This article comes from the French weekly newspaper « Le Miroir », launched in 1910 by Félix Juven and the Dupuy family. This magazine, illustrated with photos, was a supplement to Le Petit Parisien and then became an independent periodical in January 1912. The following material is a source document. Indeed, it is a newspaper article dated March 31, 1918, that is to say it was issued in the context of the First World War. America entered the war on April 6, 1917, alongside the Entente: France, the United Kingdom, Russia and their allies. The United States decided to join the war because the Germans torpedoed neutral merchant ships and because of their intrigues in Mexico. Subsequently 500,000 Americans engaged in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. This offensive was the last attack of the First World War. In fact, this allied Franco-American offensive took place in the Verdun sector between September 26 and November 11, 1918. This operation pushed the German army to the final defeat and the signing of the armistice of November 11th, which put an end to hostilities.

The caption below the photo explains that the soldiers are "Sammies" walking through a village of the Meuse area, on their way to the front lines. Indeed, the soldiers of the United States armed forces present in France at the end of the First World War were called “Sammies” by the French population in reference to Uncle Sam who is the allegory of America. We can also see that the French have erected a triumphal arch to welcome this American battalion. This article shows how the French felt towards American soldiers, they were really moved and felt very grateful. This picture meant to thank all the soldiers who had come to support the French at the time. Besides, this picture is highly symbolical and shows the strong bonds between the soldiers of different nations who all united together during this difficult period to defend a common goal.