German U-boats now began sinking American ships on sight. On April 2, 1917, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] spoke in favor of declaring war on Germany in an address to the joint houses of Congress. Congress then formally declared war on April 6, 1917, with opposition votes coming mostly from areas with large German ethnic populations.<ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/usofficialawardeclaration.htm</ref> | German U-boats now began sinking American ships on sight. On April 2, 1917, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] spoke in favor of declaring war on Germany in an address to the joint houses of Congress. Congress then formally declared war on April 6, 1917, with opposition votes coming mostly from areas with large German ethnic populations.<ref>http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/usofficialawardeclaration.htm</ref> |