Final answer:
President Wilson held Germany accountable for its wartime actions and expanded the U.S. military prior to World War I. He initially sought to minimize American foreign involvement but ultimately supported American entry into the war to promote democratic values and collective security through the League of Nations.
Step-by-step explanation:
President Wilson insisted that he would hold Germany to strict accountability for unrestricted submarine warfare and its aggressive tactics during World War I. Wilson was under considerable pressure to protect American interests and eventually agreed to a "preparedness campaign" prior to his reelection, which included significant military expansions through the National Defense Act and the Naval Appropriations Act of 1916.
Despite his initial idealistic approach to minimize American foreign affairs, emphasizing a foreign policy based on moral imperatives, Wilson's administration sent a significant message by entering World War I to "make the world safe for democracy." This included the promise of collective security through the proposed League of Nations as part of his famous Fourteen Points speech, which laid out his vision for a post-war order predicated on self-determination of peoples, free trade, and open diplomacy.