American Neutrality in World War ITo be neutral or not to be neutral…that is the question!

World War I Begins1. As we learned in the last lesson, World War I

has exploded into a massive war the world has never seen before.

2. Many European countries are thrown against each other and fight.

The Allies vs. Central Powers1. World War I would have the Allies and the

Central Powers fighting against one another.

The Allies1. Britain2. France3. Russia

4. Many other minor countries would also be on the Allies side.

Central Powers1. Austria-Hungary2. Germany3. Ottoman Empire

4. Many other minor countries would be on the Central Powers side.

1914-19171. Europe was now immersed in war.

2. At the beginning of the war in August 1914, most countries felt that this war would be a glorious war and all their troops would be home by Christmas.

3. What does glorious mean?

4. Do you think war would ever be glorious?

1914-19171. Europe would soon find out that this war was

anything but glorious.

2. Europe would see up close and personal the absolutely horrors of war.

3. New technology allowed faster and more efficient ways to kill men.

4. Millions of men had already lost their lives before Europe could even blink.

Where is the United States?1. The United States clearly saw what

was happening in Europe.

2. The nation debated whether they should go to war or not…

How Did Americans Feel About the War?1. American had divided opinions on

whether or not to go to war. The divided opinions could be split into three groups:

a. Ethnic Loyalistsb. Pacifists/Isolationistsc. War Hawks

Ethnic Loyalists1. The United States is a nation of immigrants.

2. These immigrants still had ties to their homelands in Europe.

3. There were many German and Irish immigrants in the United States.

4. The German immigrants felt the need to side with Germany and the Irish felt the same need since the Irish did not like the British.

Pacifists/Isolationists1. A Pacifist is someone who does not believe

in war.

2. An isolationist is someone who believes that their nation should stay away from foreign matters.

3. Both the pacifists and isolationists believe the war was not a good cause and it did not involve America’s interest.

War Hawks1. The War Hawks believed that the

United States should engage in war.

2. They believed that in order to become a world power, the United States must join the war.

Class Activity: Where Would You Stand? Pick 3 sections in the classroom to

represent the following groups: Ethnic Loyalists Pacifists/Isolationists War Hawks

Stand up and pick the group you most agree with and explain WHY you picked that group.

The Decision?1. What do you think the United States

decided to do?

2. The United States from 1914-1917 stayed out of the war. They declared isolationism or neutrality.

3. This meant that the United States was not taking sides in the war.

Why did the United States Go Neutral?1. The United States at this time was the

richest nation in the world. In order to remain rich, they needed to continue trading with countries.

2. The United States wanted to maintain trade with both the Allies and the Central Powers.

3. They did so and became more wealthy.

Problem with Neutrality1. The United States wanted to trade with all countries.

2. The British did not like this because we were sending war materials to Britain’s enemies like the Germans.

3. The British had a dominate control of the seas so they stopped any ship and took their goods like metal to make weapons, food to feed the soldiers, cotton to make uniforms, etc.

4. Most of the trade the United States did would be geared toward the Allies and not the Central Powers because they were forced to not trade with the Central Powers.

5. The question remains: Was the US truly neutral by selling the majority of their goods to one side of the war effort? Take a moment to answer this question

Central Power Response?1. The Central Powers, mainly Germany, would deploy

U-boats which were the first submarines.

2. These submarines would roam the waters and sink any Allied boat.

3. Take a prediction: Do you think they German U-boats would sink American ships, too?

4. Think back to whether you believe the Americans were truly neutral or not.

What happened in the End?1. What do you think? Would the

Americans join the war? Explain!

2. We will find out if the Americans joined the war in the next lesson…