1. America Enters the War SWBAT: Identify reasons the U.S. finally enters WWI Homework: Yesterday we discussed reasons why according to Wilson we were staying out of the war. But what are some reasons Americans might support a war in Europe? Do Now:

2. The Allies ask the U.S. to enter the war  As we discussed yesterday, the U.S. wished to remain neutral. Public opinion supported this decision.  However, accounts of the German invasion of Belgium begin to surface and Americans are horrified.  Belgium was a neutral nation.  burned homes and executed civilians (incl. women and children) throughout eastern and central Belgium.  ravaged the city of Leuven, deliberately burning the University's library of 300,000 medieval books and manuscripts with gasoline, killing 248 residents  Americans start to reconsider neutrality. Ruins of the library.

3. Avoiding the war gets more difficult  British begin a blockade of German ships  Nothing gets into Germany, nothing gets out.  Germany responds with counter blockade.  Any British or Allied ship fund in waters around Britain would be sunk.  U-boats sink the British liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland.  Dead: 1,198  American loss: 128 RMS Lusitania

4. Looking at this picture, why might the Lusitania disaster have changed American public opinion against Germany?

5. Problems Worsen  1916 Germany begins unrestricted submarine warfare.  U-boats would now sink any ship- hostile or neutral- on sight.  Still, Wilson refused to declare war.  Wanted to wait for “actual overt acts” before asking Congress for declaration of war.

6. An “Overt” action  Zimmermann Note: a telegraph from the German foreign minster to the German ambassador in Mexico that was intercepted by British agents.  Proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico  Promised that if war with the US broke out, Germany would help Mexico take back “lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona”.

7. America joins the war  On April 2, 1917 America declared war on Germany and the rest of the central powers.

8. Activity- Wilson’s Speech