-
Lusitania Sinking
On May 7th, 1915 the British Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine, killing 128 Americans and further heightening tensions. Approximately 14 miles off the coast of Southern Ireland neither the captain nor any of his crew saw the German U-boat. At 1:40 p.m., the U-boat launched a torpedo. The torpedo hit the right side of the Lusitania. Almost immediately after, another explosion rocked the ship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShOHb67h4Qc -
Sussex Sinking
Germany sparked an international crisis on March 24, 1916, when one of it’s submarines sank the french ferry the Sussex. Although the United States objected to the British blockade in the North Sea, a much greater threat to American neutrality was Germany's use of unrestricted submarine warfare against shipping in the North Atlantic. The sinking of the Sussex did raise questions about America's preparedness, however, and steps were taken to get the country ready for war. -
National Defense Act
The National Defense Act was provided for the immediate expansion of the regular Army to 175,000 men and a maximum of almost 250,000 troops, while the Naval Construction Act instituted a three-year building program for the navy. The Council of National Defense was established to coordinate and mobilize industry, available natural resources, and labor in the event of hostilities with Germany. -
U.S Breaks Diplomatic Relations with Germany
On February 3, 1917, President Wilson announced that all diplomatic relations with Germany would be broken. He made this decision after learning that Germany had reestablished the German navy’s policy of unlimited submarine warfare and he wanted to keep the honor and dignity that the United States was founded upon. The German ambassador to the U.S and all other german citizens were forced to leave while American prisoners who were being held in Germany were to go back to the United States. -
U.S. Prepares to enter war
Congress passed a $250 million arms-appropriations bill which was signed in order to prepare the United States to enter the war. Many people were very upset about President Wilson’s decision to enter the war, as he had pledged neutrality and many Americans had supported this decision. On April 2, President Wilson delivered his famous war speech to Congress confirming their entry into war. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnw4DKRfCs -
Zimmermann Telegram published in U.S.
In the telegram intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence in January 1917, Zimmermann offered Mexico financial aid if they agreed to enter any U.S conflict with German as their ally.If Germany won they would also give Mexico back their lost territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. On March 1st news broke to the public and now Americans were strongly starting to believe that we should enter the War. -
Puerto Ricans Join Army
On March 2nd, 1917 Wilson signs an Act in which Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and Puerto Ricans were granted statutory citizenship. Now they were able to join the Army, but few chose to do so. After President Wilson signed another act the U.S. eventually drafted 20,000 Puerto Ricans to serve. Soldiers were sent to guard the Panama Canal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmc -
U.S. Enters World War 1
On April 6, 1917, the U.S. joined its allies Britain, France, and Russia to fight in World War I. Under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, more than 2 million U.S. soldiers fought on battlefields in France. Many Americans were not in favor of the U.S. entering the war and wanted to remain neutral. In 1917 the Senate votes 82 to 6 and declares war on Germany. -
Creel Committee issues official propaganda
The Committee on Public Information, or the Creel Committee, was established by President Woodrow Wilson on April 13, 1917 and was created as an effort to try and persuade the American people to think a certain way about America’s involvement in World War 1. This committee used many different types of advertisements in order to influence the people to support U.S participation in the war. One of the ways they would advertise was by using Four Minute Men, who were men who would volunteer to speak -
Food Administration Formed
After the United States entered World War 1, President Wilson selected Herbert Hoover to be the United States Food Administrator. This was a very important task being that America was the lead food producer and there were many people that needed to be fed. The U.S was in charge of supplying food to the large army that was being created, as well as to their allies. Americans were forced to conserve food so that there would be enough for the soldiers who were fighting in the war. -
US Congress Passes Espionage Act
Congress passed this act, which made it a crime for any citizen to give out information about the U.S military to other countries, and especially to the United States’ enemies. It was put in place by A. Mitchell Palmer who was the attorney general under President Wilson. Anyone who broke this law would be fined $10,000 and would have to serve a prison sentence of up to 20 years. -
First Army Units
The first U.S. Army units landed in June 26, 1917 in France, but Americans did not see significant action until the Germans attacked in the spring of 1918. The first major American battle of the war was the attack on the German units at St. Mihiel, which was followed by the Meuse-Argonne offensive. More than one million American soldiers fought in the Meuse-Argonne and suffered a roughly 10 percent casualty rate, but the battle was the last confrontation of the war.
