February 7
World War I

The US national security team at the start of the war: from left to right, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, and President Woodrow Wilson. At the far right is Daniels' youthful deputy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Shortly after his inauguration, Woodrow Wilson commented on how ironic it would be if his administration focused on foreign affairs. In the end, although Wilson successfully pushed through Congress two separate packages of domestic reform, his presidency remains best known for his response to World War I, the subject of today's class.
READING:
Knock, To End All Wars, pp. 48-122.
Rodgers, Atlantic Crossings, pp. 267-317.
Reading Notes

DOCUMENTS:

Declaration of Neutrality (1914)
Protest note, Lusitania sinking (1915)
Protest note, Sussex sinking (1916)
Peace without Victory address (1917)
War message (1917)


European alliances on the eve of war

 
NOTE

For more background on World War I, see the following sites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

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