World War And American Involvement Report

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World War 1 and American Involvement
WW1 took place in Europe, especially between Germany and Great Britain and France
from 1914 to 1918. Up until 1917, America and their president Woodrow Wilson were trying
whatever it could not get involved in the War between Europe, and they were trying as hard as
they could to be “neutral” about the conflict (Rubin 2014).
Most American’s at the time didn’t want to get involved in the war because the country
had a lot of immigrants from each fighting country, including Germany. And almost everyone in
America felt that the conflict between the European powers wasn’t their problem, so they
decided to isolate themselves, and President Wilson made a policy to keep out of the war. He
was even reelected because he had “kept America out of the war” (Keene, “What Did It All
Mean?”)
President Wilson declares war against Germany to protect democracy and the rights of
the American people. The Overman Act of 1917 was drafted, which gave President Wilson
absolute authority over the federal government, and America’s industry. These documents show
that the tone set by WWI was America’s shift to an interventionist policy, under the claim that
America needs to protect its Constitutional rights of liberty. America got involved before 1917
by becoming trade partners with Great Britain and France because everyone at the time realized
that if the allies lost the war, then America wouldn’t have any “friends” and it would just be

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America VS Germany because America was partners with France and Britain even before the
war. So the U.S.A decided to start shipping supplies to Great Britain and France (Kazin 2017).
President Wilson declared war on Germany as a result of Germany’s unrestricted
submarine warfare. Wilson claimed that America’s involvement in WW1 was to protect
democracy and was necessary to maintain America’s peace and safety. Wilson’s declaration of
war against Germany helped set the tone for the rest of the 20th century because it shows the
deviation from President Washington’s policy of neutrality, and how America should stay
neutral from forwarding affairs. Taking sides with the Allies and breaking that policy of
neutrality was not only for the sake of America’s peace but for the peace of all nations. Wilson
talks about the “rights and liberties of small nations,” (Lloyd 2014) as if he has jurisdiction over
the rights of “smaller nations.” This document shows how America began to see itself as a world
superpower and how it would begin to intervene in foreign affairs and dictate how other nations
should conduct themselves. This document settled the foundation of WWII and other upcoming
wars, as this document shows how later presidents would engage in later foreign affairs and
battles, such as the Vietnam War, under the claim of protecting American freedom and
democracy.
The Overman Act of 1917 bypassed the Constitution and gave President Wilson
unprecedented power over the economy of America, and total authority over the federal
government. This act was passed during President Wilson’s intervention in WWI, and its
purpose was to boost industrial output to aid in the war against Germany. The president was
given the power to control the distribution of goods, ranging from war goods to food, and how
businesses distribute those goods. The Overman Act essentially turned America into a command
economy during times of war (Keene, “America in the First World War”). The Overman Act of