The United States Entry into World War I

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The United States Entry into World War I
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At the start of the war ...

• US President Woodrow Wilsondeclared a USpolicy
  of absoluteneutrality.

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• Why did President Wilsons decision to stay out
  of World War I in 1914 please many Americans?

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Why Neutrality? Think past units of study!

• 1/3 of the US population were either first or
  second generation immigrants from England,
  France, Germany, etc.
• American tradition (up to that point) of staying
  out of foreign wars its over there.

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• 2. What was the status of combat in Europe by the
  end of 1914?

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maybe we should go to war

• England and France have similar governments to
  the US
• Germany and AH are ruled by a monarchy

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and we had Pre-War Economic Ties

• 75 of all pre-war trade done with Allied Powers

• With the Allied blockade, trade was easier to
  coastal Allied countries, especially France and
  Great Britain.

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plus they owe us lots of money

• The allied blockade meant easier trade with
  allied coastal countries

• US trade and loan totalsAllied powers 2.3
  billion (plus)
• Central powers 275 million

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Submarine Warfare

• British blockades of Germany strangled the
  country of necessary provisions and war-related
  items

• Germany resorted to submarines to get around the
  blockades and to sink ships from any country
  supplying their enemy

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Submarine Warfare

• May 7, 1915 German u-boats sink a British
  passenger liner named the Lusitania

• loaded with over 4,000 cases of small arms
  destined for England
• Unfortunately, 128 Americans had been on board
  and went down with the ship

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• public opinion was that the Germans were
  murderers and barbarians

• President Wilson and the American public hadnt
  been told that the Lusitania had been used by the
  British to ship weapons

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• Sussex Pledge Germany agreed to announce
  themselves to ships of questionable nature before
  firing upon them

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• Germany schemes to break the stalemate by
  restarting unrestricted submarine warfare

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And what else draws us into war?
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Uh Oh . . . Something Else!

• Release of the Zimmerman Note . . .

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• In exchange for invading the United States,
  Germany promises Mexico help in regaining Texas,
  Arizona and New Mexico!

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Outrage!

• Germany hoped to keep the U.S. out of war

• but German scheming outrages Americans!

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Another obstacle removed

• Russia had suffered more than 4 million
  casualties
• Russian citizens are starving and the government
  and military are in chaos
• In 1917 Czar Nicholas II abdicates!

Now all the allies have similar governments!
For Now
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The Final Decision

• Between March 16 and March 18, three American
  ships bound for the Allies were sunk by German
  U-Boats.

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On April 6, 1917, President Wilson signed a war
resolution to join the Allies.
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PROPAGANDA
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In other words . . .

• Huns a Central Asian tribe legendary for its
  ferocity.
• Why would this name be applied to the Germans?

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Germans as Huns

• A derogatory term for Germans.
• Basis Though Attila's forces (Attila the Hun)
  would have contained many Goths and other
  Germanic peoples in addition to his Mongolian
  tribes people, this use of the term seems to
  derive from a simple desire to characterize the
  Germans as expansionist barbarians.

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American Use of Propaganda

• George Creel, former newspaperman, heads up the
  Committee on Public Information
• Appointed by Woodrow Wilson after US entry into
  war
• Used artists, writers, and speakers to sell the
  war to Americans

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Propaganda to Engage Citizens

• Posters would use images and phrasing that would
  be familiar to the American public
• Posters would also be specific for groups of
  people when necessary

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THE DRAFTAMERICANS WHO FOUGHT
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The Draft

• The Selective Service Act of May 1917 was
  established to draft young men for the military
  service
• Early on men age 21-31 were drafted by late
  1918 it extended to include men age 18-45

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The Draft

• By November 1918 more than 24 million had
  registered for the draft
• From those a lottery selected 3 million to serve
  in the war

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Germans in the US

• Many were discriminated against due to their
  German ancestry
• Fired from jobs
• Changed their names
• Ostracized in communities
• Schools stopped teaching German language
• Attacked in communities

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Women in the War

• Filled a variety of roles in the war effort
  including caregivers (nurses) and home defense
• A small number worked in the signal corps
  (communications)

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Telephone Operators
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Navy Nurses aboard USS George Washington in 1918
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African Americans in the War

• Many had no choice where to serve only the Navy
  and Army accepted recruits
• Served as laborers, delivery personnel,
  messengers, and in the kitchen (within the navy)

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African Americans in the War

• Several regiments were loaned out to the French
  and saw combat
• The 369th Regiment or Harlem Hell Fighters was
  cited most for their bravery and as the first to
  reach the Rhine River in Germany

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Sergeant Henry Johnson, 369th Infantry ("Harlem
Hellfighters"), who single-handedly fought off a
German raiding party to save his comrade, Private
Needham Roberts, 1918.
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African Americans Post-War

• Frustrated at the freedoms that they experienced,
  but did not return to in the US
• Experience (and freedom) overseas led to the
  early beginnings of the Civil Rights movement

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