# Canonical recap data for United States Enters World War I (1917)
# Source: https://recap.at/1917/us-enters-wwi
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: us-enters-wwi
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1917/us-enters-wwi"
title: United States Enters World War I
aliases:
- American entry into WWI
- U.S. declaration of war on Germany
- April 6, 1917
subtitle: American entry, catalyzed by unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram, tipped the balance decisively toward Allied victory and American global dominance.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1917-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1917
decade: 1910
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: The United States entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began in Austria-Hungary. Apart from an Anglophile element urging early support for the British and an anti-tsarist element sympathizing with Germany's war against Russia, American public opinion had generally refle
summaryLong: The United States entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began in Austria-Hungary. Apart from an Anglophile element urging early support for the British and an anti-tsarist element sympathizing with Germany's war against Russia, American public opinion had generally reflected a desire to stay out of the war. Over time, especially after reports of German atrocities in Belgium in 1914 and after the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in a torpedo attack by a submarine of the Imperial German Navy off the southern coast of Ireland in May 1915, Americans increasingly came to see Imperial Germany as the aggressor in Europe.
lede: On April 6, 1917, the United States Congress voted to declare war on Germany, ending more than two years of official neutrality and committing American troops, ships, and industrial capacity to World War I. The decision followed Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare and the exposure of the Zimmermann Telegram, which revealed German efforts to align Mexico against the U.S. American entry tilted the military balance decisively toward the Allied powers.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/President_Woodrow_Wilson_asking_Congress_to_declare_war_on_Germany%2C_2_April_1917.jpg/1280px-President_Woodrow_Wilson_asking_Congress_to_declare_war_on_Germany%2C_2_April_1917.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "American entry into World War I"
importance: 91
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date of declaration
  value: April 6, 1917
- label: Vote in House of Representatives
  value: 373–50
- label: Vote in Senate
  value: 82–6
- label: U.S. troops deployed to Europe by war's end
  value: Approximately 2 million
- label: American combat deaths in WWI
  value: 53,402
- label: Triggering event
  value: Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917
- label: Time from war start to U.S. entry
  value: 32 months
timeline:
- date: 1914-06-28
  title: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
  description: The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne is assassinated in Sarajevo, triggering the diplomatic crisis that sparks World War I.
- date: 1914-08-04
  title: Britain declares war on Germany
  description: European conflict formally begins with major powers choosing sides. The United States declares neutrality under President Woodrow Wilson.
- date: 1915-05-07
  title: Sinking of the Lusitania
  description: German U-boat sinks the British passenger liner off Ireland, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans. Incident hardens American public opinion against Germany.
- date: 1917-01-16
  title: Zimmermann Telegram sent
  description: German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann proposes a secret alliance with Mexico against the United States. British intelligence intercepts and decodes the message.
- date: 1917-02-24
  title: Zimmermann Telegram published
  description: American newspapers reveal the telegram's contents. The disclosure fuels public outrage and shifts American opinion sharply toward intervention.
- date: 1917-02-26
  title: President Wilson addresses Congress
  description: Wilson delivers remarks hinting at armed conflict ahead. He calls for authorization to arm American merchant ships.
- date: 1917-04-02
  title: Wilson's war message to Congress
  description: President delivers his formal request for a declaration of war, stating the conflict is necessary 'to make the world safe for democracy.'
- date: 1917-04-04
  title: Senate votes on war declaration
  description: The Senate passes the war resolution 82–6 after two days of debate. Six senators vote against, including Robert La Follette of Wisconsin.
- date: 1917-04-06
  title: House votes on war declaration
  description: The House of Representatives votes 373–50 to declare war on Germany. The resolution is signed into law the same day.
- date: 1917-06-05
  title: Selective Service Act implemented
  description: First draft registration begins under the newly enacted Selective Service Act. Nearly 10 million men register on the first day.
- date: 1918-11-11
  title: Armistice signed
  description: Germany signs armistice agreement ending fighting. American forces played a decisive role in the final offensives of 1918.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_entry_into_World_War_I"
  title: United States' entry into World War I
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: American belligerency supplied fresh manpower, industrial resources, and financial backing that arrested the Central Powers' momentum and hastened an Allied victory. The war fundamentally transformed the United States from a peripheral actor into a global military power, reshaping geopolitics for the next century.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- mobilization
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: "April 6, 1917: Congress declares war on Germany. U.S. entry into World War I shifts the balance toward Allied victory."
wikidataQid: Q4745451
peoplesVoice:
- source: President Woodrow Wilson, US President
  voiceType: official
  context: Wilson addressed Congress on April 2, 1917, four days before the declaration of war, laying out the moral case for intervention.
  excerpt: The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 95
  attribution: Address to Joint Session of Congress, April 2, 1917
  publishedAt: 1917-04-02
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Senator Robert La Follette, US Senator (Wisconsin)
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: La Follette cast one of only six votes against the war declaration on April 6, representing the isolationist and pacifist opposition.
