President woodrow wilson persuaded the american people to enter world war i by

President Woodrow Wilson used the Zimmerman Telegram as a way to convince Americans to favor entering World War I. The Zimmerman Telegram was supposed to be a secret note sent from Germany to Mexico. In this letter, Germany asked Mexico to be their ally. In return, Germany promised Mexico that when they won the war, they would give Mexico back land that they lost to the US during the Mexican-American War. This included modern day states like California, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Utah and Colorado.

Instead of going to Mexico, the Zimmerman Telegram was intercepted by the American intelligence agency. After reading this note and making it public, Wilson convinced Americans that they needed to get involved in this war. This was an easy sell to make, as the letter threatened America's national security.