Resource Information for Mrs. Urbach's WW II Multi-genre Project

Topic: Moving from Isolationism to Involvement

Suggested Thesis:
The attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, melted any meaningful isolationist arguments and thrust shocked Americans into a war they had hoped to avoid.

How your 5 projects must support your thesis:
Your projects much show how many Americans wanted to remain isolationists. Then contrast it with how the bombing of Pearl Harbor thrust the country into a war that they attempted to avoid. It is important to convey that Americans no longer held on to their isolationist feelings after Pearl Harbor.

Research Sources

Charles Lindbergh's Noninterventionist Efforts & America First Committee Involvement Charles Lindbergh provided Americans with a portrait of the European war that differed substantially from the one conceived by the Roosevelt administration...

Charles Lindbergh's Des Moines Speech: Delivered in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 11, 1941, this speech was met with outrage in many quarters

America First The America First Committee, created in September 1940, was not only against entry into the war. It also opposed aid to European allies.

Dr. Seuss Went to War: A Catalog of Political Cartoons: Dr. Seuss was haunted by the war in Europe. He was opposed to Lindbergh and the America First Committee. Many of his political cartoons reflect his opposition to Lindbergh and the American First Committee.

Against Isolationism: James F. Byrnes Refutes Lindbergh The destruction wrought in World War I (known in the 1920s and 1930s as the “Great War”) and the cynical nationalist politics of the Versailles Treaty had left Americans disillusioned with the Wilsonian crusade to save the world for democracy. In a May 19, 1940, radio speech, Senator James F. Byrnes of South Carolina refuted Lindbergh’s position, specifically rebutting a speech Lindbergh had given on military spending.

The America First Committee It turned out enthusiastic rallies and so on.

This address was delivered by Lindbergh at an America First Committee meeting in New York City on April 23, 1941

“An Independent Destiny for America”: Charles A. Lindbergh on Isolationism The interwar peace movement was arguably the largest mass movement of the 1920s and 1930s

Isolationism PPT This PowerPoint provides information pertaining to supporters of isolationism and those who opposed it.

End to Isolationism and Entry into War After winning reelection, FDR felt confident in stepping up American aid to the Allies. He pushed for passage of the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941, which allowed the president to lend or lease supplies to any nation deemed “vital to the defense of the United States,” such as Britain. FDR extended lend-lease aid to the Soviet Union after Germany invaded in November 1941.

Isolation and Appeasement Fail The attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, obliterated any meaningful isolationist arguments and thrust shocked Americans into a war they had desperately hoped to avoid.

America and World War II, Isolationism vs. Internationalism Most Americans of the 1930s recoiled from involvement in the European conflict; they favored U.S. isolationism, and many supported pacifism. . . as conflict spread abroad, Americans discarded their neutral stance.

American Isolationism During the 1920's and 1930's, America was in isolation, i.e. she kept to herself and took little part in international relations.

The America First Committee (AFC) The AFC influenced public opinion through publications and speeches and within a year the organization had 450 local chapters and over 800,000 members. The AFC was dissolved four days after the Japanese Air Force attacked Pearl Harbor on 7th December, 1941.

Charles A. Lindbergh In the years following his return, Lindbergh slowly alienated himself from the Administration and the American people. He joined one of the strongest Noninterventionist groups, the American First Committee, in April 1941, and became a major figure in its campaign to keep the U.S. neutral. The crunch came with a series of radio talks in which Lindbergh warned against supporting the Allies because of a perceived German conquest of Europe. His stature among Americans was seen as a powerful counterweight to FDR.'s attempt to support the Allies " short of war. "

Why did the United States enter World War II? America tried to stay neutral, yet in the face of impending war we slowly become more involved.

The Departure from Isolationism: A Legal Analysis of FDR's Role in Coaxing the U.S. into WWII

Isolationism vs. Internationalism/Interventionism

Ideas and Movements America First Committee