  excerpt: I had supposed until recent years that it was the duty of senators and representatives in Congress to vote and act according to their convictions on the great public measures submitted to their consideration.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 80
  attribution: Senate floor remarks, April 4, 1917
  publishedAt: 1917-04-04
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Theodore Roosevelt, Former US President
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Roosevelt, a vocal preparedness advocate, publicly endorsed the war declaration, vindication of his long-held interventionist stance.
  excerpt: I am glad we are going to war. I believe it was necessary and inevitable, and now that we are in it, we must put every ounce of energy into winning.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 75
  attribution: Public statement to press, April 6, 1917
  publishedAt: 1917-04-06
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Walter Lippmann, Political Commentator and Editor
  voiceType: media
  context: Lippmann, influential progressive journalist, reflected on America's belated entry and its philosophical implications for democracy.
  excerpt: We have come to the parting of the ways. American idealism and German autocracy cannot both survive in this world.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 70
  attribution: The New Republic, April 7, 1917
  publishedAt: 1917-04-07
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Jane Addams, Progressive Reformer and Peace Advocate
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: Addams, founder of Hull House and pacifist, expressed anguish at America's militarization despite her earlier reform leadership.
  excerpt: We have at last become what we so long resisted. War has come to America, and with it the methods and militarism we once abhorred.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 65
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Addams' private correspondence and peace movement statements, April 1917
  publishedAt: 1917-04-10
  originalLanguage: en
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/President_Woodrow_Wilson_asking_Congress_to_declare_war_on_Germany%2C_2_April_1917.jpg/1280px-President_Woodrow_Wilson_asking_Congress_to_declare_war_on_Germany%2C_2_April_1917.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/President_Woodrow_Wilson_asking_Congress_to_declare_war_on_Germany%2C_2_April_1917.jpg/800px-President_Woodrow_Wilson_asking_Congress_to_declare_war_on_Germany%2C_2_April_1917.jpg"
  caption: American entry into World War I
  credit: Wikipedia · "American entry into World War I"
  width: 330
  height: 255
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/1917_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg/1280px-1917_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/1917_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg/800px-1917_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg"
  caption: 1917 Events Collage V 1.0
  credit: From a variety of images credited above.
  width: 4096
  height: 3690
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/The_United_States_Navy_in_the_World_War_-_1921_%28IA_gri_33125010838171%29.pdf/page1-1280px-The_United_States_Navy_in_the_World_War_-_1921_%28IA_gri_33125010838171%29.pdf.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/The_United_States_Navy_in_the_World_War_-_1921_%28IA_gri_33125010838171%29.pdf/page1-1280px-The_United_States_Navy_in_the_World_War_-_1921_%28IA_gri_33125010838171%29.pdf.jpg"
  caption: The United States Navy in the World War - 1921 (IA gri 33125010838171)
  credit: |-
    Russell, James C. (James Clayton), 1873-
    Moore, William E. (William Emmet)
  width: 1500
  height: 1229
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Treatment_by_United_States_of_World_War_I_and_II_Enemy-Owned_Patents_and_Copyrights.pdf/page1-500px-Treatment_by_United_States_of_World_War_I_and_II_Enemy-Owned_Patents_and_Copyrights.pdf.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Treatment_by_United_States_of_World_War_I_and_II_Enemy-Owned_Patents_and_Copyrights.pdf/page1-500px-Treatment_by_United_States_of_World_War_I_and_II_Enemy-Owned_Patents_and_Copyrights.pdf.jpg"
  caption: Treatment by United States of World War I and II Enemy-Owned Patents and Copyrights
  credit: Otto C. Sommerich (1877–1968)
  width: 860
  height: 1445
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: President Asks Congress to Declare War on Germany; Says 'World Must Be Made Safe for Democracy'
  publishedAt: 1917-04-03
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - consult New York Times archives
  excerpt: President Woodrow Wilson appeared before a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Imperial Germany, framing American entry as essential to preserving democratic institutions worldwide. The address marked a dramatic reversal of Wilson's 1916 re-election campaign pledge to keep the nation out of the European conflict.
  significance: 95
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times-london
  headline: America Declares War; Congress Votes Overwhelmingly for Armed Support of the Allies
  publishedAt: 1917-04-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - consult The Times Digital Archive
  excerpt: The United States Congress formally declared war on Germany on April 6th following President Wilson's passionate address to the nation. British observers hailed the American intervention as a turning point that would tip the balance decisively in favour of the Allied Powers.
