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Difficulty: MediumWorld War I: Diplomacy, Military, and Postwar Peace

"We are taking a step now that is almost certain to lead to the war... We are going into war upon the command of gold. We are going to run the risk of sacrificing millions of our lives... to enable our financiers and our railroads and our merchants to make up their losses and to make enormous profits... I feel that we are about to put the dollar sign on the American flag... We are about to do the bidding of wealth, and we are about to commit the lives of our citizens to the defense of a policy that is based upon the greed of gold."
— Senator George W. Norris, speech in the United States Senate, April 4, 1917

The arguments expressed in the excerpt most directly challenge which of the following justifications for United States entry into World War I?

  1. The assertion that the United States was entering the conflict to defend democratic principles and humanitarian ideals.Answer
  2. B
    The claim that Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare violated international laws of neutrality.
  3. C
    The belief that the United States had maintained absolute isolationism and had no economic ties to the Allied powers prior to 1917.
  4. D
    The idea that the federal government was practicing laissez-faire capitalism by refusing to support domestic merchants.

Answer

The assertion that the United States was entering the conflict to defend democratic principles and humanitarian ideals.
The correct answer is correct because Senator Norris argues that the United States is entering the war to protect the financial interests of bankers, merchants, and industrialists ('the command of gold') rather than for noble or democratic reasons. This directly challenges President Woodrow Wilson's primary justification that the nation was entering the war to protect democratic values and defend international law.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source document to identify the author's primary argument.
Senator Norris asserts that the decision to enter World War I is driven by 'gold,' 'financiers,' 'merchants,' and 'wealth' seeking to protect their profits.
Understanding the core claim of the stimulus is essential for identifying what it challenges.
2
Recall the major justifications offered by the Wilson administration for entering the war.
Justifications included making the world safe for democracy, protecting neutral rights, and responding to unrestricted submarine warfare.
This establishes the historical context of the justifications Norris is arguing against.
3
Compare Norris's argument with the justifications to determine which one is directly opposed.
Norris's claim that the war is driven by commercial greed and corporate profit directly contradicts the idealist claim that the U.S. was fighting for selfless, democratic, or humanitarian principles.
This identifies the correct relationship between the stimulus and the options.

Key Concept

Debates over U.S. Entry into World War I
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

World War I: Diplomacy, Military, and Postwar Peace

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