As President of the United States, it is absolutely necessary to declare war on Germany. America should join in on the war against Germany and defeat the aggressive nation. German’s actions of sinking ships with American passengers, failing to follow both international and their own laws, and provoking America’s southern neighbor are more than enough reasons to declare war. Both American citizens and ships are not safe when they are sailing on the seas because of German threat. Mexico is too close for comfort if they are willing in to engage in combat. Neutrality must be broken for the wellbeing of the United States. The Germans sank the Lusitania, a British ship flying the American flag, on May 7th, 1915 and 128 Americans were killed. International …show more content…
In this document, there was a request from Germany to declare war on the United States. Also, the Germans promised that Mexico would repossess Texas, the Mexican Cession Territory, and other former property. A possible war with Mexico is an obvious threat to the safety of the United States of America. Not only did Germany provoke probable belligerent behavior from the Mexicans, but also, the Zimmerman Note insinuated that America would lose to Mexico. A defeat to Mexico was both insulting and dangerous because it would indicate a loss in American territory as well. Neutrality is not keeping Americans protected. It is inevitable that neutrality will be broken if Mexico follows through with the Zimmerman Note and declares war on the United States. Also, it is obvious that Germans will not stop sinking ships with American passengers and will not stop disobeying international law and their own pledges. America should not wait to be attacked any longer and must take action. President Wilson clearly should declare war on Germany in order to protect both America and the American people. If he does not, then the United States will suffer from more harmful German
into war. Wilson’s vowed to hold German’s in “strict accountability” (Zieger, 23) of future American rights violations. The Germans agreed to not attack ships without warning. Wilson’s harsh stance on German tactics and his non-equal treatment of Britain would lead to the resignation of his Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan and the end of the United States “true neutrality”.
President Woodrow Wilson’s “War Message” addresses the momentous event of breaking neutrality and declaring war on the German government. Wilson explains that America can no longer remain stagnant. He calls his audience to action, through a tactical combination of both structured logic and emotional inclusion. Wilson begins his deduction with several points, starting with the details of the submarine warfare and the “wholesale destruction of men, women, and children” endured not only by the American people but various other countries (2). Wilson asserts that neutrality is no longer possible since peace and the freedom of the individuals of the world were under a direct threat (5). He reassures the audience that although his intentions were the same and he fully intended on keeping the American people safe, avoiding the war and remaining uninvolved was no longer a reality (4).
Germany was trying to overtake the world. US could not let this happen. In the telegram, Zimmermann stated that in the event of war with the United States, Mexico should be asked to enter the conflict as a German ally. In return, Germany would promise to restore to Mexico the lost territories of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. On March 1, the U.S. State Department published the note and America was against Germany instantly. US was officially against Germany in late March. Germany sank four more U.S. merchant ships. On April 2, President Wilson appeared before Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany. On April 4, the Senate voted 82 to six to declare war against Germany. Two days later, the House of Representatives endorsed the declaration by a vote of 373 to 50 and America formally entered World War
Although the U.S. had yet to become officially involved in the war, most Americans supported the Allies and saw the Germans as antagonists. Americans felt a connection to Great Britain, in particular, because of cultural similarities. When the Germans sunk the Lusitania, a British cruise ship, in 1915, 128 Americans were among those who lost their lives, causing America to become even angrier towards the Germans. At the same time, the British intercepted a message from Germany to Mexico called the Zimmerman Note, asking the government of Mexico to declare war on the U.S. if war broke out between the U. S. and Germany. The note also promised to help Mexico regain the territory of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico if Mexico declared war on the United States. This note was the final push that caused America to fall into the want of war. Thus, on April 6, 1917, the U.S. Congress declared war on Germany.
On April 2, 1917 the United States entered WWI declaring war against Germany and its allies. The deciding factor for the U.S. to enter the war is due to one document, the Zimmerman Telegram. The document was sole proof to many Americans that Germany’s intentions were not only causing harm on European soil but bringing it across the seas to American soil. It stated that Germany had no intentions on slowing down its submarine warfare to which they hoped to keep the Americans neutral, but if they failed in doing so they offered an alliance among themselves and Mexico. The understanding was that Mexico would declare war on the United States and help the Germans and in return they would receive their land they had lost to America in years past,
Yet, events in Europe were altering President Wilson's outlook on the war. Germany's campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare was the cause of the loss of American lives in the Atlantic. The sinking of the Lusitania, a British liner, off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915 by a German U-boat that killed 128 Americans was a harsh reality that
World War I was a great loss both physically and emotionally. It was a conflict between the Allies and the Central Powers from 1914 to 1918. More than 15 million people were killed in battled, making it one of the most deadly conflicts in history. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria- Hungary was seen as the trigger of the war. The war was described as a world war, a total war, and a modern war. A world war because it involved the whole world. A total war because people used maximum resources for the purpose of the war. A modern war because the people used technological and industrial mobilization.
