Americans actually didn’t want to enter the war; during this time there were no national interests at stake. Yet Wilson is saying that he has tried to know what his fellow Americans think while he is declaring the importance of preparing for war in the same dialogue? Even 5 months later, after the famous sinking of the Lusitania by German U-boat torpedo, which killed 124 U.S. citizens, Americans still didn’t want to fight. An overlooked fact is that Great Britain’s navy had blockaded Germany, starving their population. As a result, Germany retaliated with submarine warfare, and even warned that it was inevitable that neutral ships would be mistakenly targeted.
Even after what Germany did, President Wilson still hesitated in taking further steps. Wilson broke off any relationship with Germany, but still did not declare war with them. The Germans U-boats continued to sink million tons of Allied ships per month; the Allies told Wilson that without their supplies they have no chance in winning the war. Finally on April 2, 1917 Wilson went to the Congress and asked for a declaration of war. Wilson was real serious and dedicated in not only defeating Germany but destroying them
Amidst a growing public support for war, and the sinking of seven United States merchant ships by German submarines, President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany on the 6th of April, 1917. Although there was increasing sentiment for involvement in the war, the majority of the nation was still polarized on the issue of American intervention. Those with European ties, including one third of the American population that were immigrants of European descent, and upper class citizens with social and business ties to Britain and France, were in favor of involvement in the war. Those without ties to the conflict by blood or business were not interested in waging a war overseas. With unwavering public support considered to be paramount to the wartime effort, President Wilson created the Committee on Public Information (CPI) on the 13th of April, 1917.
In 19th century America, shipping was the pillar holding up the states’ economy. When Great Britain began to use impressment of the American sailors and fuel hate against American settlers by providing the Natives with guns, President James Madison along with Congress declared war. June 1st 1812 marked the beginning of the 3-year war that would ultimately be fought for the soul of America itself. The war of 1812, in accordance with Bradford Perkins, was called “the strangest war in history” because the United States waged a war that the nation was not prepared for, and although the Americans suffered major losses, the war ended up uniting the people of the U.S. and prompting manufacturing in the young nation. The War of 1812 is also considered an unnatural war because the Treaty of Ghent ended the war but resolved none of the issues that started it.
5.6 With the Japanese failing to respond to the Potsdam Declaration, one could make a strong argument for why the atomic bomb should’ve been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With earlier battles ending with large amounts of bloodshed, especially Okinawa and Iwo Jima, it was estimated that the United States would have had approximately one million casualties and the British around half a million if they would’ve continued their island hopping campaign. The Japanese were showing no signs of surrender, willing to not only fight to the death but commit suicide rather than to accept defeat. This allowed the US to imply that the war would drag on longer than it already had, making a solid case to drop the bombs with the two main motives being the salvation of American lives and the speeding up of the war.
On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson presented his war message to congress. For three years, the United States had managed to remain neutral in World War I, which was destroying Western Europe. The president realized that in the months to come, there would be much hardship and many casualties, but knew that entering the war would be necessary in order to maintain peace and prosperity for the USA and other countries as well. Wilson was determined to fight for our country and defend those who cannot defend themselves. Based on the interpretation of Wilson’s war message, we can see that our relationship with other nations that were attacking us and our allies was not very strong.
5). America was neutral and on one ship 1,260 were dead which showed that Germany didn’t care about neutrality by destroying any ship that wasn’t theirs. Many Americans were outraged at the fact they had sunk an American boat since we were neutral at the time. The Lusitania was later found out to be a ship that carried weapons and passengers. On January 10, 1917 just a few months before America went to war, America got a telegram from Great Britain.
They wanted to get revenge on Germany for killing their men. Britain demanded that the United States flag was not allowed to be flown at war. The captain of the Lusitania was Captain Turner. Before the night the Lusitania sank, the captain was trying to figure out ways to leave. He figured a U-boat was trying to scope his ship out.
The war in Europe had concluded when Nazi Germany signed its instrument of surrender on May 8, 1945, but with the Japanese refusal to accept the Allies' demands for unconditional surrender, the Pacific War dragged on. As the war entered its sixth and final year, the troops had begun to prepare themselves for what was to be anticipated as a costly invasion of the Japanese mainland (Operation Downfall). President Harry Truman noticed the rapid increase in civilian casualties due to hunger, disease and malnutrition. U.S. navy fleets been preventing the import of much needed foods and medicines into Japan, as a result the economy started falling to pieces and began to slowly deteriorate. Truman believed using the atomic bombs would end the war and result in less casualties for both countries civilians and soldiers.
For the North American public of 1914 the outbreak of the war in Europe was a disagreeable surprise. At the outset, the conflict seemed to be far distant, but it did not take to long in appear the effects in the economic and political matters. In 1915 the North American Industry suffered a slight depression that began to prosper with the ammunition order of the allies. (Olson, N.Y.) On May 7, 1915, a German submarine manages to sink the British ship Lusitania violating the international law where 1198 people died, including 128 Americans. Wilson gains the re-election to the presidency in November 1916 and three months later, German submarines begin to sink American merchant ships.