Was it time to go to war? The question of U.S. neutrality in World War I occupied the minds of millions of Americans in the beginning months of the Great War. After the commencement of the First World War in 1914, the question of American participation in the predominantly European war had not been answered. Divisive factors were at play, Congress was polarized, and President Woodrow Wilson was conflicted. Would the United States abandon their long-held, self-declared status as a neutral state, or would the government uphold this seemingly sacred value? Would American interference be instrumental or simply unnecessary? These pressing questions contributed to one of the most contentious debates in American political history.
With an upcoming election, President Wilson was ostensibly hesitant to approach this issue aggressively, fearing the political consequences of any drastic decision might cost him his bid for reelection in 1916. Despite the country’s inactivity in the opening years of the war, it became clear soon after the war began that the U.S. favored the Allied Powers of Great Britain, France, Italy, and Russia due to prevailing economic interests.
Attempting to stifle economic activity in enemy nations, the warring countries in Europe imposed trade barriers upon their enemies. In theory, the U.S should have been able to trade with all of the hostile nations due to their neutral status, but in reality, it would be virtually impossible to do so as a result of the blockades imposed on Germany and reactionary sanctions imposed on Great Britain and other Allied Powers. Consequently, the United States traded solely with the Allied Powers, especially France and Britain, because their economic interests lied more heavily in those nations. In doing so, however, the U.S was indirectly supporting the Allies in the war effort and was no longer the neutral state it claimed to be. As the war dragged on, though, increasing hostility and aggression from Germany pitted the U.S directly against Germany and would place even more pressure on the U.S to enter the war.
With a victorious election behind him in 1916, Wilson no longer faced the political consequences of entering a war and was thus more liberal in his plan of action as pressure increased to enter the war. Unable to defeat Great Britain in conventional naval warfare, Germany turned to unrestricted submarine warfare, a very new war tactic at the time. Germany’s military leaders launched indiscriminate attacks against neutral merchant and civilian ships, which frequently resulted in American deaths, most notably the attack on the RMS Lusitania. Despite these fatal attacks, Wilson remained hesitant to interfere.
The decisive moment came when Great Britain intercepted a telegram from Germany to Mexico in an attempt to convince Mexico to invade the United States from the South if the U.S decided to go to war. Along with increasing German submarine attacks, the Zimmerman Telegram substantially swayed public opinion in favor of war with increasing hostile sentiment towards Germany. Seeing no alternative path to an end to the bloody conflict, President Wilson appeared before a joint session of Congress on April 2, 1917, and called for a declaration of war against Germany. In the ensuing days, the Senate and the House of Representatives both voted in agreement to enter the conflict, and by the summer of 1917, the world was at war.
The great debate over our neutrality in World War I spanned three long years, for the controversial question of U.S. participation in the war had no simple answer. But what do you think? Did Woodrow Wilson and the American government hesitate for too long or was their delayed entry into the war justified? Come experience the debate and answer for yourself at World War I Beyond the Trenches, on view through September 3 at the New-York Historical Society!
Written by Teen Historian Morgan McCordick, edited by Teen Historians Donia Tung and Kuangye Wang