The 20th century was without a doubt the American century.
The former colonies left the 19th century as a relatively isolated nation, still growing, still searching for its place in a world shaped by centuries of European greatness. After much agony, the United States decided to enter the world stage by throwing its manpower and sizable industrial might into World War I.
Even though the war militarily ended in a draw, historians have written it as a victory for the American side. Right or wrong, the punishment of Germany, penned into ominously historic ink in a train car in Versailles, reinforced the image of American victory.
