which was to collect globally. So we are the we have the most or the broadest, most enpsyce encyclopedia collection of world war i. So this site has really become a place of reflections for people right across the world. In the last number of years theres been a tremendous increase in attendance, more than 50 in fact. People from last year are more people from more than 70 countries came to visit the museum and memorial, serving more than 500,000 guests in 2016. So it is really an international Gathering Place that serves as the United States official memorial to world war i and official museum to world war i. When the museum was being constructed, the city leaders and congressional leaders went to the u. S. Congress and asked for this to be designated as the National Museum. Because of the scope of the collection, the significance and amongst other museums in the world, congress designated in 2004 the museum as the National Museum. And then in 2014 the congress again in a bicameral bipartisan bill named the memorial as the National Memorial for effectively carrying both congressional designations as the National Museum and National Memorial. It is quite a fitting tribute for a citizen initiated museum and memorial to honor those who served in world war i and marked a turning point of the nation and the impact that it had in the United States, the founding cou catastrophes of the 20th century, that moment that launched the American Century captured then here in this museum and memorial with national designation. So now lets go on up to the memorial and talk about some of the architectural features of this extraordinary landmark. Behind us is this extraordinary Memorial Tower dedicated in 1926, but the Foundation Stones laid in 1921 when Vice PresidentCalvin Coolidge and the five allied commanders gathered here to dedicate the project, to begin the Building Works on this extraordinary tower which in its totality is larger than the statue of liberty. It is an extraordinary tribute to those who served in world war i and also marks the National Engagement about the whole country coming behind this extraordinary effort to deal with this cataclysm that was happening in europe. So this tower is really a spectacular site. Lit at nighttime, absolutely beautiful. Theres an elevator that runs up on the inside, and many of our guests like to go up on the top and capture the fantastic views of the plains of missouri and kansas from the tower. At nighttime, of course, the view of the city is quite extraordinary, the most iconic views of kansas city are typically taken from this location, either from the wall or from the tower itself. At nighttime it is really quite beautiful. Looking south down the mold, in the summertime or in the spring it is brilliant green. Again, it is very engaging site which i think is a most fitting tribute to this tower which rests upon the memorial courtyard. This memorial courtyard is used for social activities, most notably our memorial day ceremonies are here for us, honoring those who served and continue to serve and have lost their lives. Another important part of the architecture of the memorial is the sphinx here. This is looking east and is looking towards the horrors of war. So looking to the past. Its eyes covered because of the horror of war. One of the one of the truths i think which is told here at the museum is to speak about the courage about the the commitment and sacrifice of those who served, and equally to speak about wars horror. We tell the full story of the true price of liberty and democracy, and this sphinx wellarticulates that, its eyes covered because of the horror of war. And then thats met with a sphinx looking to the west, similarly with its eyes covered because of the unknown future. I think that the division of our forebears who created this striking memorial was that they were willing to speak about the sacrifice and the courage and the horror of war equally with the hopes that lie in the future, and thats also captured in the sphinx that we see here that are such an important part of the story which is told here at the memorial. So the story that you see the sphinx of past and present, the sacrifice and hope for the future is expressed in the great frieze on the other side of this memorial courtyard just beyond that wall. Lets go down there and talk about the great frieze. Here we are on the north side of the memorial and what i think is really a striking masterpiece. This great frieze which was part of an original idea of the memorial, but this itself, the design wasnt settled on until after the memorial opened, and then the carving and its completion didnt happen until about 1935. It really is very large, carving in this ball that telwall that compelling story of wars sacrifice and destruction, represented here on the east side of the frieze, and then on the west side looking forward to the future. Again, this dual story that the founders of the memorial envisioned. So we see there are several images up here of courage, of being wounded. There are nurse meeting some soldiers. Theres families, with the tragedy because of the loss of life. Then in the same task, the recognition of loss and then looking towards the future, also represented in what might be an angel of hope. Then portion through the righthand side of the west side of this frieze, and images of the future, of prosperity, of industry, of hope for the future. Those things are represented here. Right across these, theres the torture of sacrifice and service, their bodies returned to dust forever more. Let us strive on to do all which may achieve and may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace amongst ourselves and with all nations. I think quite a statement that ably represents the type of vision that the memorial has, and then the hope that the founders of this memorial expressed for a more prosperous future in the course of honoring those who served in the great war. It is sometimes said that museums and memorial are the 21st century cathedrals. In some respects i think thats true, that people gather here to honor those who served and remember loved ones that are important to them, even perhaps to reflect on the values that are important to us and that we all share that make us who we are. Thats true of this memorial, of the museum and of the green spaces we have here, that this is a place that the symphony perform on memorial day weekends, where people gather for picnics, as is true of the 26 acre lot. One of the reasons the museum and memorial is located here on this hill overlooking the city is because right here is union station. This is the railway exchange, the Railway Station where 60 of all u. S. Troops passed during world war i and ii. It occupies a really important part of the journey, in the squurny journey of those service men and women who went to world in both world wars i and ii. When the memorial was opened, those who coming through to see the tribute paid to those who served would have been an inspiring and encouraging symbol for them as they then left to go to war. Also on the north side is the generals wall, a tribute to the five generals who gathered here, first time they had been together after the war in 1921. So lets go down to the generals wall and talk about that. Were standing now on the north side of the property, north side of the memorial at the generals wall. This honors those five generals who gathered here in 1921, the five allied commanders who gathered here, remembering at a time where you couldnt just hop on a plane. There were no private planes to bring them here. It was quite a journey. So these five allied commanders, from the uk, from france, from the United States, italy, from belgium, here they gathered to dedicate the land upon which stands a memorial, was to be bit. I think it speaks something of the honor which was then paid to the United States that they would gather here in 1921, that they would honor the u. S. With their presence and to mark the significant contributions, the compelling contribution that the United States made to ending world war i. Of course, what was so extraordinary was the impact that it ended up having on the United States. You cant think of the American Century without understanding the enduring impacts of world war i had on the beginning of that period. So, you know, this wall, this memorial, this story has a personal story. It is personal for me, too, in a couple of ways. Im an american citizen. I have lived here nearly 20 years, and im australian. For australians, world war i is the first seminal moment. For australia the compelling story of the nations birth is defeat. A new nation of the war, and then this catastrophe and the sacrifices of those who served. 40 of all service age men left australia and went to the other side of the world. 40 . Barely a household that wasnt impacted. Of those 40 , a casualty rate of more than 65 . It had a profound impact on the nation of australia, of what it means to be an australian. And so for me as a child, as a young adult, as an adult living, growing, the story of world war i and its meaning for the nation and what it means to be a Global Citizen is part of my story. In my office theres also another part of my story which is my grandfathers items from world war i. Hes british and he served in france. I had a letter written from him in 1917 to his family. Ive been saving it. And so it is also deeply a part of my familys story as it is for so many people around the world. Theres every continent, every inhabited continent of the world was swept up into this war, the scale of which is still difficult to fully understand and grasp how it completely reshaped the world including my family. So it is personal to me as much as it is a national and global story. You can watch this or other american artifact programs at any time by visiting our website, cspan. Org history. Each week american artifacts takes viewers into archives, museums and Historic Sites around the country. The United States entered world war i a century ago on april 6th, 1917. Next we tour the National World war i museum and memorial in kansas city to learn about objects related to americas role in what was then called the great war. Im dorn carter, the senior curator of the National World war i museum and memorial in kansas city, missouri. The