1. America in WWI

2. Why Didn’t America Join sooner?
WWI began in 1914 but America didn’t join until 1917,why?
Many Americans did not want to go to war for various reasons
They didn’t support one of the allied forces
They were pacifists or isolationists

3. What Led to American Involvement?
Wilson won the election of 1916 his slogan being “He kept us out of war”
If American was so opposed to war, why did we finally join?

4. The Lusitania German U-boats were trying to prevent any aid to Britain
They blew up several ships on their way to England
The Lusitania was one such ship
It was a British liner but out of the roughly 1,200 people who died when it sank, 124 of them were American

7. Enough to go to war?
Although Americans were outraged by the sinking of the Lusitania and other ships, it was not enough to force America into war
Germany also promised to stop unrestricted submarine warfare
So what was the final straw?
A coded telegram

8. The Zimmerman Telegram
Could this be British propaganda?
What was to be gained by the allies?
What was in it for the Germans
Who decoded the message? Why was this possibly suspicious?
What words or phrases might have caused Americans to become increasingly hostile toward Germans?

9. What do you think about the Telegram?
Wilson called for a declaration of war and congress overwhelmingly voted yes
Who were some of the first to volunteer?