Isolationism
Why?
● America had a history of an
Isolationist mindset
● President Washington warned
America of “Foreign
Entanglements”
● Napoleonic War- President
Madison engaged in and the
end was not favorable for
America
Why?
● America was geographically
separated from Europe by the
Pacific Ocean
● Great Depression- Many
Americans wanted to focus
on domestic problems
● Afraid of another World War
During WW1
● Submarine warfare against
American ships
caused the US to abandon neutrality for
the first time
● After the war ended, the US went
back to an isolationist mindset
● The US failed to become a member
of the League of Nations
During WWII
● President Roosevelt said that
America was a“Arsenal of
Democracy”
● Good Neighbor Policy was
implemented by Roosevelt
● Roosevelt Corollary an act that gave
the U.S the “right” to interfere in Latin
American affairs was renounced.
Acts/Laws passed because of
● Hawley-Smoot
IsolationismTariff June 1930 raised
Tariffs to a high was to protect farmers
initially.
● Stimson Doctrine- Passed in 1932 was an
act of non-recognition of international
territorial changes that were by forced (i.e.
Japan)
● Reciprocal Trade Agreement of 1934 gave
the president the power to negotiate tariff
rates. He could do this without the approval
of congress.
Immigration Laws
● Quota Act of 1921 limited
immigration to 3% per nationality
of the 1910 census.
● Maximum yearly is set at 350,000
● National Origins Act of 1924
limited once again the amount of
immigrants to 2%
● Excluded Asians “completely”
Immigration Laws:
● Quota Act of 1929 limited the
ceiling to only 150, 000
● 70 percent were turned down
from western Europe
● Displaced persons Act 1948
allowed up to 400, 000 people
displaced by war into America
Bibliography
Independence Hall Association. "1930s Isolationism." ushistory.org.
http://www.ushistory.org/us/50a.asp (accessed September 9, 2014).
"World War II: Isolationist America." Second World War II campaigns.
http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/cou/us/ww2us-iso.html (accessed September 9, 2014).
"The Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act) - 1921–1936 - Milestones - Office
of the Historian." The Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act) - 1921–1936 Milestones - Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/milestones/19211936/immigration-act (accessed September 11, 2014).
"US Isolationism in the 1920s." US Isolationism in the 1920s.
http://www.andycrown.net/isolation.htm (accessed September 11, 2014).