Re-elect President Woodrow Wilson! An October 18, 1916 cartoon from the British magazine Punch. The German sinking of ships that killed American citizens and sabotage such as the July 30, 1916 attack that destroyed the Black Tom munitions plant in Jersey City, New Jersey, were not enough to make Wilson call for a declaration of war on Germany, much to the distress of Great Britain and the other Entente allies. The date on Wilson's desk calendar is October 8, 1916, a day on which German submarine U-53 sank five vessels — three British, one Dutch, and one Norwegian — off Nantucket, Massachusetts. One of the British ships was a passenger liner traveling between New York and Newfoundland.

Re-elect President Woodrow Wilson! An October 18, 1916 cartoon from the British magazine Punch. The German sinking of ships that killed American citizens and sabotage such as the July 30, 1916 attack that destroyed the Black Tom munitions plant in Jersey City, New Jersey, were not enough to make Wilson call for a declaration of war on Germany, much to the distress of Great Britain and the other Entente allies.

Text:

Bringing it home.

President Wilson. 'What's that? U-boat blockading New York? Tut! Tut! Very inopportune!'

Vote for Wilson who kept you out of the War!

[Calendar date:] October 8, 1916

Other views: Larger

In November 1916 Woodrow Wilson won re-election as president of the United States on the slogan that "He kept us out of war." The country had maintained its neutrality after a German submarine sank the passenger liner Lusitania off the southwest coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. The ship had sailed from New York, and 128 of the 1,195 civilians lost were Americans.

After the Lusitania, in the face of international criticism, but particularly concerned about further damaging relations with the United States, Germany suspended its campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare.

Although many Americans supported the Entente Allies, many supported remaning out of a primarily European war. The large German-American population generally supported the Central Powers. Irish-Americans were in both camps, with many supporting a German victory that might might lead to Irish independence from Britain.

Germany resumed its second campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare on January 31, 1917. On February 26, Wilson asked Congress for permission to arm merchant ships. On March 1, the government released the Zimmerman Telegram, with Germany's proposal to Mexico to join in war against the United States in exchange for financial support and formerly Mexican territory in the states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. On April 2, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

Wilson presented his Fourteen Points for a peace settlement to Congress on January 8, 1918.

Representing the United States at the Versailles peace conference, he succeeded in creating the League of Nations. Returning home, he was unable to overcome Republican opposition, and the United States never joined the League.

National Affiliation: United States