Foreign Policy - U.S. Entry into World War I, 1917

"U.S. Entry into World War I, 1917." MILESTONES: 1914-1920. Print.

  Throughout the history of the United States of America, there have been many changes in foreign policy. During the course of history, the United States has taken foreign policy actions that have been consistent with the national interest. One example is U.S. entry into World War I.

  One example of foreign policy was the U.S. entry into World War I, On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson went before a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany. Wilson cited Germany’s violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as well as its attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States, as his reasons for declaring war. On April 4, 1917, the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later. The United States later declared war on German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917

  Germany’s resumption of submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 became the primary motivation behind Wilson’s decision to lead the United States into World War I. Following the sinking of an unarmed French boat, the Sussex, in the English Channel in March 1916, 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.”

  President Wilson refrained from asking for a declaration of war because he doubted that the U.S. public ample proof that Germany intended to attack U.S. ships without warning. Wilson left open the possibility of negotiating with Germany if its submarines refrained from attacking U.S. shipping.

 
  During the course of its history, the United States has taken foreign policy actions that have been consistent with the national interest.