In the mid 1930s, the U. S. was suffering under of the Great Depression. Much of the federal budget was focused on projects such as the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps that provided jobs for America’s unemployed. At the same time, events in Europe and Asia led the United States to believe that war was possible. As a result, President Roosevelt established a program under the New Deal to build new ships for the Navy, a program that provided additional jobs for American men.
In 1935, Roosevelt took further action. He proposed what historian Mary Beth Norton describes as the “largest peacetime defense budget in American history.” In 1938, Roosevelt proposed that Congress approve federal funds to upgrade the air corps. While maintaining the United States’ neutrality, Roosevelt prepared for war.
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