Gleaming whose broad stripes and bright star s stars through the perilous fight oer the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say, does that starspangled banner yet wave oer the land of the free and the home of the brave please take your seats. April 6, 1917, for three years the great war raged across the globe, bringing death, destruction, famine, disease and displacement of peoples across europe, africa and asia. From the atlantic to the pacific. During these years the United States of america remained neutral keeping our distance from the conflicts of the old world. Four days earlier on april 2nd, president Woodrow Wilson addressed a joined session of congress. Neutrality is no longer desirable where peace is involved. And the freedom of its people. To minister that peace and freedom lied in the existence of autocratic governments. We are at the beginning of an age in which it will be insisted that the same standards shall be observed among nations that are observed among the individual citizens of civilized states. On april 6, 1917, 100 years ago today United States congress voted to pass a declaration of war and sent it to president Woodrow Wilson for signature. Just a few months earlier in november 1916, wilson won his second president ial term campaigning on slogans he kept us out of war and America First but developments in the early months of 1917 forced a reckoning bringing the United States to a decisive moment in its history. Wilson signed the declaration when it arrived marking the end of a heated debate over competing visions of america. Those in favor of joining the conflict believed in an outward looking america ready to play its role in fighting for peace and order in the world. Those opposed saw only the futility of war and zealously favored inward looking homeland free from old world entanglements. President wilsons signature changed the course of history in our world and emotion. And in the destiny of a great american, before this moment, the United States had kept the rest of the world at arms length. After she would become a key participant in events that reshape the old world. On this day 100 years later it is appropriate that we as a nation look back at the decision hear the voices spoke for and against entry of the great war, remember the devastation and suffering inflicted by the conflict and reflect on the wars impact on the world, our nation and on our people. Two years before the beginning of the war, a disquieting symbol of change first appeared to me in the french sky. I was sitting in a friendly garden basking in the warm autumnal sunshine, savoring as a new englander can, the charm of being again in france. No sign of life but a solitary pony cart. No sound in the golden air but the click of garden shears among the rose bushes. Suddenly an ominous word, a mysterious pulsing throb overhead. Staring up i saw the long shadow of on army plane sharp against the sky. Those mechanical wings left a sinister echo in the quiet garden. I became aware of the new tension, a half concealed anxiety, a subtle change in the french temper. Elizabeth scheppley, sergeant, 1916. The start of a great war in 1914 quickly became a great unraveling, shaking the foundations of european civilization. Barbara tutman, author of the proud tower a portrait of the world before the war writes the pride tower built up through the greating a of european civilization was an edifice of grandeur and passion of riches and beauty. Its inhabitants lived with more selfreliance, more confidence, more hope, greater magnificence and elegance. More careless ease, more pleasure in each Others Company and conversation. The old world had much that has since been lost. Looking back on it from 1915 the belgian poet dedicated his pages with emotion to the man i used to be. September 1914, the germans rushed west across belgium aiming to deliver a decisive blow to france and a quick end to the war. At the first battle of the marn, 90 miles from paris, the germans suffered defeat at the hands of the allies. Over a million soldiers fought over six days with more than 100,000 dead. After the marn, the war grew and spread until it drew in t nations of both hemispheres and entangled them in a world conflict no peace treaty could dissolve. It was one of the decisive battles not because it determined that germany would ultimately lose or allies ultimately win the war but because it determined that the war would go on. The nations were caught in a trap from which there was no exit. Barbara tutman, the guns of august on the battle of marn september 1914. The New York Stock Exchange closes due to war in europe and wont reopen until december. Even with the United States remaining resolutely neutral, many Young Americans needed no persuasion to join the war efforts. Victor chapman, the viers american pilot to die in the war, was a dual citizen who enlisted with the French Foreign legion a month into the war. The wounded in combat, he was not killed until june 1916, while attempting to fly a box of oranges to a fellow wounded aviator who was in the hospital. I get the idea that youre wearing yourselves out worrying about the danger i am in. Its all very peace and i appreciate it but i wish you would not principally because it does not benefit me or everyone. This is the first thing ive ever done that has been worthwhile. It is easier to pilot an airplane than drive an auto. And far less dangerous than an auto. Mary akron , ohio, was among the First American red cross nurses to go to europe during the war, serving as the supervisor of nurses at the American Hospital in belgrade. She wrote the cannonating lasted all the time. There was no time in the 24 hours in the First Six Months that some of the guns were not fired. My room was a little whitewashed one. Every time one of the big french guns would fire, it