1. US Neutrality in the 1930’s/Early
1940’s

2. Neutrality in General
• The Neutrality Acts were passed by the US in
the 1930s in response to the issues in Europe
and Asia that eventually led to World War II
• They were caused by the desire to be
isolationist in the US following WWI
• Passed to ensure that the US would not
become involved in world conflicts(war)
• US had very strong history of isolationism

3. Interventionists vs Isolationists

6. Neutrality Act of 1935
• Signed on August 31, 1935
• It was designed to last six months
• Banned US trade of arms and war materials
with any country at war
• It also declared that US citizens traveling on
warring ships traveled at their own risk

7. Neutrality Act of 1936
• Signed in February 1936
• Renewed the provisions of the 1935 act for
another 14 months
• It also forbade all loans or credits to
belligerents
• The act did not cover "civil wars," such as the
Spanish Civil War
• The act also did not cover materials such as
trucks and oil

8. Neutrality Act of 1937
• Passed in May, 1937
• Set to expire after two years
• Included the provisions of the earlier acts this
time without expiration date
• This time it also included civil wars
• U.S. ships were prohibited from transporting
any passengers or items to belligerents
• U.S. citizens were forbidden from traveling on
ships of belligerent nations
• A “cash and carry” system was set up

9. • The President could permit the sale of
supplies to belligerents in Europe as long as
they paid immediately in cash and transported
the goods on their own ships
• FDR believed that cash-and-carry would help
France and Great Britain in the event of a war
with Germany
• FDR chose not to invoke the Neutrality Acts on
Japan and China since they had not formally
declared war

10. Neutrality Act of 1939
• Passed in November, 1939
• Allowed for arms trade with belligerent
nations on a cash-and-carry basis
• US citizens and ships were barred from
entering war zones designated by the
President

11. End of US Neutrality-Lend Lease Act
• The end of neutrality for the US came with the
Lend-Lease Act , passed in March , 1941
• This act allowed the U.S. to sell, lend or give
war materials to nations the US wanted to
support
• US gave $50 billion($650 billion today) to
Allied nations throughout the war

14. German U-Boats
• After repeated attacks by German U-boats on
U.S. ships in the Fall of 1941, FDR announced
that he had ordered the U.S. Navy to attack
German and Italian war ships in the "waters
which we deem necessary for our defense"
• War was imminent!
• US ships damaged/sunk prior to 12-7-41

15. Bases for Destroyers
• Passed in September, 1940 between the US
and Great Britain
• Fifty US destroyers were given to Great Britain
in exchange for land rights(for 99 years) on
British colonies for naval or air base purposes
• Newfoundland, eastern side of the Bahamas,
southern coast of Jamaica, western coast of
St. Lucia, west coast of Trinidad, Antigua,
British Guiana and Bermuda were the areas
the US received

17. Selective Training and Service Act
• Passed in September, 1940 and ended in 1947
• Required that men between the ages of 21
and 35 register for the draft.
• Extended to all men aged 18 to 45 once US
entered war
• First peacetime draft in US history

18. How did the draft work?
• Local draft boards were set up from coast to coast
• Each male registered was given a number between 1-
7,836
• In Washington, papers with the numbers 1 through
7,836 printed on them were put into capsules, one
number to a capsule
• The capsules were dumped into a giant fishbowl and
then stirred
• Finally the capsules were drawn from the bowl one by
one to establish the draft order
• If your number was chosen, you were now officially
part of the US military!! Congrats!
• 158 was the first number chosen(6175 young men
were drafted with that number)

19. Atlantic Charter
• Signed in August 1941
between the US(FDR)
and Great
Britain(Churchill)
• Defined the Allied goals
for the post-war world

20. • No territorial gain
• No territorial changes without the peoples
support form those countries
• Self-determination
• Free trade
• Destruction of the Nazis and then setting up
a peaceful governmet in Germany
• Freedom of the seas
• Abandon the use of force, disarmament and
a stronger League of Nation