The Allied powers signed a ceasefire agreement with Germany at Compiégne, France, at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918, bringing the war now known as World War I to a close.
President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day the following year on November 11, 1919, with these words:
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“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
Originally, the celebration included parades and public meetings following a two-minute suspension of business at 11:00 a.m.
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Between the world wars, November 11 was commemorated as Armistice Day in the United States, Great Britain, and France. After World War II, the holiday was recognized as a day of tribute to veterans of both wars. Beginning in 1954, the United States designated November 11 as Veterans Day to honor veterans of all U.S. wars. British Commonwealth countries now call the holiday Remembrance Day.
In an interview with the Federal Writers’ Project, World War I veteran Andrew Johnson remembered how his regiment stationed in northeastern France welcomed the end of the war:
Armistice Day found us before Metz. We were waiting to storm a great walled city which would have cost us many men, as we would have to cross a level plain about two miles long.
[Andrew Johnson]. Levi C. Hubert, interviewer; New York City, New York, November 20, 1938. American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1940. Manuscript Division
When Johnson and his mates finally arrived in the United States the following spring, he recalled, “we were given a bonus of $60, an honorable discharge, and the 368th Infantry regiment became a part of history.”
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On the home front, the armistice was celebrated in the streets. Massachusetts shoe laster James Hughes described the scene in Boston:
There was a lot of excitement when we heard about the Armistice…some of them old fellas was walkin’ on the streets with open Bibles n their hands. All the shops were shut down. I never seen the people so crazy…confetti was a-flying in all directions…I’ll never forget it.
[The House that My Uncles Owned in Ireland]. James Hughes, interviewee; Jane K. Leary, interviewer; Lynn, Massachusetts, April 28, 1939. American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1940. Manuscript Division
More about this poster is provided in the feature found in the American Treasures of the Library of Congress exhibition.
Search for newspaper accounts of the Armistice, wars, veterans, and more in Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers to find articles about the Armistice, for example “WAR IS OVER,” published in The Washington Times, (Washington, D.C.) on November 7, 1918 (final edition), and “ARMISTICE IS SIGNED” in The Evening Missourian, (Columbia, Mo.), November 11, 1918.
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