Joint Resolution Declaring a State of War Between Germany and the United States

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Description

As World War I broke out across Europe in the summer of 1914, the United States remained neutral in the conflict for more than three years. German acts of aggression in early 1917, however, brought the Americans into the war. President Woodrow Wilson made a special address before a joint session of Congress asking for a declaration of war against Germany which was overwhelmingly supported in both houses. On April 6, 1917, the United States entered WWI after President Wilson signed a joint resolution declaring war against the Imperial German Government.

Citation

This primary source comes from the General Records of the United States Government.

National Archives Identifier: 5916620

Full Citation: A Joint Resolution of April 6, 1917, Public Resolution 65-1, 40 STAT 1, Declaring that a State of War Exists Between the Imperial German Government and the Government and the People of the United States and Making Provision to Prosecute the Same; 4/6/1917; Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789 – 2011; General Records of the United States Government, Record Group 11; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/declaring-war-germany/, January 9, 2026]

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