In 1915, Henry Ford chartered a peace ship that carried him and a few other people to Europe. There, they lead an unsuccessful negation attempt for peace in the European nations. He says that his attempt stimulated the world to think about peace in Europe. Even after the sinking of the Lusitania, some Americans wanted peace and neutrality (“Ford, Henry”). Wilson’s reelection motto, “He Kept Us Out of War” (1916 Election), appealed to many Americans who wanted to stay neutral, even after the Lusitania sank. Wilson’s image as an anti-war president helped him win the 1916 election, but he did take some action against the German sinking. In the first of three notes, President Woodrow Wilson declared the right of the United States, as a neutral country, could send citizens on any vessel. He also encouraged Germany to stop their unhampered submarine warfare. Wilson said that German acts are “so absolutely contrary to the rules, the practices, and the spirit of modern warfare…[the Germans] disregard those rules of fairness, reason, …show more content…
They promised not to sink any sinks without warning. However, they soon turned to unrestricted warfare in a desperate attempt to win the war (Pendergast 174). By 1917, “Berlin announced that it would resume unrestricted warfare” (Bosco 36). Neutrality was made even more difficult for the United States. This desperate attempt to declare victory over the Allies spelled disaster for the US. In March 1917, German torpedoes hit three American ships. The ships were stopped and plundered. There was no way the sinking could have been a mistake. This, and other events like the Lusitania, alienated America the Central Powers and forced them into the war on the Allies’ side. The mounting tension caused by the plundering forced the United States into World War I. After the Lusitania sunk, German sentiment disappeared in America and the country soon entered the