At first, people thought that it would do no good for the
United States to enter the war. It was
being fought in another continent and it had no effect on them. When Germans began targeting merchant ships
in the Atlantic it was a cause of alarm for the Americans. Apart from that, they shared close, cultural
bonds with Britain. Then there is the
issue of the money they had invested in the Allies. Finally, the sinking of the Lusitania and the
interception of the Zimmerman telegram prompted the Americans to join the war.