Complex social and political factors shaped America's response to the Holocaust, from Kristallnacht in 1938 through the liberation of the death camps in 1945. For a short time, the U.S. had an opportunity to open its doors, but instead erected a "paper wall," a bureaucratic maze that prevented all but a few Jewish refugees from entering the country. When do you think the government should have become involved in helping the Jews and what should it have done? What were the factors that prevented the government from helping Jewish refugees enter the country?
31 comments:
i think that the American government should have gotten involved with helping the jews from the very beginning. when the Nazis started to come to power. they didnt help them because America had its own economical issues to worry about and has a lot of unemployment themselves and it would have caused an uproar if they kept taking in immigrants because those immigrants would keep taking on jobs. i strongly feel though that the U.S. government should have taken in the 20,000 jewish children because they took in the british children without problem.
I agree with Abby that the American government should have been more involved in helping Jewish people in our country. I was surprised at how poorly many of them were treated especially in the workplace and in schools. I was also surprised at how difficult it was for Jewish immigrants to enter our country. I did not realize that the immigration laws were so strict and I thought that the need for an American sponsor made it very difficult for many Jews.
It is clear that anti-Semitism was a prevalent attitude in America as well but I agree and think that the government should had gotten involved earlier because by the time they put in an effort it was too late. I believe during this time many Americans didn't care about what was happening to the Jews because they had similar anti-Semitic views and that is why the government did not get involved at first.
I disagree with the above. The American government has not gotten involved with Syria's, Africa's, Afghanistan's, or Iraq's refugees. What makes this any different? People die at the hands of their government every single day around the world today. Who are we to help them? Yes, Hitler went too far in the middle of a continent of developed countries; that should have been enough to go in there and mess him up. Even after the Nazis fell, the U.S. didn't have much problem invading other countries and taking over their governments. But this was a different era. We were afraid after WWI, we were more anti-Semitic than we are anti-Muslim now, and people (at least looking back it seems this way) were more ignorant. Should we have gotten involved? Yes. Would we have ever? Probably not. Even during the war we didn't specifically liberate the death camps. We barely even knew about them. The U.S. and the world let the Germans have their little secret.
The American government should have gotten involved when the anti-semitism in Germany reached a violent level, and allowed a group like the Nazis to come to power. Anti-semitism in the U.S. was so widespread that the government was afraid to get involved right away.
I agree with Luke that the U.S. government should have gotten involved in the issue when violence began to occur. It was not okay for them to hang back and not take action while innocent lives were being lost.
I agree with abby that the american government should have interfered and helped the jews earlier because they hadn't taken it serious later on
I believe that the government should have gotten more involved- in some way other than how they did- immediately after FDR made his comments about not tolerating what Nazi Germany had installed upon their country after Kristallnacht. As for what were the factors that were "inhibiting" the US government from doing anything. Absolutely nothing. Granted there were stupid laws in existence, but in times of injustice, war, or anything of horrid nature, as a free and glorious nation, America stands for refugees and should never choose to ignore anyone solely based on laws that are irrelevant- especially considering the circumstances.
Jeff, I can understand your opinion, but I still must say that as human beings, shouldn't we at least be concerned/ willing to help other human beings. If it doesn't necessarily mean going to war or inviting millions into the country permanently- can't we at least help other humans get on their feet without wrongful persecution? You do make several questions that should not go ignored in the sense of reflection on our own contemporary time. Thanks for your input, Jeff.
I think that it would have been beneficial for the US government to become involved with the Hitler administration as soon as he began to implement his plans to wipe out the people he did not favor. However, there is no way at that point they would have known that Hitlers ideas would spiral into the Holocaust. But, as soon as the "terror against Jews" turned violent and lives began to be taken in large numbers, the US government should have become involved. They were blocked from helping all of the refugees because the U.S. economy was struggling and by allowing billions of refugees less jobs were available to help the citizens as well as all the refugees.
I agree with Luke, as soon as it turned violent the U.S. government should have become involved in the discrimination in Germany.
