 Ch 13 sec 3

 From the beginning Americans have wanted to stay out of world problems. George Washington had warned of getting involved with other countries, and that was the policy the U.S. took until World War 1.  After WW1, the U.S. did not join the League of Nations partly for that reason. People did not support anything that could possibly lead us into another foreign war.

 People were willing to defend the country against aggression, but they did not want to seek out problems in the world and get involved in them.  Roosevelt did not share this isolationist idea for the country. As totalitarian dictators began to gain more power and become more aggressive, he wanted to stand up to them.

 But his main concern was domestic problems and solving the economic issues in the country. Foreign policy was not a concern at the time.  Congress’ response to foreign policy was to pass the Neutrality Act that prevented the U.S. from having any economic dealings with countries who were at war.

 Problems at home did not go away, but issues around the world made Roosevelt move towards intervention.  When Italy invaded Ethiopia, Roosevelt wanted to put tough economic sanctions on Italy, but he knew that Congress would not support that.

 During the Spanish Civil War the U.S. tried to remain neutral, but people knew that would only help the Fascists, since they were supplied by Hitler and Mussolini.  When Japan invaded China in 1937, Roosevelt decided to do something. He gave a speech detailing the need to quarantine the problem countries to stop their spread.

 After the speech, Roosevelt became more aggressive in supporting countries under attack.  He asked for money to build more warships, and started the cash and carry policy, that allowed the U.S. to sell to countries at war if they paid cash and picked up the goods at American ports.

 He hoped this would help slow down Hitler, but it did not, and Roosevelt knew more needed to be done. He wanted to do anything possible, short of going to war.  Roosevelt ran for a third term in 1940, because he felt experience in the White House was needed to deal with everything that was happening.

 He wins, and for the first time in history a president serves more than 2 terms. Soon after Congress passes the Lend- Lease Act, that allows the U.S. to send weapons to Britain, whether or not they can pay.  Then, Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to the Atlantic Charter that stated the shared goals of the U.S. and Britain against Hitler.

 Even though many people were against getting involved in war, the country was acting more and more like a country that was already at war.  Ships were being attacked in the Atlantic as they brought supplies to Britain. German U-boats hit the destroyer Kearny, and sunk the destroyer Reuben James.

 Japan was a more direct threat to the U.S. than Germany. American officials knew that the Japanese were going to attack, but they did not know where.  They continued to negotiate with Japan, but were also warning their forces around the world to prepare for an attack.

 The Japanese had planned to attack Pearl Harbor for months, using aircraft carriers to approach from the north and attack.  The defense at Pearl Harbor was unorganized and not ready for an attack. There was no central commander for the defense, and no communication between forces to protect the base.

 The Japanese attacked early on December 7, 1941, and caught the Americans off guard. Most of the planes never got off the ground, and most of the ammunition for the guns was locked for security.  All the battleships were damaged, four were sunk. Over 2000 people died, and many of the aircraft were destroyed on the ground.

 Many people thought the next move for Japan was to invade the U.S. People in California reported seeing submarines off the coast. Barbed wire was strung along beaches.  Roosevelt had expected an attack, but also expected a declaration of war from Japan before. The Japanese ambassador delivered the declaration two hours after the attack.

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