Neutrality Ends

British Blockade Blockade along German coast to prevent

goods, weapons and contraband from getting through› “contraband” extended to mean food!

Results› American ships carrying German goods just

stopped › German’s couldn’t get their food = famine› U-boats!

German U-Boats Counter-blockade!

Any ship found in waters around Britain would be sunk

Submarine warfare

News to the U.S. flashed

Lusitania May 7th, 1915

U-boat sinks British liner Lusitania

128 Americans killed

“This sinking…is not war; it is…organized murder and no language is too strong for it. It is getting to be too much to ask America to keep out when Americans are drowned as part of a European war

http://www.history.com/videos/u-boats-sink-the-lusitania-in-1915#u-boats-sink-the-lusitania-in-1915

Still neutral… Even after, Wilson said NO to war!

Wilson protested Germany – they agreed to not sink any more liners. › Oops The Sussex was sunk in 1916 killing

Americans

Election of 1916 Wilson re-

elected › “He Kept Us Out

of War”

Election results shifted from hour to hour

Events leading to America entering the

war….

Telegram With a partner, examine the telegram

handed out. › Who is it from? › Who is it going to? › What does it say?

Zimmerman Telegram Sent by German foreign minister to

German ambassador in Mexico

Intercepted by British agents

Mexico go to war with U.S. and Germany will support you and give you land

Then… Sinking of four unarmed American

ships

Russia overthrows czarist regime

So supporters of war can say we are going toward against brutal monarchies!

Declaring War April 2, 1917

Wilson delivered his war resolution › Passed!

U.S. troops to go to war!

Propaganda of WWI Now that we are in war, Propaganda

starts circulating like crazy

Now, we will look at some of these documents!