Causes For American Involvement In WWII
Causes for American Involvement in WWII
Chanda Malone
HIS - 125
September 14, 2014
Niccolina Mariconi
Causes for American Involvement in WWII
There were numerous reasons that played a factor of why America should have been involved within the conflict of World War II. Similarly the United States had numerous reasons for maintaining a neutral standpoint in regard to the war.
The economy was still suffering from the depression and in addition to fear of what war would do to the economy the United States Government had enacted a series of laws in the 1930’s designed to prevent the United States from being embroiled in a foreign war by clearly stating terms of U.S. neutrality. However this did create a movement of growing
isolationist that claimed the United States should remain neutral of future wars and avoid financial deals with countries at war. The Neutrality Act of 1939 allowed belligerents to purchase war material from the United States, but only as “cash and carry” basis.
During the war the United States began to provide aid to other nations in their support and supplies and so grew the involvement of the United States in the war, even though the United States did not enter the war until December of 1941, this was called the Lend-Lease Act of 1941. While the involvement of the United States in World War II had clearly began to grow, even though the sentiment around the nation was to avoid the war, it was clear that the involvement was getting closer and closer.
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack lasted about two hours but left complete devastation. More than 2,000 American soldiers and sailors died and another 1,000 were wounded. Following the attack Franklin D. Roosevelt requested Congress to declare war on Japan; Congress approved his declaration with just one dissenting vote. Three days following the declaration of war on Japan by the United States, the Japanese allies, Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States.
References
Schultz, K. M. (2012). HIST2, volume 2 (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
Chanda Malone
HIS - 125
September 14, 2014
Niccolina Mariconi
Causes for American Involvement in WWII
There were numerous reasons that played a factor of why America should have been involved within the conflict of World War II. Similarly the United States had numerous reasons for maintaining a neutral standpoint in regard to the war.
The economy was still suffering from the depression and in addition to fear of what war would do to the economy the United States Government had enacted a series of laws in the 1930’s designed to prevent the United States from being embroiled in a foreign war by clearly stating terms of U.S. neutrality. However this did create a movement of growing
isolationist that claimed the United States should remain neutral of future wars and avoid financial deals with countries at war. The Neutrality Act of 1939 allowed belligerents to purchase war material from the United States, but only as “cash and carry” basis.
During the war the United States began to provide aid to other nations in their support and supplies and so grew the involvement of the United States in the war, even though the United States did not enter the war until December of 1941, this was called the Lend-Lease Act of 1941. While the involvement of the United States in World War II had clearly began to grow, even though the sentiment around the nation was to avoid the war, it was clear that the involvement was getting closer and closer.
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack lasted about two hours but left complete devastation. More than 2,000 American soldiers and sailors died and another 1,000 were wounded. Following the attack Franklin D. Roosevelt requested Congress to declare war on Japan; Congress approved his declaration with just one dissenting vote. Three days following the declaration of war on Japan by the United States, the Japanese allies, Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States.
References
Schultz, K. M. (2012). HIST2, volume 2 (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning