Question

The United states declared war on Germany directly after ________________.
a. Sinking of the Lusitania by German U-boats
b. Signing of the Sussex Pledge by Germany
c. Passage of the National defense Act of 1916
d. Establishment of the international red cross organization
e. Publication of the Zimmerman Telegram in U.S newspaper

Answer 1

Hint:
- Just off the coast of Ireland, the British-owned Lusitania ocean liner was torpedoed without warning on May 7.
- The first 14,000 U.S. infantry troops landed in France on June 26 to start fighting training.
- The entry of America's well-supplied forces into the conflict marked a significant turning point in the war after four years of bloody stalemate along the western front and led the Allies to victory.


Complete answer:

- President Woodrow Wilson promised neutrality for the United States when World War I erupted in1914, a position that the vast majority of Americans favoured.

- However, Britain was one of the closest trading partners in America, and the conflict soon emerged between the United States and Germany over the attempted quarantine of the British Isles by the latter.

- German mines destroyed or sank numerous U.S. ships heading to Britain, and Germany declared unrestricted warfare in February 1915 against all ships, neutral or otherwise, entering the war zone around Britain.

- One month later, Germany announced that the William P. Frye, a private American vessel, had been sunk by a German cruiser.

- President Wilson was furious, but the German government apologized for the attack and called it an unfortunate error.

- Just off the coast of Ireland, the British-owned Lusitania ocean liner was torpedoed without warning on May 7. Of the 1,959 passengers, 1,198, including 128 Americans, were killed.

- The German government argued that the Lusitania was carrying ammunition, but reparations and an end to German attacks on unarmed passenger and merchant ships were expected by the U.S.

- Germany pledged in August to ensure passenger safety prior to the sinking of unarmed vessels, but in November the Italian liner sunk without warning, killing 272 people, including 27 Americans.

- In the United States, with these assaults, public sentiment started to turn irrevocably toward Germany.


Hence, the correct answer is option A.

Note:
Final Declaration of War against Germany:

- In1917, Germany declared the resumption of open fighting in war-zone waters, ready to win its war of attrition against the Allies.
- Three days later, the United States broke diplomatic ties with Germany, and just hours later, a German submarine sank the American liner Housatonic.
- Congress passed a $250 million weapons spending bill on February 22, aimed at making the United States ready for war.
- Germany sunk four additional U.S. merchant ships in late March, and President Wilson appeared before Congress on April 2 and called for a declaration of war against Germany. His appeal was approved four days later.