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The Nye Committee Ruling
The Nye Committee investigated the accusations that had sprung up about how arms manufacturers had tricked the U.S into entering World War I. After they found that these arms manufacturers had made very large profits from the war, more Americans turned to isolationism. -
Neutrality Acts
There were 3 Neutrality Acts. One in 1935, one in 1936, and one in 1937. The first made it illegal to sell arms to any country at war (in light of the Nye Committee's findings). The second extended this ban as well as banning loans to nations at war. The third required all nonmilitary supplies to be bought from the U.S on a Cash and Carry basis. -
Start of WWII
The war started with the Nazi invasion of Poland. This caused Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Shortly before the invasion, Hitler and Stalin made The Nazi-Soviet Pact. -
Destroyers for Bases
In 1940, Britain asked the U.S to lend them some old American destroyers. Roosevelt used a loophole in the Neutrality Acts, and traded 50 ships for America's use of British bases, as opposed to involving a sale. This changed some American's point of view, and caused them to support limited aid to America's allies. -
Lend-Lease Act
Great Britain ran out of funds for the war, so Roosevelt proposed the Lend-Lease Act. This act let other countries (that were vital for America's protection) borrow weapons and return them after the war, or rent them. -
Hemispheric Defense Zone
Britain was struggling to stop Germany from sinking their ships. Roosevelt did what he could to help them, though it was difficult since the U.S was still neutral. He ended up declaring that the western half of the Atlantic was neutral. Roosevelt was able to help reveal the locations of German subs to the British. -
The Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was an agreement between Roosevelt and Churchill, that stated they were both committed to democracy, nonaggression, free trade, economic advancement, and freedom of the seas after the war. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
On December 7, the Japanese surprise attacked Pear Harbor. Officials didn't think they would attack Hawaii, due to the distance between Hawaii and Japan. There were over 3,000 casualties. This was the event that convinced Roosevelt that U.S had to join the war.