Could the Lusitania have got the US into WW1 early

If President Wilson (or Marshal/ Taft/ T Roosevelt or whoever) had asked for a declaration of war following the sinking of the Liner might they have got it?

How divided would America be about going to war at that time?
 
If President Wilson (or Marshal/ Taft/ T Roosevelt or whoever) had asked for a declaration of war following the sinking of the Liner might they have got it?

How divided would America be about going to war at that time?

The Germans did issue a diplomatic apology following the incident which did cool things down. At the same time if that issue alone was tried to use as a causis belli congress might not well have authorized it. Members of congress would compell the testimoney of the harbormaster of New York who freely admitted to loading Lusitania with 4000 cases of rifle cartridges to be heard in public... such a move might backfire and put america into a more firmly isolationist camp
 
I think for this to happen one would need the Germans to be stupid enough to sink the Lusitania in American waters. Having the ragged survivors brought back to New york would surely cause a bit of anger in the U.S., perhaps enough to get a declaration of war.

Benjamin
 
If Germany was sufficiently apologetic it would probabkly have been difficult. Roosvelt was speaking from the safety of opposition and if he was in power there was the problem of relection. However the Baralong incident lay in the future. Roosevelt might have started to try and provoke the U boats to attack American warships with neutrality patrols as his nephew did.
 
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