The Holocaust and U.S. Isolationism in World War II

Definition and Scope: The Holocaust was the systematic murder of $6,000,000$ people, primarily Jewish people, but also Catholics, homosexuals, socialists, communists, and individuals with disabilities.
Development: The "final solution" of mass murder evolved over the course of the war from earlier practices of persecution and slave labor.
U.S. Entry into World War II: The Holocaust was not the reason the United States entered the war. Despite clear evidence of persecution by the late $1930s$ , the U.S. government refused to adjust immigration quotas for European Jews.
Domestic Sentiment: Anti-Jewish sentiment was present in the U.S.; one poll indicated that $60\%$ of Americans opposed allowing more Jewish refugees into the country.
Key Figures: * Eleanor Roosevelt: Helped facilitate the escape of thousands of children from danger zones. * Dwight Eisenhower: Documented the conditions of concentration camps upon liberation to prevent future Holocaust denial.

Nye Committee ( $1935$ ): This congressional committee concluded that U.S. involvement in World War I was motivated by the interests of "munitions industries and financiers" hoping to profit from the conflict.
Impact: These findings fueled the anti-war movement and were occasionally used by anti-Semites to falsely blame Jewish people for pushing the U.S. into global conflicts.
Neutrality Acts: Designed to avoid the mistakes of World War I, the first act in $1935$ prohibited arms sales to belligerent nations and banned Americans from traveling on ships in war zones.

Mission: A massive isolationist movement that argued against U.S. involvement in European affairs, citing the country's strong defensive position between two oceans.
Charles Lindbergh: A leader of the committee and famous for his $1927$ nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic; he argued that the pro-war faction ignored the isolationist majority of voters.
Leadership Controversy: High-profile leaders like Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford (who conducted business with Nazi Germany) held Nazi sympathies, though these views were not necessarily held by all rank-and-file members.