Louis. However, that does not mean that his response, or rather lack thereof, did a fair job at reflecting the U.S.’s response to the Holocaust. While it can be said by many that the U.S. did little to help in terms of the Holocaust it can also be said that they did as much as they could. The U.S. filled its quota of German immigrants, whether or not those immigrants were victims of the Holocaust could not be determined by the U.S. itself. However, FDR’s response did illustrate the element of indifference that many of the U.S.’s citizens posed when it came to the issue of European…
In aforementioned letter to Governor Herbert Lehman, he foolishly wrote, “I believe that the department of state have had no other desire than to carry out the immigration duties placed upon them by the immigration acts of 1924” (Document 1). Roosevelt, as of 1935 when this letter was written, believed that the state department was doing every possible thing it could to save jews in Europe. This could be true, but even without Breckenridge Long, the anti-semitic assistant Secretary of State that would later be appointed and intentionally deny visas to jews based on red tape, the State Department was still remarkably anti-semitic. The fact that the president wrote that he merely “believed” the state department was not up to no good leads one to believe that he did no verification while looking into them. He simply operated on a false assumption that all would comply. And this assumption cost millions their lives. Once Breckenridge Long was appointed in 1940, the denial of visas became verified and systematic. In a damning memo, written soon after he was appointed in 1940, but hidden from all but the state department, he advised to, “[P]ostpone and postpone and postpone the granting of the visas” (Film) in order to keep jews out. This was a major scandal in the administration, but it should have been seen coming, given Breckenridge’s history. Edward Stettinius, Undersecretary of State at…
The 1920s was the Golden Age of spending and newfound prosperity. Newfound prosperity was represented by the automobile. Automobiles “in the first decade of the twentieth century, were considered rich men’s playthings. They were handmade and expensive.” (Kunstler 88). Soon, Henry Ford created the Model T, “a very reliable machine that ‘the great multitude’ could afford to buy… and by the summer of 1916… Ford offered the same models for $345 and $360. That year he produced 738,811 cars.” (Kunstler 89). The rise of the automobile changed American life in the 1920s because it created new architecture, altered…
After the worlds wars, America was different then everyone else. They were not affected by the war like the other nations in Europe. The devastation wasn’t as prominent in the U.S. like it was everywhere else. This created a specific sensation in the actions of America, specifically the political, social, and cultural ideas, and their foreign policy.…
During the 19th and 20th century the conflicts surrounding the United States transformed the U.S into a world power with ties to many different country and transformed the American society from their isolationist outlook to an imperialist and nationalist outlook while acting out of their own interest. In an excerpt from Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, in 1904, it states, word for word that “we have acted in our own interest as well as in the interest of humanity at large”. The phrase shows how America has changed from before the Spanish-American war in which America liberated Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The phrase shows that they are starting to get involved in conflicts, and they are starting to rise and become…
The 1910s and 1920s were two important decades consisting of many significant events from World War One to Canada gaining its independence. For my radio segments, I chose to talk about the Battle of Ypres and sinking of the Lusitania. Firstly, I chose to report about the second battle that occurred at Ypres, Belgium in 1915 because it was one of first times that Canadians fought Europeans and fought well no matter the circumstances. In the 1910s, people valued bravery immensely because it was a sign of masculinity and virility. Men used to sign up for the war solely to not feel left out or inferior in terms of fortitude. In the Battle of Ypres, Canadian troops counterattacked the Germans to close the gap created by the poison gas and the soldiers held the line long enough for…
In 1929 the State Department began to strictly enforce all immigration laws. During this time many Jews were fleeing Germany in search of a safe haven which they were usually denied here in the United States. It is found, “After World War II began in 1939, American consuls…
The 20th century marked a critical period for the United States especially during the 1930's and the induction of War World II. Not only was the United States affected economically and politically. The confrontations created among countries also constructed changes in the views of the American society in regards to the U.S involvement in War World II. Americans believed that there needed to be changed in the way that the U.S government reacted towards such conflicts with the sole purpose of protecting America from economic, political and physical damage. However, there were distinctive arguments in regards to what policy should be applied.…
However, it was proposed that the U.S. government, working through neutral government or the Vatican could have pressed Germany to release the Jews, demonstrating to the Nazis and to the world that the United States was committed to liberating the Jews. This, as a purely diplomatic action, would have done nothing to impede the war effort. However it was also speculated by the time the United States had indisputable evidence of the concentration camps, the American government could have achieved little in an attempted rescue. War conditions made rescue difficult, as did the Nazi’s determination to exterminate the Jews. And by the summer of ’42, two million Jews had already been massacred and the killing was continuing at a swift velocity. Rescuing millions, at the time, may have been impossible but without the ‘war effort’ excuse, tens of thousands could have been…
America’s change through the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s Throughout history the United States has seen so many drastic changes. These changes have been seen in many of the decades like the 1920’s, 1930’s ,and 1940’s. Through these years the United States has seen drastic changes in policies for things such war, economy, and social views and in the political field. These decades were some of the most important years of American history.…
Throughout the 1800s America has changed in a lot of ways even though some were small changes some were significant America still changed. America changed socially, politically and technology America changed socially in so many ways. On of the ways America changed socially was during the civil war. The civil war was a war that was fought to end slavery. When slavery ended many slaves were still slaves and they still had no right to vote.…
Change, something we want but doesn’t always come easy to us. Positive change is what can improve conditions, lives and in turn increase the happiness of a person. America in 1900 was a place needing improvement. Something needed to be done but people had a difference in opinion of how effectively execute actions that would bring change. The expansion of government power and power of the president caused the necessary change needed in the progressive era.…
The 1930s were a period of confusion Isolation. The first World War left Americans feeling distraught; not wanting to experience a number of lives lost again. World War I, in the beginning, stimulated growth in the economy for a short term. At the end of the war, the growth was short-lived as it was built upon the same conditions that brought about the Great Depression. The cost of losing more lives and the cost of going to war became too risky for Americans. It seemed better to focus on themselves then the problems of other countries. With the coming of the second World War, the U.S. wanted to remain isolationist, but the current president, Roosevelt felt otherwise. The relationship between Germany, Japan, and the United States became even…
In 1939, during the War in Germany with the Nazis, the United States made it difficult for Jews to get visas due to the fear that the Nazis would send spies into the country. Martin Niemoller, a German…
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