would illuminate all the wall, and then i would hear the boom of the guns. That kept up night after night until the time came that we did not hear them anymore. And eugene bullard, the only africanamerican pilot to fly in world war i, did so not for the United States, but for france. The son of a freed slave, bullard stowed away to europe in 1912, determined to escape racism in the u. S. After working as a boxer and vaudeville performer in england, bullard settled in france. When hostilities broke out he joined the infantry of the french legion. After sustaining injuries and declared unfit for infantry service, bullard earned his wings with france and joined the lafayette flying corps in 1916. His plane was decorated with the slogan all blood runs red. When the u. S. Entered the war, bullard tried to enlist as a flyer for the americans. I was more and more puzzled until it suddenly came to me that all my fellow countrymen who transferred were white. Later i learned that in world war i, negros were not accepted as flyers in the United States army. This hurt me deeply. When hostilities broke out in europe, thousands of americans touring the continent descended on london hoping to find safe passage home, only to find themselves unable to obtain accommodations or tickets for the few ships sailing. A 40yearold mining engineer and financier from iowa by the name of Herbert Hoover, was living in london in 1914. Hoover organized an American Relief committee that provided food, shelter, and Financial Assistance to over 100,000 americans. Hoovers leadership earned him the respect of the u. S. Ambassador to Great Britain walter heinzpage. Ambassador page tapped hoover to lead a Relief Mission to belgium after the battle of the marn, belgium faced starvation. Germany had invaded but refused to take responsibility for feeding the populous. On the other side, britains naval blockade prevented ships from entering belgian ports. On october 22nd, 1914, Herbert Hoover established an organization to procure and deliver food to the starving belgian population, rescuing a nation from certain ruin. There was no former Human Experience to turn for guidance. It would require that we find the major food supply for a whole nation, raise the money to pay for it, get it passed navies at see and occupying armies on land. Set up an agency of distribution of supplies for everybody justly and see that the enemy took none of it. It was not relief in any known sense. It was the feeding of a nation. The nation is sad as can be a message came over the sea a thousand or more who sent from ashore have gone to eternity the statue of liberty high must now have a tear in her eye i think its a shame someone is to blame but all we can do is just sigh some of us lost a true sweetheart some of us lost a dear dad some lost their mother sisters and brothers some lost the best friends they had its time they were stopping this warfare if women and children must drown if they must drown many brave hearts went to sleep in the deep when the lucitania went down when it went down [ applause ] on the morning of may 8, 1915, the banner headline of the the New York Times read, lucitania sunk by submarine, probably 1,260 dead. Twice torpedoed off irish coast. Sinked in 15 minutes. Washington believes that a grave crisis is at hand. U. S. Neutrality faced numerous tests. Vying for control over shipping lanes across the atlantic and through the north sea, germany and britain found themselves on a collision course with the United States. Britain, in its effort to blockade commerce from the u. S. Reaching germany, seized american ships. Germany, in retaliation, introduced a new weapon of war, the uboat, which could strike without warning. In 1915, german uboats sank over 90 ships. Leading up to the election of 1916, Many Americans favored the allies in the war, yet embraced president wilsons urging to remain impartial in thought as well as in action. At this time onethird of u. S. Citizens were either born in europe or were descendents of european immigrants. Sympathy for both countries on both sides of the conflict ran high. The descendents of german immigrants found themselves torn. On the one hand identifying firstly as americans, yet on the other sympathizing with their relatives abroad. When the u. S. Entered the war, germanamericans were labelled alien enemies and faced severe restrictions on their civil liberties. Irishamericans preferred neutrality as well as the prospect of the u. S. Entering the war on the side of the british was an anathema to irish nationalist sentiment. The sinking of the lucitania led Many Americans to call for an immediate reprisal against germany. Wilson proceeded with caution, demanding an apology, compensation for the victims, and assurances that germany would cease unrestricted submarine warfare. In a speech delivered at a citizen naturalization ceremony on may 10, 1915, wilson affirmed the antiwar u. S. Stance. America must have this consciousness that on all sides it touches elbows and touches hearts, with all the nations of mankind. The example of america must be the example not merely of peace because it will not fight, but of peace because peace is the healing influence of the world. There is such a thing as a man being too proud to fight. There is such a thing as a nation being so right that it does not need to convince others by force that it is right. Wilsons measured response faced opposition from figures like former president theodore roosevelt, who believed germanys aggression warranted a Strong Military response. I am pretty well disgusted with our government and the way our people acquiesce in and support it. I suppose, however, in a democracy like ours the people will always do well or ill in proportion to their leadership. If lincoln had acted after the firing on sum ter the way wilson did