Transcript Chapter 21 Section2

Chapter 21
Section2
The United States Goes to War
Objectives
• 1. Relate the challenges the United States
faced while trying to remain neutral.
• 2. Identify the events that led to U.S. entry
into the war.
• 3. Explain how the United States prepared its
military for World War I.
• 4. Describe the types of experiences
Americans had while serving Europe.
U.S. Neutrality
• Americans wanted and supported neutrality
when war broke out in Europe. President
Woodrow Wilson supported neutrality and
also pursued the goal of settling the conflict.
• America was a nation of immigrants so many
chose sides. The British had used propaganda
to show the German in a bad light. This really
increased many Americans support of the
Allies.
• British navy would stop American ships, thinking they were
transporting goods and services to Germany. This violated
U.S. neutrality.
• 1915: Germany established a “war zone” around England
any ship entering the zone were subject to attack by
German U-boats.
• March 28, 1915: The sinking of the British passenger liner
the Lusitania, with 124 Americans loss of lives. Wilson
demanded that the Germans stop unrestricted submarine
warfare against civilian ships. Secretary of State William
Jennings Bryan resigned stating that the president couldn’t
issue an ultimatum when remaining neutral.
The Road to War
• Sussex Pledge: Was Germans pledge to renew
their promise of sinking liners without warning or
ensuring passenger’s safety.
• Robert Lansing: who replaced Bryan as Secretary
of State supported trade with the Allies in the
area of war materials.
• [Note: Former president Theodore Roosevelt
thought Wilson a coward not going after the
Germans. Many thought neutrality was going by
the way side. ]
• 1916-National Defense Act: a military “preparedness”
project. Increased the number of army soldiers from
90,000 to 175,000 the final goal 223,000. National
Guard at 450,000 troops. Congress supported and
passed a bill to build up the navy.
• Wilson was up for election and hadn’t backed off the
idea of neutrality. His slogan “He kept Us Out of War,”
ultimately he defeated Republican Charles Evans
Hughes.
• January, 1917: in a speech Wilson advocated for “peace
without victory.” Even with trying to mediate peace
the nations at war rejected the effort.
• February, 1917: Germany resumes full-scale U-boat
warfare. The significance: Wilson breaks diplomatic ties;
orders the arming of American merchant ships.
• March, 1917: American newspapers published Zimmerman
Note. The significance: This note proves German hostility.
Trying to persuade Mexico to side with Germany.
• April 4, 1917: The Senate declares war. The significance:
United States joins the war on the Allied side.
• Representative Jeannette Rankin from Montana chose not
to support war. First woman to be elected to the House. A
pacifist.
Mobilizing U.S. Military Power
• Selective Service Act: May 18, 1917-require
men between the ages of 21 and 30 to
register to vote. Later it would change to ages
18-45. By the end of the war 24 million men
had registered for the draft. 2.8 million men
had drafted for war.
• [Theodore Roosevelt believed in compulsory
military training for all American men. ]
Training the Troops
• Summer, 1917: Training camps were constructed in a
very fast manner to house and train troops. Training of
the troops was going to be accelerated, the focus was
on fighting hand-to-hand combat and rifle training.
• Hello Girls: Near the end of the war the U.S. decided to
send female telephone operators to France to run
important military switchboards. Many were civilian
women were stationed in Tours, France. When training
male operators to work the switchboards on the front
lines. One female said, “ I just reminded them that any
soldier could carry a gun, but the safety of a whole
division might depend on the switchboard.”
Over There
• John J. Pershing: The American Expeditionary
Force (AEF) were under the direction of the
General. When arriving in the June, 1917,
Pershing insisted that the U.S. fight as a separate
unit. Pershing wouldn’t allow the Allies to dictate
how the U.S. troops would be utilized.
• Convoy System: U.S. warships, merchant ships
transported troops, supplies, and volunteers
through the submarine area of the North Atlantic.