In the World War I exhibit, there was a section about America selling to the allies different materials but remaining neutral in the war until the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman telegram. We learned about this in AP European History before, but mostly just a brief overview as we focused more on how the Europeans were impacted by these events. The exhibit informed me more on how there was a Mexican border conflict that heightened the tension and made it more impactful when the Zimmermann telegram was intercepted. We had learned that the Zimmerman telegram had an impact on america joining the war, and it was interesting to get more background about it. In the future, I would like to learn more about the espionage and sedition acts
America’s involvement in World War I not only impacted the war front but also the people left on the home front. When America entered World War I in 1917 the government enforced many measures on its citizens, many of which violated constitutional rights. The biggest measure inflicted on the American population was censorship. The formation of the Committee on Public Information (CPI) and the passing of the Espionage Act and Sedition Amendment stole American’s freedom of speech, created an anti-German sentiment, and led to deportation during the post-war Red Scare.
This effectively made it impossible to trade with Germany as Document C reinforces when reflecting on the war. The British navy was one of the strongest in the world for America to go against them would be suicide and they also depended much more on Britain for trade and economic reasons than Germany. Which meant America was to stick to their neutrality and do nothing. They continued trading to the countries they were able to and left alone the countries they could not. In the letter of secretary of state William Bryan to the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations (Document D) he implies that the U.S. is still neutral. He then goes on to explain what a tight place the U.S. is in. He addresses many of the points made in Document B and articulates why the U.S. has made some of the decisions it has and gives very convincing argument that the U.S. has had neutrality as its motivation the whole time. Germany was most likely irritated with the United States passive manner and upset that they did not come to German rescue when they still openly traded with they’re enemies and then claiming neutrality. In their eyes America’s standoffish attitude most likely justified they’re actions towards the U.S. but to the United States nothing could justify the German aggression they were going to receive as the war progressed.
Schenck vs. United States is a Supreme Court Case from 1919, in which Charles T. Schenck was charged and convicted of being in violation of the Espionage Act. The Espionage Act, passed in 1917, was the effort of Congress and President Woodrow Wilson, to protect national security during World War I. At the start of the war, there was a strong sense of national pride to fight, however, groups who opposed the war still remained. According to (Belknap, Schenck vs. US), the Espionage Act addressed the issue of national security through the press. It became illegal to falsify reports to aid an enemy, rebel within the armed forces, and obstruct military recruitment. The following year the Sedition Acts of 1918 were passed, which made it illegal during wartime to speak of, print, or write in the context of disloyal or abusive language to the United States (Sedition Act was repealed in 1921). When these laws were passed, the media was filled with rumors of spies in the United States, which took the attention off any
Gen. John J. Pershing , a veteran of the Spanish-American War, commanded the AEF. The U.S. was far from prepared to send an army to the European front
American's involvement in World War I was greatly influenced by the Zimmerman Telegram that was received from London. Prior to receiving it, the United States proceeded to be neutral, however, their stance changed. As proposed in the telegram, the Alliance Germany had with Mexico and Japan was intended to creat a new front which would distract the U.S.; this would aid in Germany's favor (document 2). Germany needed this advantage as depicted in document 3. It shows how the German u-boats we're sinking and were being defeated. Another factor that played in the change of involvement was the right of democracy. It was portrayed in Woodrow Wilson's speech that he believed the United States shouldn't be selfish
Before World War One, people were allowed to watch, write, or say anything they wanted to as long as they weren’t harming anyone. However, the Republicans and Democrats were arguing over whether or not we should have more censorship. The Democrats wanted more censorship, but Republicans didn’t want more censorship. As it was stated in document 1, they didn’t want the president to be able to block himself from getting criticism. The Espionage and Sedition Acts were put in place so that people couldn’t interfere with the success of the army, it was to help find people who were disloyal to the army.