after the sinking of the lucitania, in one month the north would have been saying they were so glad he kept them out of war, and that it all has it war should be averted. The words were not mere bluster. He would eventually see three of his sons off to war. Only two would return alive. His youngest son quinton died when he was shot down over france in 1918. Disagreement about the u. S. Stance raged not only in washington, but also among intellectual circles. In early 1917, writer randolph borne would lament the shift among his left wing compatriots towards a pro war footing. To the American Academic mind of 1914, defense of war was inconceivable. They would have thought anyone mad who talked of shipping american men by the hundreds of thousands to die on the fields of france. The nerve of the war, feeling centered, of course, in the richer and older classes of the atlantic seaboard, and was keenest where there were french or english business. It must never be forgotten that in every community it was the least liberal and least democratic elements among whom the wars sentiment was found. Theres a million mothers knocking at the nations door a million mothers, yes, and there will be millions more and while within each mothers heart they pray just hear what one brave mother has to say america i raised a boy for you america youll find him staunch and true place a gun upon his shoulder he is ready to die or do america he is my only one my my pride and joy but if i had another he would march beside his brother america heres my boy 10 million soldiers to the war have gone some may never return again 10 million mothers hearts must break for the ones who died in vain and bow down in sorrow in her lonely years i heard a mother murmur through her tears i didnt raise my boy to be a soldier i brought him up to be my pride and joy who dares to put a musket on his shoulder to shoot some other mothers darling boy let nations arbitrate their future troubles its time to put the sword and gun away there will be no war today if mothers all would say i didnt raise my boy to be a soldier america i raised my boy for you i didnt raise my boy to be a soldier america youll find him staunch and true i brought him up to be my pride and joy place a gun upon his shoulder put a musket on his shoulder he is ready to die or do america he is my only one its time to put this gun away my pride and joy if i had another he would stand beside his brother i didnt raise my boy to be a soldier america heres my boy [ applause ] at the other end of the political spectrum, the editors of the conservative north American Review argued for u. S. Participation. We know now what this war is. It is the last of the great battles for freedom and democracy. America fought the first a century and 40 years ago. France followed through seas of blood and tears. Just lately the great charter has passed from the barrons to the people of england. Japan has ceased to be a monarchy except in name. China as a republic defies the power of mite. Can anyone doubt that the beginning of the end of absolutism is at hand . Legendary newspaper reporter Walter Lipman offered his third way assessment of the role america could play in the war. In may 1916, the president made a speech which will be counted among the decisive utterances of American Foreign policy. The speech was an announcement that american isolation was ended and that we were prepared to join a league of peace. It was intended to make clear to the world that if america has to fight, it would fight for peace and the order of the world. It was a great point in human history, but it was overshadowed at the time by the opening of the president ial campaign. The United States absorbed a massive influx of immigrants from the end of the 19th century through the war. Capitalizing on the idea that immigrants traveled to Distant Shores seeking freedom from tyranny, recruitment efforts appealed to immigrants indebtedness. In exchange for their freedom and their childrens freedom, they were urged to show their patriotism by enlisting in the fight. To these broad shores my fathers came from lands beyond the sea they left their home they left their families to breathe more free to them its seen with customs strange and new for to my heart knows just one dear flag the red the white the blue the red the white the blue there is no hiding in my heart what cant be cut in two oh flag of bars and silver stars ive given all to you yeah there is no hiding in my heart it cant be cut in two oh flag of bars and silver stars ive given all to you the 1916 election hinged on the question of americas neutrality in the war. Wilson, running for a second term, built his candidacy around the idea that america ought to prepare for the possibility of war, yet his campaign slogans, he kept us out of war, and America First, persuaded the American Public that a vote for the republican candidate, Charles Evans hughes, would be a vote for war. While many embraced the slogans, others criticized them. Teddy roosevelt. President wilson did noble shirking of responsibility has been misclothed in the phrase of a coward. He kept us out of war. In actual reality, war has been creeping nearer and we face it without policy, plan, purpose, or preparation. In september 1916, wilson accepted the democratic nomination for president. We have been neutral, not only because it was the fixed and traditional policy of the United States to stand aloof from the politics of europe, but also because it was manifestly our duty to prevent the indefinite extension of the fires of hate and desolation kindled by that terrible conflict and to seek to serve mankind by reserving our strength and our resources for the difficult days of restoration and healing. When peace will have to build a house anew. The debate reached every corner of american society. Voices fo