Defend America First: The Antiwar Editorials of the Saturday Evening Post, 1939-1942

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Caxton Press, 2003 - 285 pages
In 1939 much of the world was at war. In the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed America eventually would be forced to join the conflict. F.D.R. worked to rally citizens and Congress to the cause. But not everyone agreed with the president's beliefs or methods. In many respects Roosevelt's situation was very similar to problems faced by recent American presidents, including the present administration. Garet Garrett, editorial writer for the Saturday Evening Post magazine, was one of the most articulate spokesmen for the "America First" movement that argued against the nation's escalating involvement in the war in Europe. Defend America First is a collection of Garrett's editorials questioning F.D.R.'s decision to move the nation toward war. The editorials were selected by Bruce Ramsey. In his introduction, Ramsey points out that Garrett wasn't unwilling to fight Hitler. He was unwilling to pick a fight, especially when the country wasn't ready. He also questioned the constitutionality of Roosevelt's actions.

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Contents

Invitation
23
Design for Freedom November 11 1939
31
That of Our Own March 23 1940
35
The Call
41
Will We Do It? July 6 1940
47
Quo Vadis? July 13 1940
52
There is a Star July 20 1940
56
While Yet There Is Time to Think Sept 7 1940
61
Now One War Aim April 12 1941
164
The Case for Unity April 26 1941
166
The Peril May 24 1941
170
In Defense of the People May 31 1941
175
Global Dream
181
That World Feeling July 19 1941
184
Whose America? October 25 1941
186
Country
191

On Going to War October 19 1940
66
Sacrifice
75
The Mental Bottleneck September 14 1940
80
The Spirit Would September 21 1940
85
Conscription September 28 1940
89
The State
97
Your Government October 12 1940
102
Within the Form October 26 1940
108
Consent
115
Burma Road November 9 1940
120
Meanings
127
And America January 4 1941
129
If England Should Yield January 25 1941
134
Definition February 1 1941
136
The AndAmericans February 1 1941
139
Smearing February 15 1941
141
Unity February 22 1941
143
Reminder
147
Last Stand
155
Toward the Unknown March 29 1941
159
Many Planes July 26 1941
195
Harvest Notes July 26 1941
197
Comrades
201
Playing the Red November 8 1941
207
Confidence
213
The False Fear Theme September 6 1941
217
Maneuvers
223
Government by Consent September 20 1941
228
Declaration of the Atlantic September 27 1941
232
The Drift October 11 1941
235
Eleventh Hour
241
Total Taxation December 11 1941
246
Review December 20 1941
248
Unity
253
Censorship January 24 1942
256
Afterword
261
The Mortification of History
267
Sources
281
Index
283
Copyright

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About the author (2003)

Garet Garrett was born Edward Peter Garrett in 1878. A reporter, essayist and editorial writer for the New York Sun, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Saturday Evening Post, Garrett became one of the most vociferous opponents of Roosevelt's New Deal Policies.

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