Part 2 - The United States in World War I Chapter 12-1, 12-2, 12-3, 12-4, & 12-5 Wilson Proclaims Neutrality

Lecture
Honors U.S. History Name:

Mr. Irwin
Week 21 Period
CHAPTER 12
Part 2 – THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR I
Chapter 12-1, 12-2, 12-3, 12-4, & 12-5
Wilson Proclaims Neutrality:

In 1912, Woodrow Wilson was elected as President. He was only the second
Democrat to be elected President since the Civil War. By the time of the election of
1916, his party, the Democratic Party, used the campaign slogan, “’He Kept Us Out of
War,” in order to get him reelected. Ironically, after Wilson’s reelected, he led America
to war in Europe (he did, however, keep us out of the fight for the first three years of the
war).
Early on, the U.S. claimed neutrality. The U.S. economy, however, was tied closely to
Europe. Initially, Britain effectively cut off America’s shipping trade with the Central
Powers.
Economically, while the trade dollars with the Central Powers fell to practically zero,
U.S. trade with the Allies rose to approximately $3.2 billion between about 1914 – 1916.
On August 4, 1914, President Wilson proclaimed neutrality. In action, however, our

country began providing indirect support to the Triple Entente, mainly supplies.
American Sentiment Shifts Towards War:

Factors that inflamed American opinion against Germany:
• The Germans began the use of submarines in 1915. They announce an Atlantic
blockade and eventually began attacking passenger ships.
• On January 31, Germany announced its policy of unlimited submarine

warfare. The U.S. responded by warning Germany that it would be held
“strictly accountable” for its actions.
• The sinking of the British luxury liner, Lusitania.

The Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Most
passengers drowned, including 128 Americans.
• The sinking of American ships in the Atlantic.
• The discovery and publication of the Zimmerman Note (telegram).

The Germans had made a secret offer to Mexico that proposed if Mexico
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would ally itself with Germany, then Germany would work to help Mexico
recover its lost territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona from the U.S.
The telegram was intercepted by Great Britain and forwarded along to the U.S.
When the contents of this telegram were made public, America was outraged.
On land, the European nations had fought to a standstill. The border between France
and Germany eventually became a string of mile upon mile of trenches. There was a
feeling that by entering the war, the U.S. could tip the balance in favor of the Allies and
help them win the war.
America Mobilizes:
At home, the US. was faced with the task of needing to expand its military from about
500,000 to 4 million, quickly. The Selective Service Act was passed in 1917, which
created a “draft.”
Some women served as clerks in the Navy or in the Signal Corps of the Army.
Originally, nurses from the Red Cross provided medical services. Later, the Army
established its own Nursing Corp.
The War Industries Board:

Associated with this “mobilization” of men, was the re-tooling of factories in order to
produce war materials. The War Industries Board was established in 1917 for the
purpose of “mobilizing” the American economy.
The board took the needs of the American and Allied governments, prioritized them, and
planned production. The board allocated materials, told manufacturers what to produce,
and sometimes, fixed prices.
Examples:
Automobile manufacturers converted to the manufacture of ambulances.
Icebox manufactures converted to the production of shell casings and canon barrels.
The entry of the United States into the conflict broke the deadlock and forced the
Germans to withdraw from the trenches (and to eventually surrender).
President Woodrow Wilson referred to the fighting as “making the world safe for
democracy.”
Espionage, Aliens & Sedition:

Even though it might have seemed like practically the whole country was behind the war
effort, the U.S. was concerned about spying, or the disruption of the mobilization effort.
As a response to these concerns, the Espionage Act, the Aliens Act, and the
Seditions Act were all issued by Congress between 1917 and 1918.
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• 1917 - The Espionage Act:
Established fines and prison terms for anyone convicted of obstructing the war effort.
• The Aliens Act:

Originally written in 1798, this act was reinstituted. Under the Aliens Act, the
government claimed the power to detain or deport enemy aliens.
• 1918 - The Seditions Act:

Anyone who tried to incite a rebellion in the armed forces or who tried to obstruct the
draft, was subject to punishment of up to 20 years in prison.
The Seditions Act went so far as to prohibit anyone from making disloyal or abusive
remarks about the United States government, the American flag or the Constitution.
Chemical Warfare:
The Great War was the first war in which chemical warfare was used (poisonous
gasses).
• chlorine gas
• nerve gas
• mustard gas
Birth of the Convoy System:

