Franklin D. Roosevelt: Keeping America Out Of The European War

President Woodrow Wilson had secured the political clout to establish foreign policy after World War I. However, the Europeans, especially the two major powers in Europe, England and France had the right to be circumspect of several aspects of Wilson’s plan. The German Delegation utilized President Wilson’s analogy that, “no single fact caused the war, but that in last analysis the whole European system is in a deeper sense responsible for the war…” (Comments of the German Delegation, 1919). European leaders could have taken offense to Wilson’s plan. President Wilson’s represented a nation that was protected by thousands of miles of oceans, and during the war the United States suffered no loss of infrastructure and economically their markets made money during the war. However, that was not the case for the European political leaders. They truly had an ax to grind against Germany. France with closer proximity to Germany than England elected to be protective and leery of Germany’s intentions after the war. Germany on the other hand was distraught over the terms laid before them by the Europeans at the Paris Peace Conference. The Germans believed they were being singled out, and that through the attrition of their sovereign territory they were losing vast economic resources and their ability to establish self-determination and self-preservation.

As such, British warships were permitted to make repairs in American ports and training facilities for British servicemen were constructed in the US. To ease Britain's shortage of war materials, Roosevelt pushed for the creation of the Lend-Lease program.This act empowered the president to "sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of, to any such government [whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States] any defense article.In effect, it allowed Roosevelt to authorize the transfer of military materials to Britain with the understanding that they would ultimately be paid for or returned if they were not destroyed.

President Roosevelt realized that Britain needed aid or else the U.S. would become a lone “free” nation in a fascist-dominated world. The American military needed to be mobilized in order to assist the Allies or democracy would be in grave danger. Roosevelt plead his case to the American people in his famous “Quarantine Speech” in which he called for an end to dangerous isolationism; however, his speech was not well-received and he was criticized for his desire to “entangle” the U.S in European foreign affairs (Document D). With Britain the only remaining power fighting against Germany, Roosevelt felt compelled to offer aid in some way. In 1940, Roosevelt boldly transferred fifty World War I destroyers to Britain in exchange for eight valuable defense bases stretching from Newfoundland to South America. As bombs dropped over Britain, Americans began to realize that their interests were intricately tied to Britain’s and that they must offer aid or else the battle would come to American soil soon. The goals of American foreign policy were reversed when Congress repealed the now defunct Neutrality Acts and officially ended their Neutrality. The U.S. began openly selling weapons to Britain on a “cash-and-carry” basis so as to avoid attacks on American ships. When this was not enough, Roosevelt devised the

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941’” began President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the day following Japan’s fateful attack on Pearl Harbor, resulting in the in the tragic loss of nearly two and a half thousand American lives. A date so famously proclaimed to ‘forever live in infamy,’ and so it has. This inspiring speech to Congress and the American people employed appeals and other techniques in it’s mission to touch America’s heart, both with sympathy and indignation. President Roosevelt’s use of rhetoric is extremely effective in rallying the American people to the cause of entering a war so many were reluctant to support.

The us Maine blows up and all over news papers "Maine split in two by an enemy's secret infernal machine" US start war with Spanish and declares war. Then in 1976 and investigation proved that it was an accident.The people wanted war but the president didnt. THen every one convinced him and war was declared on Spain. Roosevelt resigned and went to war with the "Rough Riders" They later changed to " weary Walkers "

In Franklin Roosevelt’s message to the Congress, he brought up many ideas to fix the issues going on in the world. He founded the four human freedoms. The first is “of speech and expression for everywhere in the world. Second is freedom of every person to worship god in his own way. Next is Freedom from want. It will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for

arms on a “cash – and – carry’ basis. France was captured by Germany in 1940, so Roosevelt ask Congress to provide more aid support for Britain, to combat the Nazi menace on its on.. Roosevelt broke tradition again, by running for reelection again in 1940, he defeated Wendell L. Wilkie by 5 million votes. Roosevelt pass the Lend – Lease Act in March 1941, to increase his support of Britain & he met with Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill that year on a battleship near Canada. The 2 of them created the Atlantic Carter they called the “Four Freedoms” on what the post – war world should be founded by: freedom of speech & expression, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Japan bombed US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 & Roosevelt & Congress declared war on Japan on December 8th, 1941. Roosevelt became the 1st president that left the country during war – time to meet with Churchill & Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Roosevelt did radio broad cast to get Americans to support the war effort.

