Why did they choose to this course of action

the answer to your question is:

strong-mayor system

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.

our current president donald trump

the causes of the dust bowls were severe droughts,   lands became dry and hard, temperature was higher than usual, hot and dry conditions killed crops, high winds. because of those factors, the winds kicked up dry soil and created clouds of dust.