Neutrality Acts
❖ Megan C. & Thalia C.
A6
Why Neutrality Acts?
❖ President Woodrow Wilson
➢ U.S gov. enacted series of laws designed
to prevent the U.S. from being embroiled
in a foreign war
➢ fueled a growing “isolationist” movement
■ Argued the U.S. should steer clear of
future wars and remain neutral by
avoiding financial deals with countries
at war
Neutrality Act 1930’s
❖ mid 1930’s events in Europe and Asia indicated that a new
world war might erupt
❖ Americans traveling on ships were at their own risks
❖ Aug. 31st, 1935 Congress passed first Act
➢ prohibiting the exports of arms, ammunition, and
implements of war from the U.S. to foreign nations at
war
❖ Feb 29th 1936, Congress renewed the Act until May 1937
➢ prohibited Americans from extending any loans to
belligerent nations
Neutrality Act 1937
❖ January 1937, U.S. legislated against the arms trade to
either side in the Spanish Civil war
❖ passed in May of 1937
❖ extended the prohibition against trading with
belligerents
❖ would also include civil wars in general
❖ strengthened the rule on belligerent ships by forbidding
travel upon American citizens upon them
Neutrality Act 1939
❖ repealed the previous acts
❖ reinstated cash-and-carry sales to
belligerents
➢ cash-and-carry: pertained to materials
that could not be used in war efforts
❖ American ships and citizens were outlawed
from entering war zones
❖ National Munitions control board issued
licenses for all arms transactions
Neutrality Acts wrap up
❖ didn’t want the same mistakes of WW1 to repeat
❖ used to separate from European conflicts as much
as possible
❖ during early 1940’s neutrality acts had been
forgotten about
❖ October 27, 1941, FDR called for a total defense
effort against Germany
❖ after Pearl Harbor, U.S. was fully involved with
WWII
➢ no more neutrality acts in work
Work Cited
1. Neutrality Acts. (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2014,http://www.u-shistory.com/about.html?
2. From Neutrality to War: The United States and Europe, 1921–1941 |
EDSITEment. September 9, 2014, from
http://edsitement.neh.gov/curriculum-unit/neutrality-war-united-states-andeurope-1921-1941
3. The Neutrality Acts, 1930s - 1921–1936 - Milestones - Office of the
Historian.September 9,2014
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/neutrality-acts
4.
Neutrality Acts (Neutrality Acts). September 9,2014
http://constitution.laws.com/neutrality-acts