Why was it difficult for the united states to stay neutral during the first part of world war i?

The majority of Americans felt that the United States should stay out of World War I because it was not a signatory to any of the agreements that had lured the European powers into conflict across the continent, so President Woodrow Wilson declared a neutrality policy, attempting instead to broker a peace agreement.
The U.S. had a close relationship with Great Britain, and the war interfered with trade.