From 1919 to 1941 Americans and America’s leaders envied an isolated approach to international affairs. The United States was forced to join in the First World War in 1917, much to the dismay of America’s majority. World War I ended shortly thereafter leaving the world overwhelmed, discouraged, and devastated. America’s short participation in World War I strengthened opinions regarding neutrality in war time. In 1935 thousands of college students held a “strike for peace.” Neutrality was also the flavor in Washington. Congress aimed to keep foreign affairs off the agenda, and relied heavily on their passage of the Neutrality Acts (1935) to ban enemy ships from selling weapons to warring countries. Despite the intensity of opposition,
