United States declaration of war on Germany (1917)

Declaration of war with Germany
Long title	"Joint Resolution 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."
Enacted by	the 65th United States Congress
Effective	April 6, 1917
Citations
Public law	Pub. L. 65–1
Statutes at Large	40 Stat. 1
Legislative history
	Introduced in the Senate as S.J.Res.1; Passed the U.S. Senate on April 2, 1917 (82-6 [6 not voting]); Passed the U.S. House of Representatives on April 5-6, 1917 (373-50 [8 not voting]); Signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on April 6, 1917;

The United States declared war on the German Empire on April 6, 1917. President Woodrow Wilson asked a special joint session of the United States Congress for a declaration of war on April 2, 1917, which passed in the Senate on the same day and then in the House of Representatives four days later on April 6. Wilson signed it into law the same day, making the United States officially involved in the First World War.

Despite heavy opposition to the war initially, several incidents resulted in the United States public largely turning against Germany and its allies by 1917. In his speech to the Congress, Wilson stated that the war would make the world ''safe for democracy'' and cited the German Empire's decision to resume unrestricted submarine warfare as an attack on not only Europe, but the United States as well.