The Lend and Lease Act & Cash
and Carry
By: Sarah Sakian
Who?
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President Roosevelt wanted to aid Europe in WWII because he was strongly antiNazi. So, he convinced congress to pass Cash and Carry and next the Lend and
Lease Act.
Americans were divided on US neutrality in the war.
– Isolationists
• US shouldn’t make alliances with other countries
• US needs to center its attention on domestic affairs
• US stay completely neutral, getting involved in WWII would be a mistake like
WWI
– Interventionists
•
•
•
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US should start to get ready for War
Believed the Axis powers were wrong and were a threat to American ways
Nations should work together to keep the world safe
US should aid any nation that is democratic
What?
• Cash and Carry was a provision in the Neutrality Act of 1939. This allowed
nations at war to buy goods and arms in the United States ONLY if they
could pay cash for it and carry the supplies on their own ships back to
their country.
– British Navy had most control over sea’s so this was a huge help to Allies.
• The Lend and Lease act was establish because Britain's funds for cash and
carry were running out and could no longer afford aid. It allowed
Roosevelt to sell, transport, or lend equipment to countries who needed
help defending itself against Axis powers.
When and Where?
• When
– Cash and Carry was made in 1939
– Lend and Lease Act was made on January 6, 1941
• Where
– Both these policies aided the Soviet Union and
Europe.
• Now that the US is helping the Allied powers, Roosevelt
and prime minister Churchill met to discuss Hitler’s
defeat. They came up with the Atlantic Charter which
secured safety for all nations against Axis powers.
Why?
•
Many Americans viewed our involvement in WWI as a mistake and didn’t want to
make that mistake again, so, to stay neutral Congress made a Neutrality Act
– Its stated that Americans couldn’t use or sail on ships that were owned by
nations at war or make loans and sell supplies.
• Things began to happen that would lead to US involvement
•
– The Japanese had killed 3 American sailors and Sank US gunboat Panay in
Chang River
– Britain and France had now joined the war because they didn’t want Hitler to
gain control of any more countries
• Winston Churchill thought, “The fight against Hitler was more than a
European struggle, Nazis threatened freedoms and rights of democratic
nations.”
Roosevelt wanted to help out Europe without actually getting involved in war to
remain neutral, so he went to congress and established the Neutrality Act of 1939
which included Cash and Carry.
– However, Europe was running out of funds for Cash and Carry aid, so
Roosevelt went to congress again and established the Lend and Lease Act.
How?
•
Roosevelt made speeches
– In a speech after the incident in Japan he said, “We are determined to keep
out of war, yet we cannot insure ourselves against disastrous effects of war.”
– January 6, 1941 he made a speech about “four freedoms” which are speech,
worship, want and fear and how they were all threatened by the Nazis.
– He also made a statement where he said you wouldn’t refuse your neighbor a
fire hose if there house was on fire.
• Edward R. Murrow was a reporter that Americans listened to on the radio.
Once he made a report while the blitz was going on informing listeners
that Germans weren’t only bombing army and military sites but citizens as
well.
Picture
•This is a picture of an
elephant who isn’t sure
if he should side with
the Lend-Lease Act or
the Republicans on
either side of him.
(Charles R. McNary and
Joseph W. Martin)
"United States Congress Major Acts ." Lend-Lease Act 1941. Web. 25 Mar 2010.
<http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lawsandacts.com/i/laa/img013
1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://lawsandacts.com/lend-lease-act&usg=__y0XkwrcNPC4_NDVQq3adbrxS48=&h=280&w=337&sz=26&hl=en&start=2&um=1&itb
s=1&tbnid=PzK4ZTqAqX0VqM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlen
d%2Blease%2Bact%2B1941%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%
3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1>.
Video/pictures
Significance to the war
• The Lend/Lease Act was significant to the war
because the Unites States have remain neutral
so far in the war, but by making this act they
joined the war without using armed forces.
Overview
• Cash and Carry allowed any nation at war to buy
goods and arms in the United States if they paid
cash and carried it back to their country on their
own ships. This was a huge help to the Allies.
• However, Britain could no longer pay for aid so
the Lend and Lease Act was created. This let
Roosevelt “LEND” equipment to countries that
needed help defending themselves against Axis
powers.
Highlights/ Quiz
1. Who said, “If a neighbor asked to borrow your fire hose to
put out the fire, you would not debate the issues or try to
sell the hose.”
2. Fill in the blank
1.
The Lend and Lease Act helped the _______ powers defend
themselves against the ________ powers.
Work Cited Page
(MLA Citations)
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Text Book: Lapsansky-Werner, Emma J. United States History, Reconstruction to the
Present. Boston, Massacusetts: Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
Simkin, John. "Lend and Lease." Spartacus Educational. byteachers.org, 2003.
Web. 28 Mar 2010. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/>.
"The Lend-Lease Act." uboat.net. American Public University, April 6, 2009. Web.
28 Mar 2010. <http://uboat.net/allies/documents/lend-lease.htm>.