U.S.

Entry Into WWI

 So we know that the fighting of WWI started in

Europe. In what year??? Who was president?
 The U.S. at this point declared their neutrality
toward the war.
 They were still focused on what concept???
What was it called?
 America stayed out of the war for as long as they
could but their hand was forced by what
country?
 U.S. Entry Into WWI

 Crash Course- Who started WWI?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pFCpKtwCkI
 U.S. Entry Into WWI

 Unrestricted submarine warfare- So Great Britain set up

a naval blockade (What does this word mean?) of
Germany. Germany retaliates by stating they will sink
ANY naval vessel without warning.
 Sinking of the Lusitania- May 7, 1915, the Germans sunk
the British ship, Lusitania. 1,200 people were killed
including 128 Americans. This outraged many
Americans and some argue this helped bring the U.S.
into WWI.
 So, in war there is an understanding that you do not
target civilians. Germany broke this rule.
 U.S. Entry Into WWI

 The Sussex Pledge- The Sussex Pledge promised a

change in Germany’s naval warfare policy. Sussex
Pledge promised that:
 Passenger ships would not be targeted
 Merchant ships would not be sunk until the presence of
weapons had been established, nor without provision for the
safety of passengers and crew.
 The Germans made this promise to the then neutral U.S. on
May 4th, 1916. On February 1st, 1917, they went back on their
promise and resumed unrestricted submarine warfare.
 U.S. Entry Into WWI

 Zimmerman Telegraph- a top secret, coded message sent by

German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman to his
country’s diplomatic delegation in Mexico in January 1917.
 The communication was an attempt to draw Mexico into
warfare should the United States join the Allies in Europe.
 The interception and de-coding of the Zimmermann
Telegram revealed a promise to the Mexican Government
that Germany would help Mexico recover the territory it had
ceded to the USA (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona)
following the Mexican-American War.
 The Zimmerman telegram sparked nationwide outrage
during WWI and helped to bring about American
participation in the Great War.
 U.S. Entry Into WWI

 Finally, in April 1917, the U.S. declared war on

Germany. Stayed out for how long?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmyc_p20o_c
 U.S. Entry Into WWI

 Trench Warfare- a form of warfare in which

opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in
the battlefield. Fighting with trenches, mines, and
barbed wire. Horrible living conditions, great
slaughter, little to no gains, stalemate, used in
WWI. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-
i/world-war-i-history/videos/bet-you-didnt-know-
trench-warfare
 New weapons (airplanes, automatic weapons, poison
gas, tanks)- humans proved to be remarkably
ingenuous and adaptable when it came to finding new
ways to maim and kill during WWI.
 U.S. Entry Into WWI

 New Weapons continued- The major impact of

technology on World War I (WWI) was that it made
the war much more difficult for the infantry soldiers
who did most of the fighting. The new technologies
led to trench warfare and the lack of new tactics led
to massive slaughter at the hands of the new
technology.
 U.S. Entry into WWI

 New technology in the form of machine guns and

rapid-fire artillery gave a huge advantage to any
army fighting on the defensive in this war. When the
war settled down into stalemate on the Western
Front, each side had really good defensive positions
with their machine guns and their artillery. Even so,
both sides felt the need to launch offensives at times.
This meant that they were going to hurl infantrymen
at the entrenched enemy with their technological
advantages. This led to massive slaughter.
 U.S. Entry into WWI

 With the war bogged down, another new technology

made war even more miserable. This was poison
gas. Both sides felt that the use of poison gas would
allow them to break through the enemy defenses, but
no such thing happened.
 http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-
war-i-history/videos/tech-developments-of-world-
war-i
 http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-
war-i-history
 U.S. Entry into WWI

 Woodrow Wilson was elected again in 1916. He ran on

the slogan “He Kept Us Out of War.” Remember, we
didn’t enter the war until??????
 Public opinion on WWI was divided in the U.S.
 Some Americans, notably socialists, Christian pacifists,
anarchists, women’s groups, unionists, and
intellectuals opposed the war.
 Some believed the government was entering the war
not to “make the world safe for democracy,” as Wilson
claimed, but rather to serve the interest of capitalists.
 Other Americans strongly supported the U.S. entry
into the war in light of the Zimmerman telegram and
the sinking of the Lusitania.
 U.S. Entry into WWI

 Committee on Public Information- a propaganda

agency that tried to drum up support for U.S. entry
into WWI. It depicted Germans and other enemies
on bad terms, and served to censor the press.
 U.S. Entry into WWI

 Espionage Act of 1917- made it a crime for a

person to mail or print information that
inspired dissent against the American war
effort or promoted it’s enemies.
 Sedition Act of 1918- any treacherous act or
draft dodging was forbidden, outlawed disgracing
the government, the Constitution, or military
uniforms, and forbade aiding the enemy.
 U.S. Entry into WWI

 What is the 1st Amendment?

 Schenck v. United States- Congress could
restrict speech if the words “are used in such
circumstances and are of such a nature as to create
a clear and present danger.” Schenck was
convicted for mailing pamphlets urging potential
army inductees to resist conscription.
 U.S. Entry into WWI

 Well, what can we do to support our country through

a time of war?
 Any ideas? Thoughts?
 U.S. Entry into WWI

 Victory gardens- private gardens which American

citizens were encouraged to create as a source of
food during the war period.
 Liberty bonds- government bonds sold to gain
money for WWI.
 U.S. Entry into WWI

 Selective service act- law provided for the

registration of all American men between the
ages of 21 and 30 for a military draft.
 War Industries Board- agency established during
WWI to increase efficiency & discourage waste
in war-related industries.