America in World War II

1. America in World War II

2. Background: 1920s America • In the post-war “return to normality”, Republican Presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover De-Regulate the economy, removing laws governing financial institutions. • Because of the new, risky practices on Wall Street (wild speculation, buying on the margin, overproduction of goods), the stock market catastrophically crashes on 10/29/1929

3. Background: 1930s America • The resulting “Great Depression” effects the trade networks of the entire world. • Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected in 1932, and begins to institute radical policies to ease the pain of the depression: the “New Deal” • Massive public works projects • Government assistance to the poor • Social Security, etc…

4. Depression Era Isolationism • FDR’s “Good Neighbor Policy” – the U.S. voluntarily renounced the use of military force in the Western Hemisphere (ex: Platt Amendment repealed) • The “Nye Committee” (1934) investigates munitions manufacturers’ profits from WWI, creating or reinforcing Americans’ isolationist sentiments

5. Isolation by Law • Neutrality Act of 1935 - Imposed a general embargo on trading in arms and war materials with all parties in a war. • Neutrality Act of 1936 – Renewed previous act, also forbid loans to warring nations. • Neutrality Act of 1937 – Renewed previous acts, also banned U.S. citizens from travelling on ships of warring nations. HOWEVER:

6. Isolation erodes… • Neutrality Act of 1937 also known as “Cash and Carry” policy. Allows [non-military] trading w/ warring nations as long as they pay CASH and use their own ships to pick up goods. • Neutrality Act of 1939 – Extends “Cash and Carry” to include weapons/munitions.

7. “All aid short of war” • By the summer of 1940, France had fallen to Nazi Germany. • On 9/2/40 the U.S. agreed to give Britain 50 old destroyers in exchange for permission to build military bases on British territory in the Western Hemisphere. • Concerned isolationists form the “America First Committee”, a lobby to block further aid to Britain.

8. “All aid short of war” • The America First Committee was 800,000 strong and included celebrities like Charles Lindbergh. • Aid to our allies was a central theme of the Presidential Campaign of 1940. Both candidates favored aid, FDR favored aid strongly. • FDR “Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars.”

9. Preparing the nation for war • Office of Naval Intelligence director receives McCollum’s memo concerning Japanese activities in the Pacific, suggesting war might be unavoidable. (OCT 1940) • Lend/Lease act of 1941 - allowed the U.S. to sell, lend or give war materials to nations the administration (FDR) wanted to support. • December 7th, 1941- Pearl Harbor Attacked

10. Preparing the nation for war • Executive order #9066: set up military zones and allowed for the “exclusion” of any or all persons. Led to the internment of 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry. • Executive order #8802: the first equal opportunity/anti-discrimination act of the USFG. It made discrimination based on race illegal against workers in ANY defense related industry.