During the 1920s, the United States was forced into war by the Germans. Germany, attacking and violating with the use of submarines, gave President Woodrow Wilson, who was president during World War I, no other option but to go into war. “We enter this war only where we are clearly forced into it because there are no other means of defending our rights.” (Wilson, 1917). He was a neutral person. Even though he wanted
It is well documented in United States history books that during the First World War, the United States had an isolationist and neutral stance towards the war in Europe. However, according to these texts, this all changed on February 24, 1917 when the United States received a decoded German telegram message from Britain. This message read that Germany requested Mexico to join their side and declare war on the United States if their northern neighbor joined the war against Germany. It is said that this was the most important event that pushed the neutral United States over the edge to join the Allied Powers. It is even compared in importance to the attack on Pearl Harbor which pushed the United States in joining the Allies in the Second World War! However, this is simply not the case. There were a multitude of more import reasons which, when looking at the complete picture, show that the Zimmerman Telegram had much less of an impact than previously thought.
Before the Great War progressed too far, Woodrow Wilson explicitly stated, “the United States must be neutral.” America 's neutrality was the clear choice in 1914. The US was in good standings with both the Central and Allied powers and the American people had split loyalties. However, three short years later, President Wilson was tasked with making the decision to join the Allies and enter the fight on April 6, 1917. This came after several key events that the United States could no longer ignore. First, the British placed a naval blockade that prevented neutral nations, like the United States, from trading with Germany and its allies. Germany quickly responded with a new weapon of destruction: the U-boat. U-boats were submarines with the capability of being submerged in water for long periods of time, and would sneak up on unsuspecting targets and torpedo them. Germany was quick to announce that any boat connected to the Allied Powers were liable to be destroyed. Not only did Germany attack warships, they began attacking civilian ships, like cruise liners. By 1915, Germany announced they
then increased trade with the Allies, Britain and France, which gave them closer ties with the Allies forces. Secondly, the German navy launched a U-boat submarine, which torpedoed the British luxury liner Lusitania and killed 128 Americans in the process. Next, the U.S. intercepted a telegram in which Germany’s foreign secretary sent to the German minister in Mexico City. The telegram was urging Mexico to join the Central Powers in the war, and Germany promised to help Mexico recover Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona in return. This threatened the territorial integrity of the U.S. The final reason for U.S. involvement in the war was when U-boats started attacking American ships without warning. This forced President Wilson to ask for a declaration of war before a special session of Congress.
By January 1917 representatives from the German navy convinced the military leadership and Kaiser Wilhelm II that a resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare could help defeat Great Britain within five months. German policymakers argued that they could violate the “Sussex pledge” because the United States was not being neutral (Office of the Historian). In January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to Mexico, offering United States’ territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause (Childress). Accordingly, on January 31, 1917, the German Ambassador, Count Johann von Bernstorff, presented U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing with a note declaring Germany’s intention to restart unrestricted submarine warfare the following day. Stunned by the news, President Wilson went before Congress on February 3 to announce that he had severed diplomatic relations with Germany (Office of the Historian). Throughout February and March 1917, German submarines targeted and sunk several American ships, and many American passengers and seamen died (Office of the Historian). On February 26, Wilson asked Congress for authority to arm American merchant ships with U.S. naval personnel and equipment.
Georges Clemenceau says “ Germany should be brought to its knees so she can never start war again.” The is his only view according to Chris Truman. Woodrow Wilson had been shocked by the devastation from the Great War. Wilson wanted to leave Europe to its on and to concentrate on U.S. instead of worrying about everyone else. He wanted to keep all input in and out of Russia to a minimum.
On January 9th, 1917 a message was sent from Germany to the German minister in Mexico. This message, later to be known as the Zimmermann Telegram was the final piece to a German plot to embroil the United States into a war with Mexico, Japan or both in order to cripple Allied supply lines fueling Allied operations in Europe.
to be more like them so that's the more the reason why they would want