(A) The sinking of the battleship USS Maine
(B) ** Unrestricted German submarine warFare
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -When war broke out in Europe, the United States immediately declared its neutrality. President Woodrow Wilson stated that America must be “impartial in thought as well as in action.” For a century, the U.S. had stayed out of European affairs. Most Americans preferred to continue this policy.
Concept note-2: -Why did Americans-at first-adopt a policy of neutrality in the war? Americans adopted a policy of neutrality in WWI because the war didn’t concern the United States. It was important for American to stay out of “entangling alliances". Staying out of the war also allowed the US to economically recover from a slowdown.
Concept note-3: -Germany’s resumption of submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 became the primary motivation behind Wilson’s decision to lead the United States into World War I.
Concept note-4: -The best policy, they claimed, was for the United States to build up its own defenses and avoid antagonizing either side. Neutrality, combined with the power of the US military and the protection of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, would keep Americans safe while the Europeans sorted out their own problems.