Question

U.S. merchant ships traded with both Allied and Central Powers until the British blockaded the North Sea, U.S. could only trade with Britain, Germany was angered

Option 1: Lend-Lease Act
Option 2: Zimmermann Telegram
Option 3: Embargo Act
Option 4: Sussex Pledge

Answer 1

The British naval blockade and Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare led to the U.S. siding with the Allies in WWI, despite initial efforts to maintain isolationism.

Step-by-step explanation:

The United States, trying to maintain its isolationist foreign policy, traded with both the Allied and Central powers at the beginning of World War I. However, due to the British naval blockade of the North Sea, it became increasingly difficult for the U.S. to trade with Germany. This blockade, combined with the implementation of the Embargo Act, significantly limited U.S. trade with the Central Powers, tilting economic support in favor of the Allies. When Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917, this marked an end to the fragile U.S. neutrality, ultimately leading to the U.S. entering the war after several American ships were sunk by German U-boats, and public sentiment turned against Germany following the release of the Zimmermann Telegram.