Who said america first

In the years that followed, it appeared to some that the isolationist instinct in the U. As Europe faltered and once-supreme nations struggled to recover, the U.

As war broke out once again in the s, isolation-minded Americans confronted the possibility that the U. Robert E. Wood, and together they had started the America First Committee. The committee espoused the view that since Germany was unlikely to invade the U. By that December, the committee boasted 60, members. As he saw it, England was losing the war and it was too late to fix that. He believed the U. It recommends the maintenance of armed forces sufficient to defend this hemisphere from attack by any combination of foreign powers.

It demands faith in an independent American destiny. This is the policy of the America First Committee today. It was funded by the families who owned Sears-Roebuck and the Chicago Tribune, but also counted among its ranks prominent anti-Semites of the day.

In a speech in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 11, , Lindbergh expressed sympathy for the persecution Jews faced in Germany, but suggested Jews were advocating the U.

History shows that it cannot survive war and devastations. A few far-sighted Jewish people realize this and stand opposed to intervention.

But the majority still do not. The speech was labeled as anti-Semitic. When you hear President Donald Trump declare the American dream dead and promise to put America first, what do you think? I think it would be good if we all read more history.

His advisors know this stuff. Steve Bannon knows this stuff. I totally agree with that. Indeed, I wanted this book to make that very point. If knowledge of history is truly emancipatory, and I think it is, what does knowledge of this history — the history of America First and the American dream — emancipate us from?

Well, it emancipated me from the belief that the American dream was always what we say it is today. It reminded me that our aspirations can be bigger and better, and that the story of America can always change. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all.

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Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows. Sarah Churchwell It was a Republican campaign slogan in the s, which means it appeared much earlier than most people think.

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