World War One

The LusitaniaUS Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan had pleaded with Wilson to restrict the travel ofAmericans on ships. Wilson insisted that international law provided Americans with the rightsto travel and refused Bryan’s request. Do you think that was the best decision?In May, 1915, the Germans posted a warning in the New York newspapers topotential travelers that they would attack.Some travelers decided to stay home but others refused to listen. Think about howpeople behaved about flying after 9-11.German u-boats sank the passenger liner RMS Oceanic but the story was covered up.The RMS Lusitania was a British luxury liner off the coast of Ireland. Many wealthy people received a secret warning not to travelbecause of the u-boat threat. Germany warned all Europeans that any vessel in the area was a target. The allies used passenger shipsas a scheme to bring weapons (contraband) through enemy blockades. On May 7, 1915, German submarines sank the Lusitania. Thepassengers had no idea the attack was coming. 1200 civilian passengers died--100 were Americans.The Lusitania did have rifle cartridges, shrapnel shells, and dynamite fuses hidden on board which added to the explosion.Later evidence showed that Admiral Winston Churchill knew u-boats were in the area and “coldly sacrifice the vessel to getthe US into the war.”The sinking of the Lusitania outraged the American public any many well-known public figures (including former Pres. TheodoreRoosevelt) pressured Wilson to declare war on Germany. Wilson did not go to Congress. Instead, he sent a strong note of protest toGermany and warned that any further attacks would cause the US to enter the war. Wilson’s actions led to the resignation of Secretaryof State Bryan. Wilson narrowly won the re-election for president (Nov. 1916) campaigning under the slogan “He kept us out of war.” Once re-elected for a 2 nd term, President Wilson asked both sides to end the hostilities (Jan. 1917). He even offered to have peace talks but both sides refused.Instead, Germany announced it would lift all restrictions on submarine warfare (Jan. 1917). Wilhelm was impatient with the Europeanstalemate and wanted the war over before the Americans could get involved. The German u-boat commanders were authorized to sinkall ships they believed were providing aid to the Allies. The primary goal was to starve Britain into surrendering. The new German effortfocused on ships crossing the Atlantic from the US and Canada. The 1 st victim of this new policy was the American cargo ship the Housatonic which a German u-boat sank Feb. 3, 1917. In response, Pres. Wilson broke off diplomatic relations with Germany the same day. This escalation was a major step towards the US entering the war.22