The present German submarine warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind. It is a war against all nations. American ships have been sunk, American lives taken, in ways which it has stirred us very deeply to learn of, but the ships and people of other neutral and friendly nations have been sunk and overwhelmed in the waters in the same way. There has been no discrimination. The challenge is to all mankind. Each nation must decide for itself how it will meet it. — "Joint Address to Congress," President Woodrow Wilson, 1917 Excerpt courtesy of Ourdocuments.gov Based on the excerpt, the purpose of Wilson's address to Congress was to explain A. how the United States could build merchant ships for Germany. B. how the United States could come to a reasonable diplomatic compromise with Germany. C. reasons why the United States should declare war on Germany. D. reasons that the United States would no longer be conducting commerce with Germany.
