USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR I

[SOURCES]
Which statement BEST represents American public opinion during WWI?

(A) ** Americans were against the war in 1914, but after experiencing death at the hands of the Germans specifically at sea the public began to be in support of the war.

(B) Americans supported the war to begin with in 1914, but after experiencing deaths at the hands of Germany the public was against war by 1917.

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -When WWI began in Europe in 1914, many Americans wanted the United States to stay out of the conflict, supporting President Woodrow Wilson’s policy of strict and impartial neutrality. “The United States must be neutral in fact as well as in name during these days that are to try men’s souls.

Concept note-2: -When World War I broke out in Europe in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the U.S. neutral. By 1917, President Wilson announced, “the world must be made safe for democracy” which brought the nation into war, reshaping its role in the world.

Concept note-3: -Germany’s resumption of submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 was the primary motivation behind Wilson’s decision to lead the United States into World War I.