The Lusitania and the American Public Response : a newspaper narrative.

Abstract

Since the First World War erupted on 4 August 1914, historians have been documenting the conflict and outbreak of war via writing books, conducting archival research, producing films, etc. In the 1920's following the conclusion of the war initial studies focused on the Crisis of 1914. Specifically, historians focused on the diplomatic and political aspects as well as who was primarily responsible for the outbreak of war. Eventually, historians would shift their focus to the soldiers themselves, researching and documenting their experiences during the war. The research conducted for this thesis focuses on the sinking of the Lusitania liner on 7 May 1915 and the American public response to the incident by examining newspapers from across the United States and their coverage of the sinking. Thesis chapters will include information obtained from the Northeast, South, Midwest, and American West to conduct thorough research and acquire general opinions throughout the country. Working on the assumption that German-Americans had a decisive impact on media coverage, newspapers from states with high and low German-American populations are examined, resulting in well-rounded research.