Presidents after Franklin D. Roosevelt have viewed the Executive Branch as having supreme authority in foreign policy. George W. Bush justified the war on terror, Iraq, and Afghanistan that skirted congressional requirements by citing the Constitution. Bush believed that he was allowed to take these actions since he was “Commander in Chief” and had a duty to protect American. Bill Clinton used the same justification for his ordering of bombings in Afghanistan, and Sudan. I believe congress needs to lessen the power of the Executive branch on foreign policy. I firmly believe that President’s should be required to receive a declaration of war before they engage forces so America knows that congress has agreed too. The Supreme Court has weighed on the role of Legislative and Executive branch in foreign policy and sided on both sides.

During his speech Roosevelt insisted that people in all nations of the world shared Americans’ entitlement to four freedoms: the freedom of speech and expression, the freedom to worship God in his

In both speeches, FDR speaks often about how peace and freedom are threatened. During “The Four Freedoms” FDR states the problem, the plan and what he hopes to achieve. He begins to address how American security is being threatened by other nations seeking world domination. He continues by emphasizing how to understand the danger democracy is facing, we must be realists. The safety of America is threatened by the events unfolding outside of the country and that production for armaments must be increased . If we are not physically involved in the war, we will need to produce billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to provide a sufficient arsenal to our allies. This would not only benefit them, but the defense of the US as well. He makes specific note that this is not a declaration of war, but a pledge to defend freedom and democracy. After stating the problem and the plan, FDR then moves into the freedoms which we are defending. Freedom of speech and worship are already protected for Americans under the first amendment, but he states that it should be granted everywhere in the world. Freedom from want is the right to be fed, clothed and properly housed. Lastly,

On January 6, 1941 President Roosevelt delivered his State of the Union Address before congress. He spoke eloquently of a future world founded on the essential human freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. (Foner 2014pg842). He used this speech as a rally cry to enter World War 2. (Foner 2014, 757) These four freedoms were meant to establish basic rights for all people in the United states and still today we hold true to these freedoms. (Foner 2014 pg842) Freedom of speech came to coincide with freedom and expression which would be the best defense against corruption of democracy. (Remembering the Four Freedoms 2016). Freedom of worship or religion would be our shield against the forces of bigotry, intolerance, and fanaticism, Freedom from want, a commitment to erasing hunger, poverty, and pestilence from the earth, brought hope for citizens as they fought the Great depression and Finally, freedom from fear, a freedom dependent on collective security, a concept carried forward with our leadership in the United Nations.(Remembering the Four Freedoms 2016) As America battled the great depression, Roosevelt was confident that the war would end the depression and cause the United States to thrive once again. (Foner2014, 843) Roosevelt declared on a radio address in 1942 that the “rights of men of every creed and every race, wherever they live” implying that the four freedoms made so prominent in this time era should be a

First of all, FDR’s speech contains details on freedom that can give evidence towards what his views for the country and its people were. Roosevelt believed that freedom must be defended, for he supports those who struggle to keep those rights. FDR explained, “Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those

On June 6, 1941, United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made a speech that has since been known as “The Four Freedoms Speech.” In this speech, he outlines four freedoms he hopes every person in the world will obtain in the future. He identifies the four freedoms as the following: “...Freedom of speech and expression — everywhere in the world... freedom of every person to worship God in his own way — everywhere in the world… freedom from want — which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants — everywhere in the world… freedom from fear — which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor — anywhere in the world.”

Convincing an audience of 133.4 million is a daunting task, especially when they must be convinced to join a war less than thirty years after World War I. On January 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the State of the Union Address that began his third term as president. This speech, broadcast across the United States on the radio, sparked the idea to join World War II even before Pearl Harbor was attacked. In this speech, he fully supports the English against the attack of the dictators trying to extinguish democracy across the world. He proposes the four freedoms that America is invested in protecting around the world: freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship God in any way, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. In his speech, “The Four Freedoms,” Franklin Delano Roosevelt inspires nationalism and creates fear in his audience to convince them to join the war ravaging through Europe through many forms of metaphor and repetition.