While the United States had a great desire to stay neutral in World War One, the desperately warring Germany, despite attempts at negotiation, could not permit to allow the U.S. to trade with its enemies by sea; thus America's defense of its rights as a neutral nation ironically led to war in the face of Germany's constant attacks on U.S. shipping.
During the early days of the First World War, in a situation eerily similar to the War of 1812, a geographically removed America attempted to remain distant from a destructive European conflict. Unfortunately, many of the same complications ensued. Germany and its allies were in fierce combat with the allied powers and were under a British Blockade that obstructed the North Sea, their only maritime trading route. While the United States was willing to trade with any European power, British warships guaranteed that, in actuality, U.S. vessels could only trade with the allied powers. The war was of such magnitude that all countries involved were in need of massive quantities of supplies and resources.
Germany's situation was desperate enough that it could not afford to recognize the rights of neutral countries, particularly the right to unimpeded trade. It deployed its deadly U-Boats which took a heavy toll on the U.S. merchant marine and occasionally sunk ocean liners loaded with passengers, notably the Lusitania. The United States attempted negotiations and made agreements with Germany such as the Sussex pledge. However, the fundamental details remained the same: Germany could not afford to recognize American neutral rights without sacrificing its own war effort. Germany's violations of American neutral rights, however necessary to their own victory against the Allied Powers, would eventually force President Wilson into declaring war or turning a blind eye to the situation. Of course, Germany's far-minded plot to bring Mexico to bear against the Southwestern U.S. couldn't have helped matters…
