Hello and welcome to this day, a history show from Radiotopia. My name is Jody Avergan.

It's 50 Weeks that shaped America, Week 13, Part 2 on the debate and the decision over the U.S.

involvement in World War I. We ended last episode with President Wilson finally, reluctantly making the decision to formally enter the war.

We talked about the various political and moral factions, the robust peace movement.

And of course, the voices like Teddy Roosevelt saying, stop being such a coward, let's do this thing and get ready and go to war.

Well, here we are, April 2nd, 1917.

Wilson gets in his car, escorted by cavalry, enters the congressional chamber a little after 8.30.

It is packed, standing room only.

This episode will look at the address he delivered, the fallout, and the legacy of the U.S. intervention into that first World War.

Here, as always, Nicole Hammer of Vanderbilt and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley. Hello there.

Hello, Jody. Hey there.

So what does Wilson say that night? I mentioned it's a packed house. Obviously, every elected

officials there. The Supreme Court justices are there in the front row. He walks in. They start applauding pretty soon.

How does he start to make the case? So Wilson starts the speech kind of outlining everything that

had happened in the previous few months. He talks about the U-boat attacks. He talks about

the spies attacking the United States, the hospital ships, the relief supply vessels. And he calls it warfare against mankind and that this war has already been started against the United States. And the U.S. has a choice. They can ignore it or they cannot ignore it. And it's actually the wrong path to just

submit and to suffer these continued attacks that the U.S. has to stand up for itself. So he goes

to Congress and he says, look, the Germans have declared war against us. So it's time for us to

fight back.

He uses a phrase that's worth pointing out, especially given where we are now, but he says,

he doesn't say, I'm taking us to war.

He says, I advise that the Congress declare the most recent course of imperial German government.

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