The
American entry into World War I came in April 1917, after two and a half years of efforts by
President Woodrow Wilson to keep the
United States neutral. Apart from an
Anglophile element supporting the
British, American public opinion went along with neutrality at first. The sentiment for neutrality was strong among
Irish Americans,
German Americans and
Swedish Americans, as well as among church leaders and women. On the other hand, even before
World War I
broke out, American opinion toward Germany was already more negative
than it was toward any other country in Europe. The citizenry
increasingly came to see the
German Empire as the villain after news of
atrocities in Belgium in 1914, and the
sinking of the passenger liner RMS Lusitania
in May 1915. Wilson made all the key decisions and kept the economy on a
peacetime basis, while allowing banks to make large-scale loans to
Britain and
France. To preclude making any military threat, President Wilson made only minimal preparations for war and kept the
United States Army on its small peacetime basis, despite increasing demands for preparedness. However, he did enlarge the
United States Navy.
(...)
On April 2, 1917, Wilson asked a special
joint session of Congress to declare war on the
German Empire,
stating, "We have no selfish ends to serve". To make the conflict seem
like a better idea, he painted the conflict idealistically, stating that
the war would "make the world safe for democracy" and later that it
would be a "war to end war". The United States had a moral
responsibility to enter the war, Wilson proclaimed. The future of the
world was being determined on the battlefield, and American national
interest demanded a voice. Wilson's definition of the situation won wide
acclaim, and, indeed, has shaped America's role in world and military
affairs ever since. Wilson believed that if the Central Powers won, the
consequences would be bad for the United States. Germany would have
dominated the continent and perhaps would gain control of the seas as
well. Latin America could well have fallen under Berlin's control. The
dream of spreading democracy, liberalism, and independence would have
been shattered. On the other hand, if the Allies had won without help,
there was a danger they would carve up the world without regard to
American commercial interests. They were already planning to use
government subsidies, tariff walls, and controlled markets to counter
the competition posed by American businessmen. The solution was a third
route, a "peace without victory", according to Wilson.
On April 6, 1917, Congress declared war. In the Senate, the resolution passed 82 to 6, with Senators
Harry Lane,
William J. Stone,
James Vardaman,
Asle Gronna,
Robert M. La Follette, Sr., and
George W. Norris voting against it. In the House, the declaration passed 373 to 50, with
Claude Kitchin, a senior Democrat, notably opposing it. Another opponent was
Jeannette Rankin, who alone voted against entry into both World War I and
World War II. Nearly all of the opposition came from the West and the Midwest.