Although the United States played an important role in securing victory for the Allies in 1918, the country did not declare war on Germany until 6 April 1917. Most Americans agreed with President Woodrow Wilson’s initial stance on neutrality, although pro-Allied sentiment grew as the war progressed.
Within the United States, some members of the population – such as Irish-Americans – were hostile to helping Britain but there was less antipathy towards the French. France was America’s oldest ally and when German forces invaded northern France in 1914,
