Download America and the Holocaust Notes

The Cornell Note-taking System
Student Name
Mrs. Morgan
World History P.4
17 November 2009
What were the
causes of the
Holocaust?
Note taking Column
6”
Hitler- came to power 1933- every year
in power worse for Jews
NazismAmerican
Experience:
America and
the Holocaust.
Dir. Martin
Ostrow.
Videocassette.
A Fine Cut
Production,
Inc., 1994.
 Kristallnacht 1938- night of
broken glass destruction of Jewish
businesses
 1935 Nuremberg Race Laws –strip
Jews of jobs, Jewish business
boycotted, kicked out jobs
 Years of Nazi policies forced Jews
out of Germany
 Hit US soil-added fuel to antiSemitism- anti-Jew propaganda
Racial Prejudice
US immigration laws racist1924 and beyond-4 x as many
people Britain/Ireland than all of
Southern/Eastern Europe
 US citizens blamed foreigners
take jobs
 100 anti-Semitic org est.
preaching Jewish hate
 1930-40s Jew hate prospered
in US signs such as “No Jews
or Dogs Allowed.”
 Firing from jobs for being
Jewish
 1939- 39% of Americans in
public opinion poll were
against Jews
 Ship bond for Cuba refused,
plea to FDR not granted
would not make exception to
US Immigration Policy
 London limited immigration
to Palestine-15,000 year for 5
years no more after 5 yrs.
 Brekenridge Long-spring
1940 took over US
Immigration
 Exaggerated problem of
national security to limit
Jewish entry
 Road block immigration for
Jews-make so hard that it
would be virtually impossible
to come to US
 Long tenure- Immigration cut
in half
 Robert/Wagner Bill-1939 bill
20,000 Jewish Children entry
to US stalled in senate FDR
Cousin: “20,000 charming
Children will turn into 20,000
ugly Jewish Adults.” Bill
ignored
 State Department ignored
Jewish problems- bad
attitudes against Jews
Immigration Laws
 US Immigration laws were
road blocking the entry of
Jewish Refugees
 Britain and other world
leaders also made it difficult
for entry of Jews
Bystanders doing nothing
 State Department-dismiss
report and suppress info
of killings of Jews 1941-42
 World ignored
deportation of Jews to
concentration camps
 Steven Wise-Nov 24, 1942
revealed Nazi plan to
exterminate Jews-2
million dead
 Bermuda Conference fake
didn’t do anythingcomplete failure-Jews
realize Britain and US
were not committed to
helping Jews
 2nd half 1943 gov’t policy
not rescuing Jews
challenged by treasury
dept. pass bill to establish
funds to rescue Jews
 Whitehouse claim FDR
too busy but calendar
found empty
 Brekenridge Long lied to
House Committee in
closed testimony
 Jewish Leaders protested
and set straight
 State Department had
fear of large number of
Jews that may be released
to US and Britain
 Keep hidden reports of
exterminations of Jews
 Cover Up by State Dept.
with telegram
 Jan 16, 1944 road blocks
from gov’t agencies
 Late 1944- still road
blocks
 US gov’t lied about not
being able to bomb
concentration camps
 War Dept. refuse to
consider bombing
Auschwitz-not part of our
mission-flew over it and
passed it
 War Refugee board
saved 200,000 Jews late
1944-1945
The causes of the Holocaust were German
extreme nationalism, ethnic prejudice, state
sponsored propaganda against Jews, economic
hard times, and bystanders doing nothing.