World+War+1+Sarah+S

=Moving Toward War=

Shortly after the war began, the British declared a blockade of German ports and intercepted any neutral merchant ships sailing to Europe. The ships were forced to land at British ports where they were inspected for contraband. To stop the shipments of food, equipment, and other supplies to France and Britain, Germany deployed submarines known as U-boats. The Germans then announced that they would sink without warning any ship they found in the waters around Britain.

On May 7, 1915 the British ship //Lusitania// entered the war zone. A German submarine sunk the ship, killing nearly 1,200 passengers. Wilson tried to defuse the crisis. He refused to threaten Germany with war. He said that the U.S. was "to proud to fight." In March 1916, Wilson's policy was tested when a U-boat torpedoed the French passenger ship //Sussex ,// injuring several American's on board.

Germany did not want to strengthen the Allies by drawing the U.S. into the war. They promised to to sink any ships without warning. The Sussex Pledge met the foreign -policy goals of both Germany and President Wilson by keeping the U.S out of the war a little longer. Wilson's efforts to keep American soldiers at home played an important role in his reelection bid in 1916.