1. Neutrality Acts
Megan C. & Thalia C. A6

2. Why Neutrality Acts? President Woodrow Wilson
U.S gov. enacted series of laws designed to prevent the U.S. from being embroiled in a foreign war
fueled a growing “isolationist” movement
Argued the U.S. should steer clear of future wars and remain neutral by avoiding financial deals with countries at war

3. Neutrality Act 1930’s
mid 1930’s events in Europe and Asia indicated that a new world war might erupt
Americans traveling on ships were at their own risks
Aug. 31st, 1935 Congress passed first Act
prohibiting the exports of arms, ammunition, and implements of war from the U.S. to foreign nations at war
Feb 29th 1936, Congress renewed the Act until May 1937
prohibited Americans from extending any loans to belligerent nations

4. Neutrality Act 1937
January 1937, U.S. legislated against the arms trade to either side in the Spanish Civil war
passed in May of 1937
extended the prohibition against trading with belligerents
would also include civil wars in general
strengthened the rule on belligerent ships by forbidding travel upon American citizens upon them

5. Neutrality Act 1939 repealed the previous acts
reinstated cash-and-carry sales to belligerents
cash-and-carry: pertained to materials that could not be used in war efforts
American ships and citizens were outlawed from entering war zones
National Munitions control board issued licenses for all arms transactions

6. Neutrality Acts wrap up
didn’t want the same mistakes of WW1 to repeat
used to separate from European conflicts as much as possible
during early 1940’s neutrality acts had been forgotten about
October 27, 1941, FDR called for a total defense effort against Germany
after Pearl Harbor, U.S. was fully involved with WWII
no more neutrality acts in work

7. Work Cited
Neutrality Acts. (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2014,
From Neutrality to War: The United States and Europe, 1921–1941 | EDSITEment. September 9, 2014, from
The Neutrality Acts, 1930s – Milestones - Office of the Historian.September 9,2014
4. Neutrality Acts (Neutrality Acts). September 9,2014