The United States in World War I: The Neutrality Debate

When the Great War broke out in Europe in the summer of 1914, President Wilson set the policy of the government of the United States to remain neutral. Even though American businesses were allowed to trade with both blocs of belligerents, the U.S. government would not take sides or send troops to support either.

Still, great passions still gripped the American people. Many of them felt great fondness for Great Britain and France, while millions of millions of first- and second-generation …