As World War II started, the United State stayed with in the neutral position. Many people thought this was a great choice and others were determined to get into this war. Even the President Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to do all he could be help out France and Britain with the long and hard struggle to fight Hitler and his German army. President Roosevelt's different actions show that he did want the United States to fight, but he was just waiting for something to happen that would trigger the citizens of the U.S. He had meetings with the congress to change the Neutrality Act, he gave Britain many of the United States old destroys called Destroyers-for-bases Deal, came up the Lend-Lease Act that would help Britain get their weapons, came up with the idea of the Hemispheric Defense Zone, and had a secret meeting with the Prime Minister of Britain called the Atlantic Charter.

Neutrality Acts of 1939 stated that the nations at war could buy weapons from the U.S. only if they paid for the weapons in cash and carried the arms on their own ships. Roosevelt pushed for this act to follow throw so he could be helping out the allies. This Act was soon tested in the spring of 1940, when the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill began asking Roosevelt to transfer some of the United States old destroyers to Britain. Britain was in great need of more destroyers after Germany destroyed nearly half of their destroyers. Britain needed these great ships to protect its cargo from the German submarines and from Germany attempting to invade. Roosevelt used a loophole in the provision of the Neutrality Act that required cash for this purchases. Britain exchanged destroyers for the U.S. to have the right to build American bases on British-controlled land such as Newfoundland, Bermuda,and the islands in the Caribbean. Roosevelt soon had 50 old destroyers being sent to Britain.

Germany's army was strong and powerful. Britain was struggling to stay strong and struggling to protect itself. Britain was not only running out of weapons and supplies, but also funds to 

buy their supplies. Roosevelt knew he had to help Britain with getting more weapons and more funds to keep them in this war. He came up with a way to remove the cash requirement from the Neutrality Acts. With the cash requirement out of the Neutrality Acts the U.S. could send as many weapons and other supplies to Britain without a cash payment, but Britain had promised to return and/or pay rent for the weapons given after the war. By the time congress had passed the Lend/Lease Act, the U.S. had contributed over $40 billion in weapons, vehicles, and other needed supplies to Britain.

During the war, Germany had many submarines patrolling the Atlantic Ocean. They sank tons of shipping each month. Roosevelt could not tell the U.S. navy to protect the British cargo ships because the Untied States was neutral. Roosevelt knew that he needed to come up with a way to keep the British cargo ships safe. He came up with the idea of Hemispheric Defense Zone (HDZ) which declared that the western half the Atlantic was part of the western hemispheric. Therefore, the western half is called neutral. After this was passed, Roosevelt had U.S. navy ships to patrol the western half and reveal the different locations of German submarines to British ships.

In August of 1941, President Roosevelt met face to face with Prime Minister of Britain Winston Churchill. They met secretly in the Atlantic Ocean on a boat called the Atlantic Charter. They meet to agree on the text of the Atlantic Charter, which committed the two to a postwar world of demoncary, non-aggression, freedom of trade, economic advancement, and the freedom of seas. This acted shows that he might be looking for a way in the war, but he needs something to start a fire in the United States, then Pearl Harbor happens.

The day of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 was a horrible day for the United States. Many men and woman lost their lives. Planes, vehicles, ships, and bases were destroyed. This was a stock to many Americans. Roosevelt knew that something like this was going to happen. He knew that Japan wanted to get back at the United States for cutting off the oil trade. Roosevelt just did not know that it was going to have such a huge impact on the United States. This was the fire Roosevelt needed to get his nation in the war. Peal Harbor open up many eyes of Americans.

All of these different actions do show us that Roosevelt wanted to help Britain stay strong in the struggled fight against Hitler. It also shows that he wants more then just be a cheerleader on the sidelines. Roosevelt was determined to get the U.S. in this war. Peal Harbor helped people to see that the United States was in this war, even if they were neutral. Roosevelt pulled many strings to keep Britain in this war and to keep them strong. Once Peal Harbor happened, nothing was holding him back.