About State of the Union History

▼

1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt - Neutrality Acts



To be, or not to be, that is the question:
 Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
 The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
 Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
 And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
 No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
 The Heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks
 That Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation
 Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep,
 To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there's the rub,
 For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
 When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
 Must give us pause.


 In his 1936, FDR share these words from Hamlet "The rest of the world—Ah! there is the rub."  No Roosevelt was not contemplating suicide, but perhaps he was expressing the fatal dangers of isolationism.  Continental America was enjoying peace and a policy of "good neighbors" from the Arctic to the Antarctic, while the rest of the world was heading towards aggression and war.  No longer, could America just wish for peace.  America could no longer choose to escape the violence.   The "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" was threatening civilization as a whole and the Untied States specifically.  The world was in a "Sea of troubles", America needed to make a choice.  We could choose to suffer the slings and arrows, or choose to sleep, perchance to dream of peace; aye, there's the rub, for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come.  Hitler was rising to power, Japan was expanding their territory through conquest, and Italy was invading Ethiopia, but America was asleep dreaming of world peace.   In his 1936 address to congress,  Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke these words: 
    "There is neither war, nor rumor of war, nor desire for war. The inhabitants of this vast area, two hundred and fifty million strong, spreading more than eight thousand miles from the Arctic to the Antarctic, believe in, and propose to follow, the policy of the good neighbor. They wish with all their heart that the rest of the world might do likewise.

    The rest of the world—Ah! there is the rub."

But neither America nor Roosevelt were ready for war.  In 1936, Roosevelt was only asking congress to authorize a policy of neutrality towards any and all nations which enrage in wars.   This policy would ban the sale of weapons and ammunition to belligerents (Germany, Italy, Japan) and  discourage these nations from accessing American products which could facilitate the prosecution of war.  Roosevelt held out hope that the world would soon turn from war, but if it did not America must defend it self, and stand by this pledge of neutrality.  He urged congress to help in this matter.
    "As a consistent part of a clear policy, the United States is following a twofold neutrality toward any and all Nations which engage in wars that are not of immediate concern to the Americas. First, we decline to encourage the prosecution of war by permitting belligerents to obtain arms, ammunition or implements of war from the United States. Second, we seek to discourage the use by belligerent Nations of any and all American products calculated to facilitate the prosecution of a war in quantities over and above our normal exports of them in time of peace.

    I trust that these objectives thus clearly and unequivocally stated will be carried forward by cooperation between this Congress and the President."

 Roosevelt reiterated his desire for peace, but warned that America must be ready to defend itself without getting embroiled in battles with warring nations.
    "Peace is threatened by those who seek selfish power. The world has witnessed similar eras— as in the days when petty kings and feudal barons were changing the map of Europe every fortnight, or when great emperors and great kings were engaged in a mad scramble for colonial empire. We hope that we are not again at the threshold of such an era. But if face it we must, then the United States and the rest of the Americas can play but one role: through a well-ordered neutrality to do naught to encourage the contest, through adequate defense to save ourselves from embroilment and attack, and through example and all legitimate encouragement and assistance to persuade other Nations to return to the ways of peace and good-will."

One month later, in February of 1936, congress passed a joint resolution to expand and amend the neutrality act of 1935.  The 1935 Act banned the sale of weapons and armaments to belligerents,  as well as the trade of war materials.  the 1936 act expanded this to prohibit any loans or credits to belligerents.  

No comments:

Post a Comment