America Moves Toward War

1. What did the 1939 Neutrality Act allow?
The 1939 Neutrality Act allowed warring nations to buy U.S. arms as long as they paid cash and transported them in their own ships.

2. Who were the Axis powers?
The Axis powers were Germany, Italy, and Japan. They signed a mutual defense treaty called the Tripartite Pact.

3. What did the Lend-Lease Act do?
The Lend-Lease Act was intended to help any country, whose defense was vital to the U.S., by lending or leasing arms and other supplies to them. Instead with the idea that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Roosevelt decided to help the U.S.S.R. and Stalin when Hitler decided to attack them.

4. What pledges were contained in the Atlantic Charter?
Britain and the United States pledged in the Atlantic Charter for collective security, disarmament, self-determination, economic cooperation, and freedom of the seas.

5. Who were the Allies?
The Allies were the twenty-six nations who fought against the Axis powers.

6. What did the attack at Pearl Harbor do to the U.S. Pacific fleet?
The attack at Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 Americans and wounded 1,178 more. The raid either sunk or damaged 21 ships, which included 8 battleships. This was nearly the entire U.S. Pacific fleet. Also more than 300 aircrafts were damaged or destroyed.

7. Why did Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S.?
Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. because the U.S. declared a war on Japan for bombing Pearl Harbor. Germany and Italy had to declare war because they signed the Tripartite Pact agreeing to help each other out in case of attack or war.