Editing Neutrality Acts of the 1930s (section)

==Background==
The [[Nye Committee]] hearings between 1934 and 1936 and several best-selling books of the time, like [[H. C. Engelbrecht]]'s ''[[Merchants of death|The Merchants of Death]]'' (1934), supported the conviction of many Americans that the [[American entry into World War I|US entry into World War I]] had been orchestrated by bankers and the [[arms industry]] for profit reasons. That strengthened the position of isolationists and non-interventionists in the country.<ref>{{cite book |first=Arthur |last=Herman  |title=Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II |pages=6, 12, 79 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4000-6964-4}}</ref>

Powerful forces in the [[US Congress]] pushing for [[non-interventionism]] and strong Neutrality Acts were [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] Senators [[William Edgar Borah]], [[Arthur H. Vandenberg]], [[Gerald P. Nye]], and [[Robert M. La Follette, Jr.]],<ref name=dd>{{citation | url = http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/mac_03/mac_03_00231.html | title = Neutrality Acts | first = David G | last = Delaney | publisher = Novel guide | access-date = June 5, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090211234409/http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/mac_03/mac_03_00231.html | archive-date = February 11, 2009 | url-status = dead }}.</ref> but Congressional support for non-interventionism was not limited to the Republican Party. The [[Ludlow Amendment]], requiring a public referendum before any declaration of war except in cases of defense against direct attack, was introduced several times without success between 1935 and 1940 by [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] Representative [[Louis Ludlow]].<ref>{{cite book |chapter=The Ludlow Amendment and Fortress Defense |pages=152–185 |first=Ernest C. Jr. |last=Bolt |title=Ballots before Bullets: The War Referendum Approach to Peace in America, 1914–1941 |year=1977 |publisher=University Press of Virginia |isbn=9780813906621 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/ballotsbeforebul0000bolt/page/152 }}</ref>

Democratic President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and especially [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Cordell Hull]]{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} were critical of the Neutrality Acts for fear that they would restrict the administration's options to support friendly nations. Even though both the [[United States House of Representatives|House]] and [[United States Senate|Senate]] had large Democratic majorities throughout these years,{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} there was enough support for the Neutrality Acts among Democrats (especially Southerners) to ensure their passage. Although congressional support was insufficient to override a presidential veto, Roosevelt felt he could not afford to snub the South and anger public opinion, especially while he was [[1936 United States presidential election|facing re-election in 1936]] and needed congressional co-operation on domestic issues. With considerable reluctance, Roosevelt signed the Neutrality Acts into law.<ref name = sd>{{cite web | url = https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/id/99849.htm | title = The Neutrality Acts, 1930s | date = January 30, 2008 | place = US | publisher = State Department | access-date = June 5, 2008}}.</ref>