1. America Moves Toward War
What causes the US to enter WWII?

2. US Remains Neutral
1. Most Americans are anti-war, due to Nye Report that discussed problems of WW I
2. FDR pushes isolationism w/ Good Neighbor Policy in Latin Am
3. US signs Kellogg-Briand pact saying it won’t make war our national policy
4. Congress passes Neutrality Acts – no sale of weapons or loans to countries at war
But FDR orders manufacture of weapons, selling weapons to China (no formal war) and cash & carry program

4. Neutral or Arsenal of Democracy?
Despite official neutrality, FDR & Congress begin preparing for war (shouldn’t US help defend democracy?)
I. Cash-and-Carry, 1939: warring nations could buy US weapons but must pay cash & transport weapons
II. FDR’s Four Freedoms Speech, 1941: 1. Freedom of Speech 2. Freedom of worship 3. Freedom from want 4. Freedom from fear
III. Lend-Lease Act ,1941: lend or lease weapons & supplies to “any country whose defense was vital to the U.S.”
IV. Atlantic Charter ,1941: FDR & Churchill meet to discuss post-war Europe

5. Far East Relations Break Timeline
1931: Japan attacked Chinese Manchuria
US would not recognize new Japanese territories
1937: Japanese “Rape of Nanking (China)”  300,000 Chinese murdered (genocide)
- still no immediate US action
early 1940s: US more aggressive approach toward Japan
- froze Japanese assets
- restrict trade of oil
- supplied China war materials to resist

6. Leading to Pearl Harbor
late-1941: negotiations with Japan ended
“Magic” (decoding device) intercepted Japanese radio transmission  ending diplomacy on 11/25/1941
prepared for Japanese attack (but where?)
Japanese goals for attack:
- capture US island holdings
- cripple US Pacific Fleet before retaliation
- force recognition of new order in East Asia
* not to conquer US or force abandonment of Hawaii

7. Attack on Pearl Harbor
12/7/1941 “day of infamy”  bombing of Pearl Harbor
- almost 3,000 Americans killed
- 6 battleships destroyed or unseaworthy
- most ground planes severely damaged
public blindsided (newspaper focus had been on Europe)
next day Congress approved FDR’s war declaration
- only one dissenting vote
two decades of isolationism ended