America should enter World War I

Woodrow Wilson /1856-1924/

When the countries of Europe plunged into war in 1914, W. Wilson asked all Americans to „act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality.“ Wilson managed to maintain U.S. neutrality for the next 30 months and, running on the slogan „He kept us out of war“, won reelection as president in 1916.

On April 2, 1917, he appeared before a joint session of Congress to ask for a declaration of war agains Germany.

Wilson´s address, tried to answer 2 major questions:
1/ Why had America changed its stance from neutrality to hostility toward Germany?
2/ What did America hope to achieve by entering the war?

In answering the 1st question he emphasizes the problems caused by German submarine warfare. Through diplomatic pressure Wilson had managed to get Germany to restrict its use of submarines against American ships and those of other neutral nations. In Jan. 1917 Germany resumed a policy of unrestricted submarine attacks, and Amer. ships were being sunk without warning.