One strategy that the Germans used was the destruction of supplies. In 1917, German
submarines sank 6.5 million tons of Allied and American shipping.
The American navy furnished destroyers to fight the submarines. In July of 1917, the
U.S. also came up with the idea of the convoy system. Although it did not completely
eliminate shipping loss, the convoy system cut the losses by about 50%.
The American Navy transported over 900,000 American soldiers to France. The U.S.
experienced the loss of only two troop transport ships during the war. By the end of the
war, the U.S. had over 2,000 ships and over 500,000 soldiers.
The AEF, American Ground Troops:

Regarding ground troops, the military commander in charge of our forces was General
John J. Pershing. His unit was called the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). By
the time the war was over, the AEF had amassed a force of over 2 million.
Initially, the Allies wanted the American troops to be integrated into their existing units
and to work under the command of the Allied leaders. General Pershing resisted this
idea and refused to allow his men to work that way. Instead, he insisted that the
different units of the AEF fight as stand alone units.
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In the spring of 1918, the Germans mounted a major drive towards Paris. American
AEF troops engaged and fought the Germans for the first time.
In June of 1918, American forces prevented the Germans from crossing the Marne at
Chateau-Thierry.
In September of 1918, over a half-million troops under General Pershing began a major
offensive at St. Mihiel, on the southern part of the front.
After successfully beating the Germans, General Pershing began a drive against
German defensive positions between Verdun and Sedan, in an action called the Meuse-
Argonne offensive. They reached Sedan on November 7, 1918.
The Germans Surrender:

Around the same time, British and French troops broke through German lines.
Realizing that they were beaten, the Germans accepted defeat and signed an armistice
on November 11, 1918.
When the war was over, American soldiers came back, including the wounded. Even
though the U.S. had sustained far fewer casualties than the other Allied nations, the
return of the U.S. troops caused a sense of reality to set into the hearts and minds of
America regarding the sacrifices that were made in fighting the war.
According to one source, American casualties in World War I were approximately

112,000 dead (about half of whom died of diseases), with an estimated 230,000
wounded. The European nations (combined) who did the majority of the fighting, did
not fare nearly as well. Historical sources that I have used, estimate the total death toll
of World War I to be 18 million!
The Treaty of Versailles:

June 28, 1919 – The Treaty of Versailles. The signing of this treaty officially ended the
Great War. With the exception of the U.S., members of the Allied Powers wanted to
punish Germany. The European Allies wanted revenge and compensation for the
damage, destruction, loss of life, and injuries that Germany had caused.
As the Result of the Treaty:

• Germany was ordered to pay reparations to Great Britain and France, later fixed by
an international commission at $33 billion.
• Germany was stripped of all of its colonies.
• Germany’s colonies were placed under the protection and receivership of the Allied
nations until such time as these former colonies could become independent
function on their own.
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• Parts of Germany to were given to Belgium, Denmark, and Poland.
The size of Germany’s armed forces was greatly restricted.
• A 30-mile wide demilitarized zone was established between France’s eastern
border and the Rhine River.
• Provinces that Germany had taken from France in the late 1800s were restored
to the French.
In the Aftermath of the War:

• Poland was recognized as an independent state, and two new nations were
created, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
The League of Nations:

In hopes of preventing future major conflicts, President Wilson proposed the League
of Nations, which was his vision of a multinational organization that would mediate any
disagreements between countries, so that a world war would never happen again.
He went to Versailles to sign the armistice that officially ended World War I. In
Versailles, he proposed his League of Nations to the other leaders of the Big Four
(Great Britain, France & Italy).
Congress Breaks With Wilson:

At home, the U.S. Senate would not approve the Treaty of Versailles, or the League of
Nations. The disappointed Wilson then embarked upon a nationwide tour of the U.S., to
present and promote his plan for a League of Nations directly to the America public.
During this time, his health declined and he died before completing his second
presidential term.
Even though the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, eventually, the
U.S. signed its own treaty directly with Germany. During the period directly after the war,
the United States adopted a foreign policy of relative isolationism, and focused primarily
on its own domestic matters.
- End of Lecture -
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Lecture

Honors U.S. History Name:

Wilson Proclaims Neutrality:

On August 4, 1914, President Wilson proclaimed neutrality. In action, however, our

American Sentiment Shifts Towards War:

• On January 31, Germany announced its policy of unlimited submarine

• The sinking of the British luxury liner, Lusitania.

• The sinking of American ships in the Atlantic.

• The discovery and publication of the Zimmerman Note (telegram).

The War Industries Board:

Espionage, Aliens & Sedition:

• The Aliens Act:

• 1918 - The Seditions Act:

Birth of the Convoy System:

The AEF, American Ground Troops:

The Germans Surrender:

According to one source, American casualties in World War I were approximately

The Treaty of Versailles:

As the Result of the Treaty:

• Germany was stripped of all of its colonies.

In the Aftermath of the War:

The League of Nations:

Congress Breaks With Wilson:

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