The Sinking of the Lusitania Although the Lusitania was a civilian ship, a torpedo from a German U-boat struck it and in 18 minutes, two thousand people fell into the freezing waters of the Celtic Sea leading to anti-German sentiment all over America. The sinking of this great ship was thought to be one of the most horrific events because of the great loss of civilian life. Germany justified its action by claiming that the Lusitania was an enemy ship carrying ammunition. Many believed that this event contributed to the United States’ declaration of war against Germany, thus entering World War I. In 1915, the sinking of the Lusitania resulted in a boost of nationalistic feeling in those affected by it. The May 8, 1915, edition of the Boston …show more content…
Most went deeper into explaining the tragedy rather than merely focusing on the dead. “By all measures the sinking of the Lusitania was a horrific event, accounting for one of the largest losses of civilian life during a single act of war… While the German Government had issued a warning to passengers not to travel aboard the Lusitania, few heeded this notice, reassured by Cunard officials that the Lusitania could easily out-run or ram a U-boat, that she would take a ziz-zag path, and that her hull was too thick to be sunk by a torpedo.” This notwithstanding, it remained evident that this had been a horrific deed by the Germans, leaving readers with a feeling of hatred for them. But it left readers questioning the judgment of the Cunard officials because the Germans had issued a warning to …show more content…
In some cases it was not evident at all. “In attempting to justify the action of the U 20 the German foreign office made much of the fact that the Lusitania was carrying a considerable quantity of munitions. This is true, but from the standpoint of international law, entirely irrelevant. Whatever the mora implications, the nature of the cargo has no legal bearing upon the time-honored rule that no merchantman shall be sunk without warning” . This again points to the fact that the Germans did not torpedo the ship without reason but also made sure to note that the Irish had no proof and that the proof was inadequate to bring the Germans to account. This particular account also goes on in saying “We have repeatedly observed that the Lusitania was torpedoed without warning. The German officials admitted that she was not destroyed in orthodox fashion, but they contended that she has been adequately warned and that as a consequence her sinking was in conformity with international law” . Again throwing light on the fact that the Germans were in the wrong, but also making readers aware that Germany had sent out notice and had warned the Cunard officials not to sail in those waters. Although many of the accounts long after the sinking of the Lusitania were balanced, a few continued to reflect the nationalistic view. “The Lusitania crisis marked the beginnings of a divergence in images of the American "self" and the