When historians ask questions about variations across different groups of people with common traditions, they gather information from

when world war i broke out across europe in 1914, president woodrow wilson proclaimed the united states would remain neutral, and many americans supported this policy of nonintervention. however, public opinion about neutrality started to change after the sinking of the british ocean liner lusitania by a german u-boat in 1915; almost 2,000 people perished, including 128 americans. along with news of the zimmerman telegram threatening an alliance between germany and mexico, wilson asked congress for a declaration of war against germany. the u.s. officially entered the conflict on april 6, 1917.

roosevelt essentially took the opposite approach as hoover in taking on the great depression. herbert hoover thought that america and its economy could naturally recover from the depression in due course, so he adamantly restrained the federal government from intervening on behalf of the people affected. on the other hand, roosevelt dramatically increased employment by expanding the federal government and establishing agencies that would aid in relieving some of the country's worst problems.