"Isolationism" and FDR (1935 - 1941)

1. What were the goals of the isolationists? Why is "isolationism" a misleading term?
The goals of isolationists were to preserve peace and spread democracy and American values through example and not military means.
The term is misleading because it implies that the United States wanted to isolate itself completely from other nations. This was not the case because most isolationists supported foreign trade and certain bilateral agreements. Most of them also respected international laws that had been put into effect after WWI. Isolationists mainly wanted to stay out of war.


2. What did some isolationists feel that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia?
Some isolationists felt that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia because the United States was protected by the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean from the troubled countries. Also the U.S. had already formed friendly alliances with all other nations of the Western Hemisphere.


3. What were the purposes of the Nye Committee hearings?
The purpose of the Nye Committee was to investigate the reasons as why the U.S. entered WWI, in hopes of the public becoming aware of the reasons and keeping the U.S. out of trouble abroad. The Nye committee hearings uncovered that during WWI bankers were greedy and munitions-makers were highly unethical. They were accused of profiteering but there was no evidence to back this up. The hearings and newspaper reports still had their effect on the public because this caused Americans to be filled with anger and suspicion about big businesses and the banking industry. Inevitably the Nye Committee hearings increased the isolationist mood in the United States




4. List two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created.
A) that American soldiers had died in WWI because corporations, who were looking to turn a profit, had convinced President Wilson to go to war in 1917
B) anger and suspicion about big business and the banking industry were already high due to the Depression and some Americans worried that powerful business interests would again drag the country into war

5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?
The purposes of the Neutrality Acts were to prohibit shipping and carrying of arms to warring nations (in order to maintain neutrality), establish a National Munitions Board (in order to bring the armament industry under control of the government), next it prohibited the sale of all war materials (including steel and oil), then it prohibited American ships from sailing in war zones and forbade Americans from traveling on the ships of belligerents.

6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.
They worried about an intrusive government and an overly powerful presidency because of Roosevelt's New Deal program in response to the crumbling economy.

7. What was "Cash and Carry"?
"Cash and Carry" was the main part of the Neutrality Act of November 1939. This allowed the U.S. to continue trading with belligerents but required that the warring nations pay cash for what they wanted and that they carry the goods themselves.

8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?
President Roosevelt froze Japanese assets in the United States because Japan took French Indochina into their occupation. President Roosevelt thought he could stop further aggression from Japan by prohibiting the sale of fuel and scrap metal to them, but this had the opposite effect and caused Japan to take over Indochina for military occupation and general maintenance of its empire.




9. What was the purpose of the America First Committee?
The purpose of the America First Committee was to keep the United States out of war.