Between World War I and World War II, the United States changed its views on involvement in world affairs. The change can be largely attributed to how Americans viewed freedom. Americans held that the world should be free and that communism did not provide that freedom. The United States expressed its desire for democracy through its trade with other countries before officially entering the war following Japan’s attack on American soil. During World War I, the United States involved itself in the conflict before sending troops to fight through its trade with the Allies. The United States strongly believed that all countries should have democracy, so supporting the countries fighting against communism appealed to the public. At the same time,
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Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt asserted that the United States would become “the great arsenal of democracy” (Foner 842), especially since it continued to be closely allied with those countries fighting Germany. In 1941, German refugees and refugees from countries that Germany occupied worked with Americans to create the Free World Association, which “sought to bring the United States into the war against Hitler” (Foner 842). People were no longer invested in pursuing a pacifist lifestyle. Instead, they wanted freedom for everyone. Another organization, Freedom House, was a direct result. In the fall of 1941, Freedom House sponsored a “Fight for Freedom” rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City (Foner 843). The rally included a patriotic variety show called “It’s Fun to Be Free,” and ended with people calling for an immediate declaration of war against Germany (Foner 843). Roosevelt, along with many Americans, felt that freedom was a right that every person deserved. If Germany held power, people would not be free, an idea that did not appeal to Americans. When the United States entered the war, it held that its purpose was to restore freedom to those under Germany’s
Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt asserted that the United States would become “the great arsenal of democracy” (Foner 842), especially since it continued to be closely allied with those countries fighting Germany. In 1941, German refugees and refugees from countries that Germany occupied worked with Americans to create the Free World Association, which “sought to bring the United States into the war against Hitler” (Foner 842). People were no longer invested in pursuing a pacifist lifestyle. Instead, they wanted freedom for everyone. Another organization, Freedom House, was a direct result. In the fall of 1941, Freedom House sponsored a “Fight for Freedom” rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City (Foner 843). The rally included a patriotic variety show called “It’s Fun to Be Free,” and ended with people calling for an immediate declaration of war against Germany (Foner 843). Roosevelt, along with many Americans, felt that freedom was a right that every person deserved. If Germany held power, people would not be free, an idea that did not appeal to Americans. When the United States entered the war, it held that its purpose was to restore freedom to those under Germany’s