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World War 1 erupts
World War I began in 1914, after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and lasted until 1918. During the conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States. (History.com) -
Wilson Pledges Neutrality for United States
Wilson took office in 1913 and promised a less expansionist approach to American foreign policy. In a speech to Congress in 1914 Wilson declared " Every man who really loves America will act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality, which is the spirit of impartiality and fairness and friendliness to all concerned.” (open stax) -
Germany sinks William P. Fry
In February 1915 Germany announced unrestricted warfare against all ships, neutral or otherwise, that entered the war zone around Britain. In March of the same year, Germany announced that a German cruiser had sunk the William P. Fry, a private American vessel. (history.com) -
Germany Sinks British Ocean Liner Lusitania
May 1915 the Lusitania was returning from New York to Liverpool with 1,959 passengers and crew on board. On May 7 the vessel was attacked. Within 20 minutes the Lusitania had sunk, and 1,198 people were drowned. The loss of the liner and so many of its passengers, including 128 U.S. citizens, aroused a wave of indignation in the United States, and it was fully expected that a declaration of war would follow, but the U.S. government clung to its policy of neutrality. (Britannica) -
Germany Sinks Italian Liner Ancona
In November 1915 U-38 sank the Italian passenger liner Ancona off the coast of Tunisia, while sailing under the Austrian flag. The Ancona, was fully booked and 282 lives were lost, including nine Americans. The Ancona sinking added to a growing outrage in the US over unrestricted submarine warfare, and US Secretary of State Robert Lansing dispatched a sternly-worded protest to Vienna. -
Poncho Villa Attacks Columbus New Mexico
Angered over American support of his rivals for the control of Mexico, the peasant-born revolutionary leader Pancho Villa attacked the border town of Columbus, New Mexico. Wilson had initially supported Villa, however he reversed his position and then supported Mexican leader Venustiano Carranza. Villa was outraged and he and his forces attacked Columbus New Mexico. -
Germany Agrees to Sussex Pledge
Wilson threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Germany unless the German Government refrained from attacking all passenger ships and allowed the crews of enemy merchant vessels to abandon their ships prior to any attack. On May 4, 1916, the German Government accepted these terms and conditions in what came to be known as the “Sussex pledge.” -
Wilson agrees to "Preparedness Campaign"
Wilson felt pressure from business men and other government officials to support the Allied forces, however he was not prepared to go to war with the election coming up. Instead he agreed to a Preparedness Campaign. The National Defense Act of 1916 was passed along with the Naval Appropriations Act of 1916. These Acts doubled the size of Army and significantly expanded the Navy fleet. -
Germany Reneges on Sussex Pledge- Sinks American ship Laconia
In February 1917, a German U-boat sank the American merchant ship, the Laconia, killing two passengers, and, in late March, quickly sunk four more American ships. These attacks increased pressure on Wilson from all sides, as government officials, the general public, and both Democrats and Republicans urged him to declare war. (open Stax) -
Zimmerman Telegram Reaches United States
German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann penned a message intended for Heinrich von Eckardt, the German ambassador to Mexico. The message gave the ambassador a now-famous set of instructions: if the United States entered the war on the side of the Allies the Germans would provide military and financial support for a Mexican attack on the United States, and in exchange Mexico would be free to annex “lost territory in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.” -
US Declares War on Germany
Faced with on going German aggression, and pressures at home from Business and other officials, Wilson asks Congress to send US troops to battle against Germany. Congress voted 4 days later and declared war on Germany
