Why The United States Should Have Entered World War I

In my opinion, the United States ultimately had no choice but to enter World War I. One of the major reasons that they were forced to join was that Germany had resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. Earlier in the war, Woodrow Wilson had informed the Germans that if they did not discontinue the use of unrestricted submarine warfare, the United States would enter the war on behalf of the Allies. I think that this was a threat that he had to go through with; if he did not, foreign powers would not take the United States' threats as seriously next time around. I think that Germany's actions were too hostile to permit. Germany, in the Zimmerman Telegram, promised territory to Mexico that they had lost in the Mexican-American War. They also were killing American citizens on board passenger ships. It also was neccessary to join because it was absurd that they were not already fighting as part of the Allies. They had cultural ties to England and war debts to France from The American Revolution. United States banks, as of April 1917 had lent the Allies $2.3 Billion as opposed to $27 million to Germany. I think that Wilson, even though he had promised that they would not join, had no choice but in asking for a declaration of war from Congress.