World War I

There were a couple of major reasons for the cause of World War I. One was when Germany started using unrestricted submarine warfare and sunk a number of ships carrying American passengers. One of the first challenges to the U.S. neutrality law was when the Germans torpedoed the British ship, Lusitania, and killed 128 Americans. Wilson sent a note stressing the Germans would be held “strictly accountable.” There would be other sinkings to follow with American passengers on board. Germany backed off with the Sussex pledge not to attack merchant and passenger ships for the moment. A second cause of the entry into WWI was the Zimmerman note which was a secret note found and published of Germany asking for Mexico’s alliance. The last cause was the Bolshevik revolution which was a key point in entering WWI. Wilson wanted to fight the war for democracy and it angered him that the Russian ally was ruled by an autocratic tsar. Wilson’s crusade of democracy and making the nation safe for the people persuaded public opinion to support his ideals and enter into the war.

American society changed for all groups in labor, both women and men, black and white, native born and immigrants. Even though America didn’t fully participate in the war, America came out looking like a world power which changed our society. Our culture would change for the better also since blacks were fighting alongside whites. Women entered the war and were given more opportunities as well. They assumed the jobs that men had left behind. They contributed to the war by volunteering and in the work force which would change Wilson’s mind about the Nineteenth Amendment. There were also more opportunities for immigrants especially the migration of Mexicans who had crossed the border due to the Mexican Revolution. They would work in agriculture and mining and moved to the Midwest for factory employment. African Americans would also travel north for job opportunities.Society was altered socially because of the Draft Act that took the men from their families to the war front with everyone else waiting at home for their loved ones to come home. Rich men could not pay their way out of this war.

Wilson declared “the world must be made safe for democracy.” Mobilizing an army would take time so the U.S. contribution would be in shipping the necessary supplies, mainly guns and food. Even though the U.S. troops were not involved in a majority of the fighting, there were a mass number of soldiers which put fear in the opposing sides. Shipping would become a problem due to the German U-boats sinking the merchant ship that were carrying the necessities, but the fighting still continued. Herbert Hoover became head of the Food Administration and started a program that ask the public to give up certain foods on certain days like “meatless Monday sand wheatless Wednesdays.” These were shipped overseas to U.S. soldiers and war allies. Hoover got support from the public