Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. n.d. “Lusitania.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed July 25, 2019.
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World War One erupted in Europe during the fall of 1914. Germany, in response to the British Empire’s naval blockade, launched their submarines to attack any unarmed ship traveling to England. On May 7th, 1915, the Lusitania, a British passenger ship, was hit by a submarine and sunk killing almost 1,200 passengers, including 128 Americans. The passenger ship was carrying weapons for the British Army, so Germany felt justified in their attack. The rest of the world condemned the German actions and called for an end for submarine warfare on civilian craft. Germany refused causing America to use this event as part of their justification for declaring war on Germany in 1917.
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