For instance, in both the Spanish- American War and World War 1, it's evident that the use yellow journalism has been a major cause for war. This can be seen in the Spanish America War where newspaper reporters would 'coat the truth in yellow'. In other words, they would usually exaggerate or bend the truth in order to attract the attention of the public and sell more newspapers (basically for their own self-interest). According to the political cartoon in Document 2, one can see how the Spanish are depicted as some kind of wild brute that had just murdered a group of American sailors from the U.S.S Maine. Furthermore, this kind of reports inflamed the war effort by greatly infuriating the American public. This same concept can be seen in World War 1, where Anti-German propaganda was being used in order to turn the United States against Germany, as the propaganda greatly criticized German militarism and unprovoked invasion in Belgium. To add on, another similarity between the two wars being discussed in here was the sinking of some maritime vessel. For example, the sinking of the Lusitania as a result of Germany's illicit practice of unrestricted submarine warfare was a major factor for the United Sates entry into World War 1. According to Document 3 it states "The waters surrounding Great Britain and Iceland, including the English channel, are hereby declared to be within the war zone, and all enemy merchant vessels found in those waters after the eighteen of February, 1915 will be destroyed.'' This demonstrates how maritime vessels traveling along the English Isles were susceptible to attacks by German submarines, and unfortunately, this was the case for the merchant ship, the Lusitania (where 128 American passengers were killed, thus causing major disruptions among the American people). Moreover, this was the same for the U.S.S Maine during the
In the late 1910’s Congress passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts of 1917 and 1918 (ESA). Historian Howard Zinn sees the ESA as a malicious attempt by the U.S. government to “imprison Americans who spoke or wrote out against the war.” Zinn’s argument dismisses the idea that the ESA was a necessary step to ensure the integrity of a nation at war, as he believes that America’s entrance into WWI was motivated by a selfish desire for monetary gain and economic expansion. Zinn asserts that the U.S. government allowed American investors to “tie American finance closely to the interest of a British victory.” While Zinn’s ideas are well-argued and supported, they tell only one side of a complicated story. James West Davidson, however, tells another. He argues that at the time of the ESA’s passing, the United States had been pushed by German action into the first global conflict in its history. He describes the German U-boat attacks that were devastating the Atlantic, and the reports of “cracking morale” that were trickling in from the front lines, and asserts that the ESA was passed by a desperate government in order to combat protestors who attempted to sway public opinion against the war. Davidson never explicitly describes the ESA as good or bad, but he provides some valuable context that Zinn ignores. The ESA was not, as Zinn alleges, a heartless assault on the American coordinated “with all the power of the federal government and the money of big business behind it,” nor was it a shining example of individual freedoms. It was a complicated document with complicated implications, and consideration of only Zinn’s or Davidson’s writings eliminates the intricacies that were inherent in the ESA, and the circumstances that lead to its
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,
David Kennedy’s Over Here: The First World War and American Society gives the reader an in depth description of American history during Americas involvement in World War I. The book covers from President Wilson’s war message to Congress on April 2, 1917 to the Armistice on November 11, 1918 pointing out major dilemmas within the country, whether they are political, social, or cultural. Kennedy starts the book out with a prologue that sets the scene. After the prologue, Kennedy jumps into explaining the war and the thoughts of the American people about the war that was carried into the battlefield. During this time, Wilson had just won his re-election of 1916, which was won by promising to keep America out of the war. So it was not hard to
Preceding America’s entry into World War I, the country claimed autonomy wanting no affiliations with the European war; conversely, America was supplying war machinery to the European nations. In the World War I & Its Aftermaths, Tizoc Chavaz states, “In October 1914, President Wilson approved commercial credit loans to the combatants, which made it increasingly difficult for the nation to claim impartiality
World War I began in 1914 but America remained neutral until its entrance into the war in 1917. The U-boats sinking of the British liner Lusitania in 1915, the sinking of five American ships in 1917, and the “Zimmerman telegram” sent from Germany to Mexico led up to America’s declaration of war. America’s involvement in World War I not only impacted the war front but also the home front.
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
Another factor that led to the United States’ entry into World War I, was the Zimmerman Telegram. The Zimmerman Telegram was a telegram issued from the German Foreign Office in January, 1917. It proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event of the United States' entering World War I against Germany. The proposal was intercepted and decoded by British intelligence. The message was in the form of a coded telegram sent by the Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, Arthur
The United States entered World War I because of German submarine warfare against merchant ships trading with Britain and France, which led to the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in which 128 American lives were lost. [3] The US had also intercepted the Zimmerman Telegram which had been sent between Germany and Mexico, urging Mexico to declare war against the United States. [4]