We tried and we tried to stay out of this war. But then…

…the first thing that happened is that Germany reneged on what was called “the Sussex pledge.” A year or so earlier, with France and England imposing a naval blockade on Germany, German submarines responded by attacking passenger ships and merchant vessels, as well as the lifeboats from downed ships. When an unarmed French ship called the Sussex was sunk in the English Channel, the United States protested, and for the next year or so Germany pledged to leave unarmed ships alone. But then Kaiser Wilhelm II became convinced that unrestricted submarine warfare could achieve a German victory in a matter of months, and so the German Ambassador informed Washington that unrestricted naval warfare would continue. In response, President Wilson severed diplomatic ties with Germany. Over the next few months, Germany sunk several U.S. ships carrying American soldiers and citizens. And this swayed the opinion of Americans – even those of German descent – away from Germany and towards the Allies…

…and the second thing was a potential threat revealed in “the Zimmerman telegram.” The German Foreign Minister, Arthur Zimmerman, sent a telegram to Mexico City, asking for Mexican support in the war. In return, Germany promised to help Mexico regain the territory it had previously lost to the United States. Unfortunately for Germany, British intelligence intercepted the telegram and were able to decode it. At first they kept the news to themselves – they didn’t want Germany to know they had broken the German encoding system – but soon after they shared the contents with Washington, and within days it was reported by the American press…

…it took President Wilson almost a month to respond. Nobody knows all the discussions and negotiations that took place during that time. But finally, on April 6, 1917, the United States Congress declared war upon the German Empire. (The vote was 82-6 with 8 abstentions in the Senate; 373-50 in the House.) Congress would also subsequently declare war on Austria-Hungary, but not on the other Axis power, the Ottoman Empire…

…and so, 100 years ago this week, the United States officially entered the fray…

…it would be a war to end all wars…