What policies prevented the US from entering World War 1 in the early years of the war?

In the early years of World War I, the United States maintained a policy of neutrality, guided by the belief in isolationism and a desire to avoid entanglement in European conflicts. The Neutrality Acts aimed to keep the U.S. out of the war by restricting arms sales and loans to belligerent nations. Additionally, public sentiment was largely against involvement in foreign wars, as many Americans were either indifferent or sympathetic to the plight of nations involved. It wasn't until factors like unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman Telegram that U.S. policy shifted towards intervention.