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Interwar Foreign Policy
The United States shifted its foreign policy drastically in the years that lead up to WWII. -
Neutrality Act of 1935
Imposed an embargo on selling arms to warring countries and declared a "cash and carry" policy -
Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies
A committee led by journalist William Allen White that believed in engaging with, rather than withdrawing from, international developments -
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Mobilization
The United States prepared their troops and county to engage in the ongoing war. -
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Military
Millions of Americans joined the war effort and fought for the protection of our country. -
"Four Freedoms" Speech
A speech given by Franklin D Roosevelt that stated the goals articulated by the United States. It included the new phrases: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. -
Lend-Lease Act
This was an act that allowed for the United States to provide weapons by lending or leasing them to any nation that the United States deemed of importance to the defense of their country. -
War with Japan (Pearl Harbor)
Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing more than 2,400 Americans. They destroyed or heavily damaged eight battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers, and almost two hundred airplanes. -
Day of Infamy Speech
A speech delivered by Franklin D Roosevelt following the Pearl Harbor attack. He stated that the attack on Pearl Harbor was an event that will be memorialized in history and that our country will never forget it. Following this, we declared war on Japan. -
War Production Board (WPB)
The WPB awarded defense contracts, allocated scarce resources – such as rubber, copper, and oil – for military uses, and persuaded businesses to convert to military production. This led much of the United States economy to be based around the war effort. -
Island Hopping
After the American victory at Midway, the United States began a campaign to get withing striking distance of Japan's home islands by seizing strategic locations in the Pacific. They did this by bypassing strongly held Japanese posts and isolated them with naval and air power. -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a U.S. government research project that produced the first atomic bomb. -
D-Day
A long-promised invasion of France on the beaches of Normandy. It was the largest armada ever assembled. Thousands died and terrible casualties were suffered to secure the beachhead.