In 1916, President Wilson ran for reelection using the slogan “He kept us out of the war”, which helped him win the war. In March of 1916, Germany sunk a French cargo ship called the Sussex. The Sussex was unarmed and carrying passengers. One hundred and thirty-eight passengers were killed with no survivors. When this occurred, President Wilson threatened to discontinue all Diplomatic Relations with Germany unless the German Government changed. They were not allowed to attack any cargo or passenger ships and had to give enemy merchant vessels time to abandon ships before attacking them. On May 4, 1916, the German Government decided to accept those terms and conditions. This resulted in the Sussex Pledge. Prior to the United States joining the war, the United States was the nation of immigrants. People came to America to avoid the war in …show more content…
Germany’s terms for Mexico was if they joined in with them to fight against the United States, if America ever did join in the war, they would give them back some of the land that was lost to the United States over the nineteenth century. Germany was willing to give them back Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Germany sent this message to Mexico by telegram not realizing the telegram office was in London. When the British realized what Germany was trying to do, they sent the telegram to President Wilson. President Wilson decided that with the submarine attack and now the bribe for Mexico, it was time to join the war. On April 2, 1917, President Wilson went to the joint session of congress to request a declaration of war against Germany. His argument for the joint session of congress was that Germany violated the Sussex Pledge with warfare in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean, along with the attempt to recruit Mexico into an alliance against the United States of America. On April 4, 1917, the U.S Senate voted in support of the war and the House agreed two days