Meranda's AP American Blog

Following World War II, America became troubled with the spread of communism. trying to "contain" communism, aptly called the policy of containment, Truman spoke with Congress in the Truman Doctrine. He advised that the United States aid Greece, which had been destroyed and was suffering political and economic instability after the war. Knowing this, Truman urged for political and financial installments for Greece to restore their nation. Also, Greece was at risk because of communist activities, so Truman was concerned since this made them vulnerable and threatened the nation. Truman also recognized that Turkey was unstable as well and required attention and work in order to preserve the order in the Middle East. Truman requested Congress' permission to loan Greece and Turkey a specific amount of money and be able to send American civilian and military personnel. All of these efforts caused the start of attempts to prevent the rise of totalitarian regimes in these count

Taking measured to ensure national security, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order No.9066. This order essentially allowed the creation of military areas which were then used to relocate Japanese Americanas. The President ordered the Secretary of War and Military Commanders to create military areas where people would be excluded and allowed them to impose their own restrictions. This permitted the Secretary of War and Military Commanders to take adequate measured by providing support. This is seen in "Home is a Horse Stall" when Sox goes to the internment camp, which was a military area created by the government. I understand the need for national security of the time, however I believe that excluding Japanese Americans was a step too far, especially since these people were United States citizens.  This is similar to the Dawes Act which permitted the division and reorganization of the Indian  tribal land, forcing them onto reservations like the internment camps. 

On December 8, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led America to declare war. FDR states that December 7, 1941, the day which Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, was "a date which will live in infamy". FDR goes on to explain how the United States had originally intended not to intervene in the warfare in these countries. However, the Japanese attack resulted in direct destruction of the United States, and American needs to defend itself. He explains how Japan has gotten out of control and have become hostile. Therefore, the United States has to fight them. Jeanette Rankin was the only member of the Houses that voted against the declaration war on Japan, this garnered her the nickname "Japanette Rankin" as she was looked down upon for her vote. This similar to when the United States entered the first world war since then, too, they had to abandon their policy of neutrality in favor of defending themselves. 

The story of how and wen Sox grew up broke my heart. Executive Order 9066 was put in place by Roosevelt to establish military areas and the Civilian Exclusion Order. No. 27 said that Japanese would be excluded from the West Coast. The first thing that caught my attention was when they were in the car and the radio announcement came on. Yumi expressed how terrible it was for her especially since she was not a US citizen, she's a first generation Japanese immigrant. Her native country was now the enemy and even her children recognized that their lives were going to change. This part portrayed how the children had become integrated into American life, but knew the fact that the US was against Japan would affect their lives. Secondly, the section where Sox sees the army style barracks and says she wants to stay there, however, she is told she cannot, is heartrending. She goes on to see that their new home is a horse stall and this illustrates how Americans did not treat these US citi

On March 4th, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his first inaugural address. He begins the speech by stating that the Nation is facing threatening conditions, but he will respond to these to allow the country to prosper. He asks for the support of the people as American has endured many dark times. Roosevelt tells the people not to paint, stating "the only ting we have to fear is fear itself".  He them goes on to talk about the issues in material and money that arise from banking. He continues detailing the problems of the United States, including the materialism of the Roaring 20's that led the money changers into the Stock Market Crash. Roosevelt understands that the public wants action. He suggest treating the issue like it was war, meaning mobilizing American and lowering unemployment. The President is going to have safeguards, regulation, and stop speculation. He then discusses his good neighbor policy which he plans to respect the rights and agreements of othe

The Kellogg-Briand Pact, or the Pact of Paris, was signed in 1928 as an agreement to outlaw war to prevent another conflict. The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aristide Briand, proposed the pact as an agreement between France and the United States to avoid war between them. However, President Coolidge and Frank B. Kellogg, the Secretary of State, were not completely supportive of the agreement and worried it would be considered an alliance which US would have to intervene if France was ever threatened. Therefore, they proposed that all nations be invited to outlaw war. The Pact agreed to outlaw war and use signatures to settle disputes in a peaceful manner. On August 27, 1928, fifteen countries signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact (France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Italy, and Japan). Eventually, other nations signed the pact as well. The Mukden Incident was the first te