President Woodrow Wilson German submarines

United States (U.S) Congress

German/Germany

Zimmerman Telegram

Germany and Mexico

German submarines unarmed American merchant vessels/ships

Zimmerman Telegram

German/Germany

Germany and Mexico

German Submarines Sink American Ships, March 1917

President Woodrow Wilson

submarine warfare

German submarines

German

Germany

United States (U.S.) Congress

Zimmerman Telegram/Note

American shipping

unarmed American merchant vessels/shipsdeclaration of war

hoped to avoid war

sank (sink)

obtained (to get)

March 1917

April 1917

German Submarines Sink American Ships, March 1917

Even after the German announcement of unrestricted submarine warfare and

the publication of the Zimmerman telegram, Wilson still hoped to avoid war. He

decided he would not ask Congress for a declaration unless Germany actually

committed "overt acts" against American shipping. In March 1917, German

submarines then sank several unarmed American merchant vessels. Wilson

addressed Congress and obtained a declaration of war in early April 1917.

Summary Sentence Frame:

Who Does what when/where/why

Summary Sentence Frame:

When German submarines sank unarmed American ships, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war in April 1917.

German Submarines Sink American Ships, March 1917

Even after the German announcement of unrestricted

submarine warfare and the publication of the

Zimmerman telegram, Wilson still hoped to avoid war.

He decided he would not ask Congress for a declaration

unless Germany actually committed "overt acts" against

American shipping. In March 1917, German submarines

then sank several unarmed American merchant vessels.

Wilson addressed Congress and obtained a declaration

of war in early April 1917.

American Idealism—Making the World “Safe for Democracy”

An idealistic Progressive, Wilson expanded the American war effort from a defense of "freedom of the seas" to a crusade for democracy. By the time that Americans entered the war in April1917, Russia had been shaken by the first of two revolutions. In April 1917, Russia was a democracy, and the Allies had become a league of democratic nations. Wilson therefore told Congress that the United States was not going to war against the German people, but against their leaders. America's aim in entering the war was to establish the ultimate peace of the world and to free its peoples: “The world must be made safe for democracy.” Most Americans found it inspiring to endure the rigors of the war for such high-minded ideals. With a strong sense of moral superiority, they set out to save and remake the world.

American Idealism—Making the World “Safe for Democracy”

President Wilson

crusade for democracy

“The world must be made safe for democracy.”

high-minded ideals

inspiring

save and remake the world

crusade for democracy President Woodrow Wilson

The Selective Service Act

conscientious objectors The committee of public information (CPI)

Propaganda

MobilizationAllied leaders in Europe hoped that the United States would send fresh troops

to fill their own ranks. Instead, Wilson announced he would keep American

troops together as the million-man American Expeditionary Force (AEF). The AEF

was placed under the command of General Pershing-the same general whom

Wilson had unsuccessfully sent into Mexico chasing Pancho Villa. Despite more

than three years of conflict across the Atlantic, Americans were not prepared for

war in April1917. The first task ahead was mobilizing (bringing into use)

America's vast resources.

The Selective Service Act

Wilson hesitated between raising a voluntary army or relying on conscription. He finally decided

on conscription (or compulsory military service, also known as the "draft"). Because the notion of

"service" was in the air, Congress called its conscription law the "Selective Service Act." Ten

million men immediately registered for the "draft”. Dates of birthdays were chosen out of a glass

jar to determine the order which men would be called to serve. Eventually almost three million

men were drafted into the armed services, while another two million volunteered.

Some men refused to serve because it violated their religious beliefs to kill others. These men

became known as conscientious objectors. Even if they weren't prepared to fight, they were still

expected to report to military camp if they were drafted. Many conscientious objectors were sent

to France to serve in noncombatant roles, such as driving an ambulance or caring for the

wounded. Others were permitted to work on farms in the United States, where there was a

shortage of labor, or to serve as fire fighters. Still others were assigned to the American Friends

Service Committee, a Quaker organization that provided different forms of alternative service for

conscientious objectors. Several hundred conscientious objectors were imprisoned during the

war. Some of these were subjected to unfair treatment, and two even died at the hands of their

jailers.

Mobilization

Wilson

American Expeditionary Force (AEF)

first task ahead

mobilizing

America's vast resources

The Selective Service Act

Selective Service Act/Conscription/the draft/serve/service

Conscientious objectors

The committee of public information (CPI)

Propaganda

keep American troops together