Lesson 7: 1939-1941 America
While war was brewing in Europe, isolationism was the feeling in the United States. Life was still hard, but a little bit of the excitement of the 1920s was starting to come back.
Movies and Radio
The entertainment business began to grow again. Walt Disney, Frank Capra, Fred Astaire, Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh and Ginger Rogers became household names. "Gone With the Wind" was released in 1939 and is still widely considered the most popular film of all time. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "The Wizard of Oz", and "Monkey Business" also came to theaters. Technicolor was new, making films color instead of black and white (the reason Dorothy's slippers were red instead of silver in the film).
Radio brought entertainers into the homes of Americans. Besides the weekly "fireside" chats given by Franklin D Roosevelt, sports, music, and theater were broadcast. One of the most well-known radio broadcasts of the time was "The War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles. Listen to the first 5 minutes of the broadcast here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs0K4ApWl4g
When "The War of the Worlds" was broadcast, it scared a lot of Americans who tuned into the show late. The believed that there really had been an invasion of aliens to the earth. Watch this video and read about it here: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/welles-scares-nation
Radio brought entertainers into the homes of Americans. Besides the weekly "fireside" chats given by Franklin D Roosevelt, sports, music, and theater were broadcast. One of the most well-known radio broadcasts of the time was "The War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles. Listen to the first 5 minutes of the broadcast here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs0K4ApWl4g
When "The War of the Worlds" was broadcast, it scared a lot of Americans who tuned into the show late. The believed that there really had been an invasion of aliens to the earth. Watch this video and read about it here: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/welles-scares-nation
Isolationism
Although the partying and excitement of the Roaring 20s ended with the Great Depression, the feeling of wanting to be isolated from the rest of the world did not leave. In fact, the Depression may have deepened some Americans' resolve to be separate from the world. After all, part of the cause of the depression was that other countries weren't paying their loans to the United States. Americans also didn't want to see themselves in another European war either.
In 1935, Congress passed the Neutrality Act. It said that the United States was not allowed to sell arms (guns, powder, ammunition, planes, tanks, submarines, etc.) to warring countries. If Switzerland and Norway were at war, the people, businesses, and government of the United States were not allowed to sell arms to either side. It also said that if there was a civil war within a country (such as Spain), these groups within the US were not allowed to sell arms to anyone in the country. Finally, there were to be no loans given to any foreign governments at war (whether at war with themselves or with another country).
As the war began in Europe, FDR started to move the United States away from neutrality. He saw Germany as the aggressor and wanted to find a way to help stop Hitler's advance through supporting the Allies. He helped the Neutrality Act of 1939 to pass through Congress. It had a "cash-and-carry" policy which allowed warring nations to buy arms from the United States as long as they paid in cash and transported them in their own ships. This gave France and Great Britain a distinct advantage over Germany at the beginning of the war because Britain had the largest navy in the world and Germany was land-locked.
In 1935, Congress passed the Neutrality Act. It said that the United States was not allowed to sell arms (guns, powder, ammunition, planes, tanks, submarines, etc.) to warring countries. If Switzerland and Norway were at war, the people, businesses, and government of the United States were not allowed to sell arms to either side. It also said that if there was a civil war within a country (such as Spain), these groups within the US were not allowed to sell arms to anyone in the country. Finally, there were to be no loans given to any foreign governments at war (whether at war with themselves or with another country).
As the war began in Europe, FDR started to move the United States away from neutrality. He saw Germany as the aggressor and wanted to find a way to help stop Hitler's advance through supporting the Allies. He helped the Neutrality Act of 1939 to pass through Congress. It had a "cash-and-carry" policy which allowed warring nations to buy arms from the United States as long as they paid in cash and transported them in their own ships. This gave France and Great Britain a distinct advantage over Germany at the beginning of the war because Britain had the largest navy in the world and Germany was land-locked.
Election of 1940
In 1940, the New Deal was finishing up and people started feeling the strains of the Depression again. It took some persuasion but FDR would run again, for his third term. There was no law at the time limiting the number of terms a president can have, but no one had successfully won three terms. (Today a person can only be president for two terms.) Read about the election here: http://www.270towin.com/1940_Election/
Assignment #7
1. How did isolationism affect Americans' willingness to fight in a European war?
2. How did the "War of the Worlds" broadcast affect some people? Why did they feel that way?
3. What film from this time period is considered one of the most loved of all time?
4. Summarize the Neutrality Act.
5. What is the cash-and-carry policy?
6. What was the major issue of the Election of 1940?
7. Which candidate in the Election of 1940 wanted to go to war?
8. What was Orson Wells' famous broadcast about?
2. How did the "War of the Worlds" broadcast affect some people? Why did they feel that way?
3. What film from this time period is considered one of the most loved of all time?
4. Summarize the Neutrality Act.
5. What is the cash-and-carry policy?
6. What was the major issue of the Election of 1940?
7. Which candidate in the Election of 1940 wanted to go to war?
8. What was Orson Wells' famous broadcast about?