This is my essential question that I chose because I was interested in seeing if such horrible tragedies can result in positive effects.

Although many people view World War One as a negative event, it actual benefited America in several ways. According to the article "America and World War I", people argue that the war was awful because there were large number of casualties and property was destroyed. However, the United States did not actually suffer that many casualties compared to other European countries since they entered the war later than everyone else. Additionally, American property was not destroyed because the war was fought in Europe, which delegitimizes the argument.

Additionally, this country was united more than ever because of the war. The entire country focused on helping the war effort, and everyone did their part in order to help build weapons and send food to the troops. It helped people realize that there was no point in arguing over trivial subjects, and that everyone should work together instead. Along with that, men said that fighting in the war formed a bond between comrades deeper than any they have ever known, which is definitely a positive aspect of WWI. These soldiers also said that they did not think they would ever forge such strong friendships without the help of the war.

Also, World War I helped people realize truly how devastating wars could be. People at the time called it the War to End All Wars because they thought that people would not want to engage in any other fighting after seeing the destruction of that war. This is a positive aspect of the war because it makes people avoid fighting if possible. It also changed the mindset of even the people who initially wanted the war, because they saw the number of deaths and realized how needless battles truly were.

To add to that, the war was a turning point in America history because it was the first time that such a large number of troops fought a war in Europe. Because of this, the United States became involved with European affairs and even helped determine what the world would be like after the war. "America and World War I" states that "the diplomats who negotiated the peace treaty in Versailles in 1919 changed the course of American diplomacy forever." This brought America out of its isolation politically and it fully became part of the group of Western countries. It also gave this country more influence over foreign politics, while the nation had previously chosen to focus inward.

The war actually helped the economy prosper. Before the war, the American economy was in recession. Fortunately, the war changed that. In fact, the United States saw an economic boom even before they fully entered the war because Europeans purchased American goods for the war. Other countries bought equipment and plants from them. American neutrality at the time made it easier for other countries to purchase items from them without repercussions as well. Initially, the country also was isolated in terms of the economy and did not contribute much to international markets. After the war, the country also began to invest large amounts of money internationally.

According to another source, "Effects of WW1 in America", the war also helped employ more Americans. Over the course of the war, the unemployment rate dropped from almost 8% to 1.5. This is because they needed more people to work in factories to support the war effort. Additionally, they needed people to fill up the positions of soldiers who left to fight in the war. People started to appreciate workers more now that there was a desperate need for them. Also, people also began to realize how important all workers were since they created the weapons that men in the front lines used.

Because most of the soldiers who left to fight the war were men, there were not as many men left in the United States to complete jobs. This meant that women needed to step up and do the jobs that men did in the past. After this, people started to see the value of women and slowly realized that they also contributed to society. The same source, adds"The influence and expectations of women and their role in society increased." Eventually, this lead to women wanting the right to vote. Although there were still some people who opposed this idea, enough supported it for the women's suffrage movement to succeed in 1920.

In addition, technology began to develop at a quicker pace because of the war. Due to necessity during wartime, factories became more efficient and the quality of goods they produced became higher. Even after the war, the United States was in an era of steel and electricity. In fact, the period after the war had many new appliances that saved time, such as laundry machines and refrigerators. Also, they began to use electricity on a large scale. All of this would not have been possible without the war, when all countries scrambled to develop new technology that could give them an upper hand on the battlefield.

This essential question resonates with the Great Gatsby because both the narrator, Nick, and Gatsby because both of them are World War I veterans. In fact, Gatsby and Nick even recognized each other when they first met because the served together, even though they never spoke to each other. It also influences the other characters of the story because they live in the period immediately following the war, and it had changed their lifestyles and allowed many of them to live in luxury. This also allowed women to be more free and attend Gatsby's parties.