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Unrestricted submarine warfare outraged many Americans because its application was an attack upon innocent civilian. Unrestricted submarine warfare also breaks an international law which states that the civilians of two warring countries are not targets. Germany not only harmed civilians, but it also broke international law. Through the sinking of the Lusitania, the public’s view of Germany’s unrestricted warfare policy intensified, and more people began to favor American involvement in the war. The sinking of the Lusitania became one of the most important events of the Great War because its reaction is, “the first step towards American involvement in the war.”
In “Wilson’s War Message to Congress” written by Woodrow Wilson, it occurs in the time period before Congress enters the United States into World War I, 1917. Considering that in this document it explains how Woodrow Wilson says, “It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars… we shall fight… for democracy… for a universal dominion of right… shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free”(Wilson, “Wilson’s War Message to Congress”). All through Wilson’s speech, he explains how the Imperial Government went against their word/promise to not harm, sink or destroy American ships and warn other vessels if submarines were sought to be destroyed.
Wilson viewed America as a nation of peace and he wanted to preserve this view. However, as time went on, the little things the U.S did while claiming its neutrality started to matter. Germans retaliated to the U.S trade with the Allies. One thing led to another and the U.S joined the war under the Allies’
With the constant looming danger of the German navy bombing an innocent ship, the freedom of the sea was threatened. Merchants could no longer travel the oceans without the fear of being bombed - a direct menace to a country’s free trade. The bombing of the Lusitania two years prior to the war message was already a warning sign to the American people of Germany’s reckless naval power. Finally, numerous of Germany’s acts and agreements were conducted in the “insert quote” and “insert quote”.
As an alternative, he considered methods of protecting American freight without actually arriving at the conclusion of a war. He addressed the situation with a positive attitude and was hopeful that the Germans would reassess the submarine campaign. Ships asked for the naval guard or at least protective weapons for firing at submarines on the surface. The senate never ended up acting on the issue and President Wilson armed the vessels without congressional authorization (Fordham, 301-302). These statements given to the American people add to the credibility of Wilson as a president considering he is still trying to stay neutral in World War I.
On April 2, 1917, the 28th president of the United States of America, Woodrow Wilson, delivered a speech before the Congress in order to declare war against Germany. This period of history represents the first worldwide conflict and opposes the Allied forces of the United States, Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan against the Central Powers of Germany, Bulgaria, the Austrian-Hungarian empire, and the Ottoman empire. Woodrow Wilson involved the United States, which was originally neutral at the beginning of World War I when the Germans attacked and sank the Lusitania, a ship transporting ammunition to the allies but also American citizens. More importantly, in his speech, Woodrow Wilson explicitly states his opinion and purpose that ' 'the world must be made safe for democracy ' ' (Voices of Freedom 107) and that the immediate contribution of his nation to World War I would bring "peace and justice" (Voices of Freedom 105) to the world, as well as the end of the threatening expansion of
This unknown fact of American being neutral or not, ultimately lead to the United States needing to enter World War I. Although the United States President at the time, Woodrow Wilson, explained the reasoning for the U.S. entering WWI was because of Germany’s submarine warfare, the violence toll that Germany took on America relates back to the concealed matter of the nation of the United States actually being neutral throughout the time before war
During World War I, the Germans use a fighting tactic called Unrestricted Submarine Warfare. German U-Boats, or submarines, were told to sink any ship that posed a threat, passenger or cargo, it did not matter. In a newspaper article it shows that the Lusitania was a passenger boat going from the coast of New York to Ireland that was sunk by a German submarine (“Lusitania”). The fact that Germany sunk a passenger ship without reason infuriated the Americans. As the political cartoon by Matthew Bollinger shows, President Woodrow Wilson is holding a piece of paper that says that American lives were lost on the sinking of this ship (Bollinger).
However, in this report we will focus on certain situations that Pres. Wilson and Pres. FDR had when making choices in WWI and in WWII. Many may ask how did the United States even get involved in such a war? Although, as it can be seen in the following sentences the reason the United States got involved in WWII is fairly simple and an honestly valuable one unlike many may say the reason the U.S. got involved in WWI.
George Washington encouraged the United States to take a neutral approach, to avoid wars with nations in the future. Woodrow Wilson wanted to continue the policy of neutrality. He eventually asked Congress to declare war on Germany. The Government failed to sign the Treaty of Versailles and join the League of Nations. Many thought that joining the League of Nations would lead to war.
The Imperial German Government’s purpose was to put aside all restraints of law or of humanity and use it’s submarines to sink every vessel. “The present German submarine warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind,” Woodrow Wilson mentioned in his speech. This speech was monumental because it convinced American citizens entry into the war was necessary, brought America into a devastating war, probed America was a power of the world, brought women into workplaces, and it pushed for women’s suffrage. Not every
There were several reasons why World War I broke out in 1914, one of which was nationalism. As said by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston on page 334, “Nationalism refers to the love of one’s country rather than one’s native region.” This idea of nationalism began in France, and spread its way through Germany and Italy. France began their nationalist ideals after the Napoleonic Wars. France took over many different ethnic states which caused them to want unity, which was the beginning of nationalism in those regions.
War softened out up Europe in August 1914, with Germany and Austria-Hungary the fundamental warriors on one side (Focal Forces) and England, France, and Russia the essential nations contradicting them (Partners). U.S. President Woodrow Wilson pronounced the country's lack of bias yet, in a few routes, appeared to support the Partners. U.S. banks advanced almost ten times more cash to the Partners with regards to the Focal Forces, giving organizations a stake in Unified achievement. At the point when the English abused the privileges of impartiality by keeping unbiased boats, Wilson dissented gently. However, when the Germans sank the English traveler liner the Lusitania, slaughtering 128 Americans, Wilson's reaction was unforgiving.
The sinking of Lusitania, the Zimmerman Telegram, and America’s neutrality in World War I lead
On 7 May, 1915, German U-boats sank an American ship, the Lusitania. 1,919 of the 1,924 aboard died including 114 U.S citizens. America was furious with the attack. Agitation led the people, and hostility grew between the two countries. Within two years of the sinking