US Before the War

U.S. Moving Away from Neutrality 1939, Franklin Roosevelt convinced congress to revise the Neutrality Act. FDR persuaded Congress to pass a “cash-and carry” provision. Allowed warring nations to buy arms and weapons from the U.S. as long as they paid cash and transported them in their own ships. FDR asked Congress to increase spending for national defense. Congress also passed the Selective Training and Service Act (Draft). Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941. Under the Lend-Lease Plan the president would lend or lease arms and other supplies to “any country whose defense was vital to the United States” (Britain and Russia).

The Axis Powers (1940) September 7, 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact as a mutual defense treaty. Germany, Italy, and Japan were now the Axis Powers. Under the Tripartite Pact each Axis nation agreed to come to the defense of the others in case of attack. The Tripartite Pact’s goal was to keep the U.S. out of the war. June 1941, Hitler broke the nonaggression pact and invaded the Soviet Union.

German U-Boats Hitler deployed German submarines (U-boats) to attack supply ships. Groups of 40 submarines patrolled areas in the North Atlantic and attacked convoys of supply ships (wolf pack attacks). Could sink as much as 350,000 tons of shipments in a single month. September 1941, Roosevelt granted the navy permission for U.S. warships to attack German U-boats in self-defense.

Atlantic Charter Roosevelt and Churchill met secretly aboard the battleship USS Augusta. Churchill hoped for a U.S. military commitment, but instead settled for the Atlantic Charter–a joint declaration of goals for Post WWII Europe IF the U.S. should enter the war and the allies win AND how to maintain world wide peace after WWII. The Atlantic Charter also established the United Nations on paper. Allies: the nations that fought the Axis powers. The Big 3 were the U.S., Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. The Declaration of the United Nations was signed by 26 nations.

Public Opinion

Like the League of Nations, we were focused on getting through the Depression We also didn’t want to enter because we felt that it was a foreign affair

Remember this? Released March 1941, almost a year before Pearl Harbor Caused an uproar because at least 75% of Americans didn’t want to go to war Why would this be a concern?

Pearl Harbor

Japan Attacks Japan was led by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. Goal was to unite East Asia under Japanese rule. U.S. protested Japanese aggression by cutting off trade (oil embargo). December 7, 1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, the largest U.S. naval base in the Pacific. “A day that will live in infamy.” In less than 2 hours, the Japanese had killed 2,403 Americans (2,752 killed at 9/11) and wounded 1,178. 21 ships had been sunk or damaged, nearly the entire U.S. Pacific fleet. 300 airplanes destroyed. Congress quickly approved Roosevelt’s request for a declaration of war against Japan. 3 days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

The Bombing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LK2sRmffc0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BfKfDGRzbg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eml6lxlmjY