Happy Monday Folks!
• Have a seat and get ready to go over your
Great Depression/New Deal Tests.
Today’s Objective
Analyze the changing position of the United
States from neutrality to entry into World War II.
Ask yourself: What events brought the US into
the Second World War?
The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor- Hawaii
December 7, 1941
Pearl Harbor Attack Scene
Roosevelt's Address to Congress
World War II
American Entry
US Neutrality
Between WWI and WWII the US was neutral.
We did not want to fight.
US Neutrality
Between WWI and WWII the US was neutral.
We did not want to fight.
“The great rule of
conduct for us in
regard to foreign
nations is, in extending
our commercial
relations, to have with
them as little political
connection as
possible.”
Neutrality Acts: 1935, 1936, 1937
Designed to keep us out of war
5 When the President proclaimed the existence of a foreign
war, certain restrictions would automatically go into effect:
 Prohibited sales of arms to warring nations.
 Prohibited loans and credits to warring nations.
 Forbade Americans to travel on vessels of nations at war
[in contrast to WWI—Lusitania, Sussex…].
 Non-military goods must be purchased on a “cash-and-
carry” basis  countries must pay in cash when they
up goods from the United States.
5
This would prevent the President from getting the military
involved in foreign conflict.
5
America in the 1930s declined to build up its forces!
1939 Neutrality Act…we decide to
help out the Allies a little more…
5
Hitler and the Germans invaded Poland…
5
FDR persuades Congress in special session to allow the
US to aid European democracies in a limited way:
 The US could sell weapons to the European
democracies on a “cash-and-carry” basis.
5
Results of the 1939 Neutrality Act:
 The US economy improved as European demands
for war goods helped bring the country out of
the
1937-38 recession.
 America becomes the “Arsenal of Democracy.”
“Lend-Lease” Act (1941)
Great Britain.........................$31 billion
Soviet Union...........................$11 billion
France......................................$ 3 billion
China.......................................$1.5 billion
Other European.................$500 million
South America...................$400 million
The amount totaled: $48,601,365,000
The Allies really need
US help…so we
decide to start selling
military aid to Allied
nations.
US is slowly creeping closer to war…
1. Neutrality Act of 1935 and 1937-US doesn’t sell
any weapons to Allies
2. Neutrality Act of 1939-US begins to
sell weapons to the Allies
3.Lend-Lease Act of 1941-US
gives military aid to Allied
nations…huge factor in Allied
victory
US is slowly creeping closer to war…
But we still don’t
officially enter the
war…we’re just
giving military aid
1.
Neutrality Act of 1935 and 1937-US doesn’t
sell any weapons to Allies
2. Neutrality Act of 1939-US begins
to sell weapons to the Allies
3. Lend-Lease Act of 1941-US
gives military aid to Allied
nations…huge factor in
Allied victory
Moving Towards War…
• Selective Training
and Service Act of
1940
– Strengthen military in
case of war
– First peacetime draft in
US history
Moving Towards War…
• FDR’s Four Freedoms
Speech in 1941
– Preparing the US
emotionally and morally
for a war
– Raising public support for
the war
– Everybody should have
freedom…
1.
2.
3.
4.
…of speech
…of religion
…from want
…from fear
What finally brings us into war after all
these preparations??!!
Pearl Harbor
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Commander in Chief
of the Japanese
Armed Forces during
World War II…
…studied at Harvard
University
Pearl Harbor – Dec. 7, 1941
A date which will live in infamy!
Pearl Harbor from the
Cockpit of a Japanese Plane
USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor Memorial
2,887 Americans Dead!
FDR Signs the War
Declaration
The Pearl Harbor attack
finally pushes the US to
officially enter the war…
Going to war?
• Wars we have seen up to now...
Spanish-American War
World War I
Plains Indian Wars
Philippine Insurrection (?)
World War II and American Neutrality
World War I
• Unpopular war among
many people
• Government needed large
propaganda campaign to
convince people to support
it…
World War II
• Most people do NOT want
to enter it…
• US passes Neutrality Acts to
prevent itself from getting
involved
 No trading with nations at
war
Roosevelt feels US
eventually needs to
join the war
Eventually, he will
want the country to
join the war
How do presidents
persuade a people
to join a war they
don’t want to fight?
Many Americans
don’t want to trade
with warring nations
(might draw US into
war…)
FDR insists that US
should begin a
program of LendLease
Lend-lease=we give
supplies to Allied
powers, they promise
to return them after
the war
But how to convince the American people to
accept Lend-Lease?...