Lusitania Research Paper

There are many reasons the United States plunged into World War I, but one of the main reasons we did was the sinking of the ship “The Lusitania”. This ship was shot by the Germans with a torpedo and took the lives of over 100 American lives. The now enraged and already anti-German citizens, were only fuelled and cried out for war. The event happened like this. The Lusitania, famous for its luxurious accommodations and speed capability, was mainly used to transport people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Great Britain. On May 1, 1915, the Lusitania departed New York and was bound for Liverpool. Almost all her hidden cargo consisted of amunitions and weaponry destined for the British war effort. This was probably
Turner also made the bad decision as to slow down from 25 knots to 15 knots, due to weather issues. This mistake may have caused the loss of the ship and its passengers. Once shot the Lusitania sunk within 18 minutes. Though there had been enough lifeboats for all passengers, the ship listed so badly and quickly that lifeboats crashed into passengers crowded on deck, or dumped their loads into the water, causing them not to be launched properly. Of the 1,924 people on board, 1,198 died. The toll of civilians killed in this disaster shocked the world. Americans were outraged to learn 128 U.S. United States citizens had lost their lives in a war they were not even a part of. The sinking of the Lusitania heightened tensions between the U.S. and Germany and helped sway American opinion in favor of joining the war. The political fallout was immediate. President Wilson tried to negotiate with the Germans and protested their actions, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, resigned. In September, the Germans announced to the world that passenger ships would be sunk only with prior warnings and appropriate safeguards for the passengers. However, our anger towards the Germans did not change. Within two years America declared