Reasons for War (Continued)
American sentiment toward Germany grew increasingly lower. The German submarine called the U-boat used underwater torpedoes to attack ships without detection. This technology seemed savage to Americans. When a German U-boat sank the British passenger ship, the Lusitania, President Wilson formally asked the Germans to stop using U-boats even though the Lusitania was carrying weapons for the Allies. In order to maintain a diplomatic relationship with the United States, Germany eventually responded with the Sussex pledge, which stated that U-boat crews would warn boats before sinking them. Though the Sussex pledge was in place, German U-boats continued to sink Allied ships without warning.
In April of 1917, President Wilson went to Congress to ask for a declaration of war. In his speech to Congress he said that “the present German submarine warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind....The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty.”
Under the command of General John Pershing, the first group of American soldiers landed in France, prepared for war. In order to increase military power, Congress passed the Selective Service Act to draft men for service.
At the time of the U.S. entry into war, the fight between the Allies and the Central Powers was at a stalemate and the United States would come in and turn the tide.