A. Plan of the Investigation
When the First World War erupted in Europe on July 28, 1914; President Woodrow Wilson formally proclaimed that the United States would remain neutral on August 4, 1914. However, the United States did not stick to this proclamation, and eventually became involved in the war efforts. This investigation aims to evaluate the reasons the United States violated their neutrality in order to join the war. In inquiring into the reasons of the United States’ entry into the war, the Zimmermann telegram will be assessed. Primary sources, Message to Congress., 2d Sess., Senate Doc and War Messages, 65th Cong., 1st Sess. Senate Doc. No. 5 by Woodrow Wilson will also be assessed. Online sources, for example http://history.state.gov/ http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/ will be evaluated. After analyzing these sources, a conclusion will be on why the United States entered the war even after pledging neutrality.
Part B– Summary of Evidence
President Woodrow Wilson delivered a message to Congress on August 19, 1914, declaring the neutrality of the United States in World War I (Wilson). The British ocean liner, Lusitania, was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. The ship was carrying munitions for the Allies, although it was unarmed. The attack resulted in the loss of more than 1,100 passengers and crew, including 124 Americans (Wilson). On March 26, 1916, an unarmed French boat called the Sussex was sunk by German forces. Wilson threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Germany, unless the German Government refrained from attacking all passenger ships, and allowed the crews of enemy merchant vessels to escape from their ships prior to any attack (Office of the Historian). On May 4, 1916, the Ger...
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...nd violating their declaration of neutrality.
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Woodrow Wilson delivered his now-famous War Message to Congress on April 4, 1917. Four days later, Congress declared war and the United States became a formal partner in the war to end all wars. As the Wilson administration was to discover, however, declaring war and making war were two very different propositions. The former required only an abstract statement of ideals and justifications and a two-thirds Congressional majority; the latter required the massive mobilization of virtually every sector of American society - military, industrial, and economic, as well as public opinion. The Wilson administration sought to accomplish this daunting task in two concomitant and interdependent fashions. First, it undertook an unprecedented assumption of federal control and regulation. The federal government established an array of bureaus and agencies endowed with sweeping powers to regulate the nation’s economy and industrial production. Furthermore, it passed a series of laws designed to support these agencies and to stifle what it deemed subversive antiwar opinion and activity. Second, and of equal importance, the administration appealed to the public’s patriotism and sense of civic responsibility, effectively encouraging volunteerism in both the public and private sectors. Each of these tacks was bulwarked by a pervasive dose of pro-war government propaganda. In the end, in terms of raising an army, mobilizing the economy and influencing the outcome of the war, the administration’s mobilization efforts were largely successful. However, there were significant consequences to the government’s actions, most acutely in the realm of civil liberties, both during and in the aftermath of the war.
With the nation at war, Wilson set aside his domestic agenda to concentrate on a full-scale mobilization of the economy and industry. During the war, industrial production increased by 20 percent, daylight saving time was instituted to save fuel, the government took over the railroad system, and massive airplane and shipbuilding programs were launched. Ame...
On April 2nd 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the United States of America, ??went before Congress and called for a declaration of war. Both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of going to war with Germany.?# This was an act that led to much resistance among the American people. Not four months earlier the American people re-elected President Wilson, partly because of his success in keeping the United States out of this European war. However, a series of events, such as the Germans continuing submarine warfare and the attacks on five American ships, led President Wilson to sever diplomatic relations with Germany and send the United States into what would be labeled as World War I. As a result of the war the
Horne, C., 2014. Source Records of the Great War. 3rd ed. Lewiston, New York: E. Mellen Press.
In the beginning of the war the United States, lead by President Woodrow Wilson, took the clear stance of neutrality. Yet there has been long standing debates as to why the United States entered World War 1 after claiming neutrality for so long. Some argue that it was directly affected by the discovery of the Zimmermann Telegram in January of 1917. While others debate it was an extensive string of events that lead to a declaration of war against Germany in April of the same year, yet the debates find a common ground on the lack of true neutrality on the part of the United States.
Especially when Wilson, in his speech in 1917 about the sinking, said “I advise that the Congress declare the recent actions of the Imperial German Government to be, in fact, nothing less than war against the Government and people of the United States.” gave the people the impression that this is why America entered the war.
Farwell, Byron. Over There: the United States in the Great War. W. W. Norton & Company:
Remak, Joachim. The Origins of World War I: 1871 – 1914. 2nd ed. California: Thomson Custom
Bard, Mitchell G. The Complete Idiot's Guide to world War II, Macmillan Publishing, New York, New York, 1999
"He Kept us Out of War" (World War I Quotes). This quote was a democratic slogan stated during the election of 1916 on behalf of President Woodrow Wilson. This slogan makes an attempt to refer to the good leadership qualities and decisions that President Wilson made to keep the United States of America out of the war and that is why he should be elected again to serve as President. Though this made a valid argument to show that Wilson was smart to keep us out of war, many events took place that continued to anger the U.S. which eventually made them declare war on Germany on April 6th, 1917 (World War I). In doing this, they broke their policy of non intervention. The United States held out of the Great War for so long because of economic reasons, their policy of neutrality, and to avoid the morbid trench warfare (America). However, the United Stated eventually entered the war because of Germany sinking several U.S. passenger ships, and the publication of the Zimmerman telegram (World War I).
Sledge, E. B. World War II Reference Library. Ed. Barbara C. Bigelow, et al. Vol. 4: Primary
In conclusion, when World War I began in 1914, the United States declared neutrality; however, in 1917 they broke neutrality and declared war. The question for many is, why did the US wait so long and what eventually made the US get involved in this global conflict? The reasons for the United State’s neutrality were George Washington’s Farewell Address, the Monroe Doctrine and the strong belief of pacifism on the war around the United States. After the events of the unrestricted submarine warfare, and the Zimmerman telegram, the United States broke its neutrality. In 1917 Woodrow Wilson said “The world must be safe for democracy.” This quote meant that in order to maintain democracy around the world, all threats to democracy must be ceased. During World War I Germany was a threat to democracy so the United States broke its neutrality and stopped it.
Sargent, Winthrop . "Papers of the War Department." Papers of the War Department. http://wardepartmentpapers.org/docimage.php?id=5895&docColID=6385 (accessed March 14, 2014).
In the book, America’s Great War: World War I and the American Experience, Robert H. Zieger discusses the events between 1914 through 1920 forever defined the United States in the Twentieth Century. When conflict broke out in Europe in 1914, the President, Woodrow Wilson, along with the American people wished to remain neutral. In the beginning of the Twentieth Century United States politics was still based on the “isolationism” ideals of the previous century. The United States did not wish to be involved in European politics or world matters. The U.S. goal was to expand trade and commerce throughout the world and protect the borders of North America.