Analysis of a War about Nazis and how we fit in

This is my final action project for my class, Policy and for my junior year. This unit was split into two unit those being Execute and Judge. Through this unit, we did a lot of research into what each branch does in congress and the impact that they have on us. We first looked into how each branch uses their power in certain ways and how the constitution serves as the field they can make a impact. This led to us looking into The Cabinet and understanding how each role is different from one another. Once understanding these principles, we went to the Dirksen Federal Courthouse to see how some of these polices are put into action. For this last action project for this class, we were assigned to take a deep dive into a war of our choice and see if it was just or not. Not only this, but to see how it got influenced by different levels of government. I decided to choose WWII and here's my analysis below:

 

"Public Domain: Normandy Dead, WWII (NARA)" by pingnews.com is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

WWII was one of the biggest global events in our recent history and is one that I believe was justified for our country . The WWII database states that the war took place in“Europe, East Asia, and islands in the Pacific Ocean, but others were seen in places as far away as Madagascar and the Aleutian Islands''. This war took place from June of 1939 and ended in September of 1945. It wasn’t until the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 that the United States were compelled to join. The countries fighting in this war were the Axis Powers being Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the Allied Powers being France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and the United States. One of the tactics used during this war was the Blitzkrieg tactic used by Germany. This tactic was enforced by Germany in the early stages of WW2. Blitzkrieg is a German word which means lighting war and was used to run through many different countries in the first few years of the war by overpowering them with offensive power. This tactic led to Germany taking over Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugosilvia, and Greece. Some of the main reasons the United States fought in this war were because they got attacked by Japan and were already aiding other countries with resources. This war was just for the United States based on the Supreme Court appeals. These appeals allowed for any bill related to a war being prioritized by it. The decision in Arver v. The United States which was an act that helped to uphold military services and how certain drafts would go. A grant for certiorari means to ask for a review on a certain case and the court allowing for a relook. Grants for certiorari were put into place with this war because of how the United States was dealing with this bill. This led to an understanding of The United State’s compulsory military service and wouldn’t be seen as any form of slavery by the Thirteenth or Fourteenth Amendment. In my opinion, I think this war was just because it would allow for the United States to gain a new following for working with other countries.

"Today in 1941 - Pearl Harbor Attack" by KurtClark is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

When the United States joined the war, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the President when Japan invaded Pearl Harbor. Shortly after they invaded Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt began to orient the country’s resources towards fighting the war. He also stated “We well know that we cannot escape danger, or the fear of danger, by crawling into bed and pulling the covers over our heads” (nationalww2museum.org). With this message, it helped to sway the United States into joining the war. Congress’ main role was deciding on whether we should’ve or shouldn’t have participated in the war. Congress decided to approve the decision to participate in the war. The vote for it ended up with 82-0 in the Senate, and 388-1 in the House of Representatives with both having concurring opinions. This means that both parts of Congress would vote for the same thing, but both being for different reasons. They also made sure that they limited waste among contractors and made sure that their money was used effectively in fighting in the war. They did these things with action to prioritize our victory in the war.

"No Known Restrictions: WWII: U.S. War Cabinet, 1941 (LOC)" by pingnews.com is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

The War Powers Act HR 6233 was signed into law on December 18th of 1941. This act was proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt before the United States decided to join the war. He put this policy into place and received many different opinions from Congress. The act itself gave a lot of power to the Executive Branch by allowing them to make direct changes to how the United States would wage a war. It also allows the United States to have a bigger role in the war rather than just providing resources towards certain countries. The act was intended to give the President more direct power on how the United States would deal with WWII. It would proceed to give direct orders to those on the front lines to what happens with the war. The main intent of this was to give the President a direct impact on what happened during WWII and give them the powers that Congress usually has. Wherever the war ends, the power that the President would gain would end up going back to Congress.



The main groups of government that had an impact on my policy were President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President Nixon after Roosevelt’s passing. The bill itself was passed by Congress and the Senate so it gave the president direct authority. Specifically this act was passed so the President could have the power of Congress during a state of war. This would make sure that the United States stays safe and can be purposeful during the war. It would also allow Roosevelt to configure the other branches of governments to work with the war in mind. This act was first put into effect December 15th of 1941. This was specifically passed in Congress because it would allow the United States to fight more effectively during WWII. One of the actions that eventually led to SCOTUS ruling this case was Arver v. United States. This case happened during 1918 which was close to the end of WWI. This court case imposed the 13th and 14th amendments that gave citizens protection from servitude during the draft for WWI. This also went along with the first Amendment which gave freedom to those who didn’t want to participate in the draft of WWI. It also gave the United States an idea of how to approach drafts in the future and allowed Congress to understand what they can and can’t oppose during a war. A quotation that gives context on the situation is, “The power of Congress to compel military service as in the Selective Draft Law, clearly sustained by the original Constitution, is even more manifest under the Fourteenth Amendment, which, as frequently has been pointed out, broadened the national scope of the government by causing citizenship of the United States to be paramount and dominant, instead of being subordinate and derivative, thus operating generally upon the powers conferred by the Constitution” (Draft Case, 245 U.S. 366 - 1918). In this case, they apply this policy really inconsistently. As far as they see it, the last time we’ve been at war with an outside country was WWII so it shows how big of a gap it’s been. Since then, we’ve gotten the Vietnam war, the Korean War, and many others that have not directly been declared by Congress or the president.


After inspecting these policies, this war was just for The United States because it would allow for them to gain a new following for working with other countries. The text I chose to analyze was “World War II, 365 Days”. This states that “On December 8th of 1941, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and other countries declared war on Japan”(World War II, 365 Days, April 29). This quote shows that the United States wasn’t the only country to declare war on that day. It also shows how much the United States would gain from fighting with these other countries politically. Today, we’re still gaining opportunities like being a part of The United Nations, having more jobs, and becoming one of the biggest industrial countries in the world. This also allowed communities of color to enter the workplace for the first time in our history. It also shows how much we’ve gained from other countries while taking actions in this war and in the future.

Sources: 

A&E Television Networks. (n.d.-a). World War II: Summary, combatants & facts. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history

Chen, C. P. (n.d.). World War II database. WW2DB RSS. https://ww2db.com/intro.php?q=2

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2023, June 6). World War II. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II

H.R. 6233, a bill to expedite the prosecution of the war effort (First War Powers Act), December 15, 1941:U.S. Capitol - Visitor Center. Show more. (n.d.). https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/artifact/hr-6233-bill-expedite-prosecution-war-effort-first-war-powers-act-december-15-1941

MarshallV. (2018, July 11). The great debate: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans. The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/great-debate

Selective draft law cases, 245 U.S. 366 (1918). Justia Law. (n.d.). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/245/366/

The four fronts of World War 2 Military Tactics. Pacific Atrocities Education. (n.d.). https://www.pacificatrocities.org/blog/the-four-fronts-of-world-war-2-military-tactics