9.1 Neutral America

When World War I began in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the United States neutral.
Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan advocated for strict neutrality.
Wilson felt conflicted about both sides.
He promoted "peace without victory" and an international organization to prevent future wars, but this proved difficult to maintain.
Wilson urged Americans to remain neutral "in thought", but neutrality was hard to achieve due to divided public opinion.

American sentiment was split along regional and ethnic lines.
German Americans largely supported the Central Powers.
Italian Americans favored the Entente Powers.
Irish Americans were ambivalent, distrusting Britain.
Jewish Americans from Russia & Eastern Europe hoped for the defeat of the Czarist Russian regime.

Economic ties to Britain and loans to the Allies strained neutrality.
The sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 by a German U-boat, resulting in the deaths of 114 Americans, horrified the US public.
Wilson protested to Germany, holding them responsible for American lives lost and the violation of U.S. neutrality.
Secretary of State Bryan resigned due to disagreements over Wilson's handling of the Lusitania incident, advocating for a more neutral approach.