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Courage and Vision
“History is important, and we spend much of our young lives memorizing dates and events, and names of people long gone,” said Congresswoman Heather Wilson at a reception to honor 28 New Mexicans as women of Courage and Vision. “But what’s important is what history teaches us about today, and how we use that information to get to tomorrow. I asked New Mexicans to nominate women in our community of courage and vision. Women who contribute everyday to our history, to our present, and to our future. The response was overwhelming.” |
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| What famous event in American history happened on April 6, 1917? |
U.S. Enters World War I
On April 6, 1917, the United States formally declared war against Germany and entered the conflict in Europe. Fighting since the summer of 1914, Britain, France, and Russia welcomed news that American troops and supplies would be directed toward the Allied war effort. Under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, over two million U.S. troops fought on battlefields in France.
For three years, President Woodrow Wilson strove to maintain American neutrality. Anti-war sentiment ran across the political spectrum. Middle class reformers like Jane Addams as well as radicals like Emma Goldman opposed U.S. involvement in the World War.
Although he later supported the war effort, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan , resigned over the Administration`s failure to remain neutral. However, a series of incidents, including the loss of 128 American lives when German submarines sank the Lusitania , transformed public opinion. On April 2, 1917, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war, warning that "the world must be made safe for democracy." |
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