America in WW1

From 1914 to 1917, Europe tore itself asunder in the intense trench battles of World War I. High casualty rates, new and horrific weapons of war, and unimaginative tactics led to a costly stalemate between the Central Powers (mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman Empire) and Triple Entente (Britain, France, and Russia). America watched from the sidelines, wary of stepping into a global conflict.

In 1917, however, the conflict came to America. In light of the sinking of the Lusitania passenger ship and the revelation of the Zimmerman telegram, the United States of America committed itself against the Central Powers. But would it be too little too late? How would American troops fare in fighting against hardened veterans on foreign land? How did Americans react on the Homefront? Read on to discover the fascinating involvement of America in WWI.

America in WWI Timeline

The timeline below provides a brief history of events preceding and following the introduction of America in WWI:

• June 28th, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a member of a Serbian nationalist group.
• July 28th, 1914: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia; entangling alliances leads to the beginning of World War I in Europe. The USA declares neutrality.
• May 7th, 1915: The RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German submarine, leading to the death of over 1,000 passengers, including 128 Americans.
• 1916: Intense battles commence at the Somme and Verdun in Europe.
• November 7th, 1916: US President Woodrow Wilson is reelected.
• February 1st, 1917: Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare.
• February 24th, 1917: President Woodrow Wilson is informed of the Zimmerman Telegram.
• April 6th, 1917: The United States of America declares war on Germany, mobilizing for war.
• May 18th, 1917: President Wilson signed the Selective Service Act of 1917 into law.
• June 15th, 1917: The USA passes the Espionage Act of 1917.
• November 11th, 1918: Germany and the Allied Powers signed an armistice.
• May 16th, 1918: The USA passes the Sedition Act of 1918.
• June 28th, 1919: Germany, the Allied Powers, and America sign the Treaty of Versailles, ending World War I.

America in WWI Facts

At the outbreak of World War One in Europe, the United States saw no reason to become involved in what was perceived as another European war. Ideologically, President Woodrow Wilson and his government sympathized more with the more democratic nations of France and Great Britain but were ideologically opposed to the authoritarian German and Russian Empires, who each fought on opposite sides. America's large immigrant population itself had mixed sympathies, with German and Irish immigrants often being sympathetic toward the Central Powers and many other Americans being sympathetic toward the Entente.

America on the Road to WWI

Public opinion began to change when a German U-boat submarine torpedoed the RMS Lusitania on May 7th, 1915. 128 American passengers were on board, all casualties of the German attack. The sinking of the Lusitania was no accident, either. Through a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, the German Empire sanctioned terrorization of the Atlantic seas to blockade Britain and France from receiving foreign aid and imports.

Fig. 1- Lusitania headline in the New York Times, May 8, 1915.

Pressured by the American people, Woodrow Wilson demanded an end to the unrestricted submarine warfare, an idea he conveyed as "freedom of the seas." Germany assented to Wilson's demand, but not before citing that the Lusitania had been illegally transporting munitions on a passenger boat under the flag of neutrality. The dust settled for now, but neither Britain nor Germany accepted Wilson's hope for free and protected sea travel.

America Enters WWI

The people of the United States reelected on November 7th, 1916. Democrats around the country made their motives for voting clear: "He kept us out of war!"² In reality, war waited on the horizon of Wilson's second term. Just months after his election, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic. Knowing this would provoke the United States, the German Empire entered communications with Mexico, sending an encrypted telegram that proposed an alliance against the United States of America.

Fig. 2- Portrait of Woodrow Wilson.

British forces intercepted and deciphered the fateful telegram, known as the Zimmerman Telegram, and presented it to the American government. Woodrow Wilson received word of the telegram on February 24th, 1917. President Wilson still relented, but continued German U-boat attacks on US ships and pressure from both Congress and the American people led to the inevitable. On April 6th, 1917, The United States of America declared war on Germany.

America's Role in WWI

American troops mobilized for war. Thanks to the Preparedness Movement of 1915, the US government was not wholly unprepared heading into World War I. The National Defense Act of 1916 further bolstered American forces, but the Selective Service Act of 1917 truly prepared America for all-out-war in Europe by allowing for the lawful conscription of all males aged 21 to 30 (later to be expanded to a range of 18 to 45). By mid-1918, over one-million Americans were in France, with around 10,000 new soldiers arriving every day.³

Fig. 3 - Photograph of American troops marching through a town on the Western Front during WWI.

America Fighting in Europe during WWI

The American Expeditionary Force under General John Pershing landed in Europe in 1917. The small force would continue to be reinforced throughout the war until the United States committed over four million troops to the Western Front.

The introduction of American forces on the Western Front turned the tide of World War I. The Germans had been on the offensive, desperate to crush their European enemies before the United States arrived at the battlefront.

Allies of America in WWI

By the time that the United States of America entered World War I, Russia had largely tapped out of the conflict. America's two foremost allies were Britain and France. A small number of Americans had already been fighting in Europe since the start of the war as volunteers in countries such as Britain, France, and Italy. American troops were trained by experienced French and British officers when they landed in Europe, but Commander in Chief John Pershing of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) insisted that American troops fight separately from their European allies, and they continued to do so until the end of the war.

America's Home Front during World War I

America fought other battles than physical confrontations with Germany in Europe. At the home front, America fought an ideological battle through propaganda and espionage and an economic battle through civilian support for the war.

Propaganda in America during WWI

Woodrow Wilson established the Committee of Public Information (CPI) to promote a pro-war attitude after America entered the war. The CPI also villainized Germany, leading to mob violence against both parties against the war and ethnic Germans living in America.

Additionally, the Espionage Act of 1917 made it illegal to record, copy, or distribute information that could be harmful to the American war effort, to inspire insubordination in the military, or to obstruct the draft. The Sedition Act that followed in 1918 amended the Espionage Act, allowing the US government to punish anyone who spoke against the war effort, the armed forces, and the draft. Although the Sedition Act was repealed in 1920, it serves as a reminder of when the US federal government exercised controversial wartime power to achieve its goals, power that conflicted with the law of the US Constitution.