Question

why were united states citizens angered by the sinking of the british ship the lusitania? (choose all that apply) * 5 points
true false
there were 128 american citizens on board that were killed
o o
they had an agreement with britain to fight
o o
there were goods and weapons on board that were meant to be delivered to the us
o o
because the united states was upset over the senseless loss of life
o o
us was a neutral country who was still trying to do business with european countries
o o

Explanation:

• When the Lusitania was sunk, 128 American citizens died. This direct loss of American lives angered U.S. citizens.
• The U.S. was a neutral country at the time, still engaged in business with European countries. The attack on a ship (even a British one) while the U.S. was neutral and just trying to conduct normal business (in a sense, as ships like the Lusitania were part of trans - Atlantic travel and trade) was seen as an affront.
• The senseless loss of life in general (not just American, but the overall tragedy) also contributed to the anger as it violated basic norms of warfare (if not in a legal sense, then in a moral - public opinion sense).
• There was no prior agreement for the U.S. to fight with Britain at the time of the Lusitania sinking.
• The Lusitania was a passenger ship, and while there may have been some contraband (a point of debate), the main issue that angered U.S. citizens was the loss of life (especially American) and the violation of neutrality (in terms of the U.S. being a neutral trading nation).

Answer:

• "there were 128 American citizens on board that were killed" - True
• "they had an agreement with Britain to fight" - False
• "there were goods and weapons on board that were meant to be delivered to the US" - False (main issue was loss of life and neutrality violation, not primary weapon delivery to US)
• "because the United States was upset over the senseless loss of life" - True
• "US was a neutral country who was still trying to do business with European countries" - True