“Fellow Americans! Too long have we maintained neutrality in this war! We must fight now. Why? Listen to this message intercepted by our friends across the seas: [read Zimmerman Note]

What an outrage! The Germans wish to forcibly take our land. These states have been ours for years upon years. Think of the large chunk of land they represent. Mexico has no claim to these vast territories. They have absolutely no right to steal those stars from our flag!

How can there ever be peace when the Germans continue plotting and signing secret treaties that threaten our borders? Our neutrality is constantly threatened by Germany! United States civilian ships are destroyed by German U-boats without warning or provocation in their ruthless campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare. Think of the possible women and children minding their own business on a ship that’s not even in the war. From nowhere, a torpedo takes out the ship in a giant explosion. A blaze quickly overtakes the ship. There’s no chance for survival. Some are annihilated without ever knowing what happened. Some are horrendously burnt and then cast into the sea, left to drown in the cold Atlantic. Could it be your sweetheart, your wife… your children who go on a trip and never come back — because of the Germans! The German U-boats! The German treaties! The German war! Will you stand for this?

That’s why you must back Wilson, to put a quick end to this heartless, inhumane violence caused by the Germans and their war. America will not let herself be continually harassed. Enlist now! Defeat the Germans! And join the many defending our great country!”

This was written last year for a history project. It hasn’t been edited for the display on this website.

I still think it’s rather good. I’m particularly fond of the image of stealing stars off the flag. Painting the war as the German war makes even those opposed to the war see the Germans as the villain. It twists the truth by making the listener (or reader) believe that the German’s attacked civilian ships for no reason. The US was shipping supplies to Britain, and that’s why the Germans attacked them. For a time, they did have to stop ships and tell all persons from neutral countries to leave, but one can imagine how useful this was in a war-time situation for the Germans. The intercepted Zimmerman Note was very persuasive in making the Americans go to war.