Europe's Problem.

When World War I began in August 1914, most Americans, believing the war was further evidence of the decay of European civilization, were determined to stay out of the conflict. Until 1917 the Woman's Peace Party, the American Union Against Militarism, and many other pacifist organizations that supported American neutrality enjoyed broad public support. Antiwar sentiment peaked in November 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson won reelection with the slogan "He Kept Us Out of War"; during this time the song "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier" swept the nation. But there were those who suspected President Wilson's promise to keep Americans away from European battlefields was disingenuous; whatever his real motivations, in April 1917, shortly after the election, he requested from Congress a declaration of war.

Blood Ties.

While most Americans rallied to the war effort, significant portions of the population, many of...