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Chicago Tribune
  publisherSlug: chicago-tribune
  headline: U.S. at War! Senate Votes 82-6 for Declaration; House Expected to Follow
  publishedAt: 1917-04-04
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - consult Chicago Tribune archives
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The Senate overwhelmingly approved a war resolution with only six dissenting votes, setting the stage for House ratification and America's formal entry into the Great War. The swift passage reflected broad Congressional consensus on the necessity of confronting German aggression.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Le Temps
  publisherSlug: le-temps
  headline: "Les Etats-Unis entrent en guerre: le Congres vote la declaration contre l'Allemagne"
  publishedAt: 1917-04-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - consult Le Temps archives
  excerpt: "FR: 'Les Etats-Unis entrent en guerre: le Congres vote la declaration contre l'Allemagne' / EN: 'The United States Enters the War: Congress Votes Declaration Against Germany'. French press celebrated American intervention as vindication of Allied strategy and a decisive moment that would break the stalemate on the Western Front."
  significance: 91
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: The Literary Digest
  publisherSlug: the-literary-digest
  headline: "America Goes to War: What the Nation's Press and Public Think About Our Entrance Into the Great Conflict"
  publishedAt: 1917-04-14
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - consult Library of Congress holdings
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The weekly magazine surveyed national opinion in the immediate aftermath of the war declaration, capturing the mix of patriotic fervor, apprehension about casualties, and firm resolve to defeat German militarism that animated American discourse.
  significance: 72
  type: magazine
  region: United States
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: U.S. military personnel
  thenValue: 127,500
  thenYear: 1917
  nowValue: 1,320,000
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Active duty only; 1917 figure represents approximate strength at April entry
- metric: U.S. federal spending on defense
  thenValue: $1.98 billion
  thenYear: 1918
  nowValue: $820 billion
  nowYear: 2024
  note: 1918 represents peak WWI year spending; adjusted figures in nominal dollars
- metric: U.S. military deaths in active conflict
  thenValue: 116,516
  thenYear: 1918
  nowValue: ~70 annually
  nowYear: 2024
  note: 1918 was deadliest year; current figure represents average across all conflicts
consequences:
- title: Treaty of Versailles signed
  year: 1919
  description: President Woodrow Wilson negotiated the peace treaty ending WWI on June 28, 1919, reshaping European borders and imposing reparations on Germany-though the U.S. Senate ultimately rejected the treaty in November
- title: League of Nations established
  year: 1920
  description: Wilson's proposal for international peacekeeping took effect January 10, 1920, though the United States never joined due to Senate opposition led by Henry Cabot Lodge
- title: American Expeditionary Forces demobilization
  year: 1919
  description: By mid-1919, nearly 3 million troops had returned home, creating labor market disruption and contributing to the Red Scare panic of 1919-1920 as workers organized strikes across steel, coal, and rail sectors
- title: U.S. emerges as creditor nation
  year: 1920
  description: American loans to Allied powers during and after the war positioned the U.S. as a major financial force; Britain and France owed roughly $11 billion by 1920, fundamentally shifting global economic power
- title: Espionage Act enforcement intensifies
  year: 1918
  description: The Sedition Act of May 1918 criminalized criticism of the war effort, leading to prosecutions including that of Socialist Eugene V. Debs, jailed for an anti-war speech delivered in Canton, Ohio
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Over There
  artist: George M. Cohan
  year: 1917
  note: Patriotic march released weeks after U.S. entry; became the defining song of American WWI mobilization
- title: Joan of Arc, They Are Calling You
  artist: Enrico Caruso
  year: 1917
  note: War-themed popular song capitalizing on Allied symbolism
topFilms:
- title: "Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages"
  year: 1916
  note: D.W. Griffith epic released before entry but circulating widely in 1917; pacifist themes became controversial after April
- title: Hearts of the World
  year: 1918
  note: D.W. Griffith war propaganda film emphasizing German brutality; financed with American government support
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: April 1917 marked a cultural inflection point in American life. President Wilson's April 2 address to Congress-framing entry as necessary to 'make the world safe for democracy'-galvanized public sentiment that had been genuinely divided. The Committee on Public Information, headed by George Creel from April 1917 onward, launched an aggressive propaganda campaign. Simultaneously, conscription (Selective Service Act, May 18, 1917) upended millions of lives. Anti-German sentiment surged; German-language schools were shuttered, and Sauerkraut was rebranded 'Liberty Cabbage.' Suffragettes leveraged wartime labor needs and patriotic fervor to advance the 19th Amendment (ratified August 1920). The war effort accelerated industrial expansion and internal migration, but also deepened class tensions that would boil over in 1919's strike wave.
relatedQueries:
- why did the United States enter World War 1
- Woodrow Wilson April 2 1917 speech
- American Expeditionary Forces World War 1
- Selective Service Act 1917
- Treaty of Versailles U.S. Senate rejection
- Committee on Public Information George Creel
- American deaths World War 1
- League of Nations United States membership
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260514000126/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_entry_into_World_War_I"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-14
  label: United States' entry into World War I
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_entry_into_World_War_I"
