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Axis powers
Americans were jolted by the news that Germany, Italy, and Japan had signed a mutual defense treaty called the Triparitite Pact. This is when the three nations became known as the AXIS POWERS. the significance of this was that it bound all 3 to fight against America if America entered WW2 on the side of Britain, or if USA attacked Japan; all 3 were expressing official hostility against America. -
1940 Presidential Election
Roosevelt decided to run for a third year term for presidency rather than just staying with a two year term. Roosevelts opponent, Wendell Willkie, supported Roosevelts policy for aiding Britian. Both Willkie and Roosevelt promised to keep the nation out of war. There was pretty much no difference between the two canidates, so the majority chose the one they knew best, which of course was Roosevelt. He had about 55% of the votes. -
Lend-Lease Act
In the lat 1940's, Britain ran out of money to spend in the arsenel of democracy. Trying to help Britain out, Roosevelt created the lend-lease policy. This policy stated that the president would lend or lease arms and other supplies to any country whose defense was vital to the US. Isolationists argued, congress passed the act. The significance is that we are picking sides. -
Supporting Stalin
Hitler broke the agreement he had made with Stalin not to go to war in 1939 and decided to invade the Soviet Union. Roosevelt began sending lend-lease supplies to the Soviet Union because he believed that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Some disaproved of this but Churchill stated that if Hitler invaded Hell, the British would be prepared to work with the devil himself. This was important becuase when hitler did invade, the Soviet Union would have the supplies and things they needed. -
Signing of the Atlantic Charter
a meeting took place between Winston Churchhill and FDR aboard the USS AUGUSTA to discuss the war in Europe and possible US comitment. The meeting resulted in signing of the Atlantic Charter which was a joint decleration of war aims or goals. those goals were collective security, disarmament, self-determination, ecnomic cooperation, and freedom of the seas. -
Shoot on Sight Policy
a German sub fired on the US destroyer Greer in the Atlantic. FDR ordered for comanders to respond to their attack. He stated that "when you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you crush him." He ordered the navy subs to shoot the German subs. Two weeks later the Pink Star, a merchant ship, was sunk off Greenland. In oct. a German U-boat torpedoed the US destroyer Kearny. then two days later they sunk another US destroyer called the Reuben James. After all these attacks, senate finally repealed. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
due to us cutting off Japans supplies, on December 6. 1941 Japan sent Roosevelt a decoded mesage that instructed Japan's peace envoy to reject all America peace proposals which meant war. The next day, very early in the morning, a Japanese dive-bomber swooped low over Pearl Harbor. This bomb was followed by more than 180 Japanese warplances launched from six aircraft carriers. In less than 2 hours 2,403 were killed and 1,178 had been wounded. Roosevelt decided to into a declaration of war.