I think the United States should have become involved in helping the Jews as soon as we heard the news that in Germany was using violence and persecuting Jews. The government should have let more Jewish immigrants into the country because many of the European Jews looked at America as a safe haven and tried to immigrate. What prevented the government from helping Jewish refugees was the rising anti-Semitism in the country. Some people in America believed similarly to what the Germans did, although we were not anyone; the US did not want more Jewish people in the country because they were taking jobs from "real Americans".
I also agree with what Abby had to say. I feel that the U.S. government should have taken in the jewish children, It was ver unfair and unjust of the U.S.to keep them out.
I definitely agree that America should have lent a hand to the oppressed Jews, but at the same time it is understandable why it chose not to. While Jews were being abused by the Nazis, the US was dealing with it's own economic struggles. American believed in isolationism and didn't want to get involved in something that may end up hurting the nation. Americans,for example, feared allowing Jews to enter and work in our country would take away opportunities from American citizens. I agree that it was morally wrong to not aid the Jews in their struggles, but at the same time, America was thinking only for itself.
I think that the American government should have gotten involve way earlier. I think that we should have talk to the Nazi's and see if we could reason with them and if that didn't work we would send an army to control. I think the main reason we didn't let many Jewish refugees in was because we were afraid that they would take some of our jobs and maybe even change our society as a whole.
I think, ideally, the American government should have stepped in and helped the Jews, but the anti-semitism plaguing the country at that time prevented government from passing any sort of meaningful legislation allowing more into the country. America's biased immigration laws acted as a barrier protecting citizen's own interests, actively neglecting those most in need. It disappoints me but, sadly, even today there are those in need who we turn away or cannot help.
I did not know that there was alot of antisemitisum in america. It made me really mad that America did not get involved with the Jews earlier. I agree with Abby and I also agree with Kevin
I think that as soon as it was evident that the Nazis were hurting their own citizens America should have offered its support, instead of doing almost the opposite in its self adopting an anti Antisemitism view.
I agree with Natielli that the American government should have helped the Jews who needed support. I was also surprised by the discrimation against Jews in United States.
i think the US government should of stepped in when anti-semitism took a turn for the worst and became violent. The documentry mentioned a few reasons why the US didnt step in. One because we were busy with our own economical issues and also a quote from the film said to keep "America for Americans." I wish that the US put their problems aside and stepped in before it was too late.
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I didnt realize that anti-semitism had such a large effect in the U.S. this, for me, makes it easier to understand how the nazis could work anti jewish themes into their policies.
I think America should have gotten involved as soon as they heard of the Jews being discriminated against in Germany. "The Night Of Broken Glass" could have prevented, or more people could have been saved if America had loosened immigration laws into the nation. Unfortunately, the people of America chose instead to discriminate against the Jews as well, which I think was a sentimate caused from the belief that the Jewish were going to take all of their jobs.
This was easily the most upsetting video that I have seen int his class. I had always wondered why more jews did not choose to flee to America in the face of the Nazi regieme. I always believed that America had been a safe haven for the oppressed. It was very upsetting to learn how cruel and unwelcoming we were. I tried to imagine how it must have felt to be a German jew placed on a waiting list while you were faced with mounting violence and contempt in your own country.
I personally believe that the United States should have tried to help the Jews enter into America. Although, like Tess mentioned, America did believe in isolationism and wanted little to do with other countries, this was a time when the Jews really needed help from the U.S. If America did let many of these Jews in, there would have been fewer deaths and violence in Germany. I think America should have intervened after the night of broken glass because that's when things got out of hand and people were being killed.
I disagree with the idea that the US should have intervened with any actions taken by the Nazi party. While the notion of taking no action seems morally wrong, I do not bleieve that the US had a right to smash into another country and "save" an ethnic group. I agree with Jeff in this sentiment.
I agree with Luke by saying that the US should have gotten involved when the anti-semetism in Germany got to a violent level. Innocent people were being killed and it is not morally right to sit back and watch as everything was happening over in Europe. The US should have given more of an effort to reach out and help. And it would have been important to make a move before Hitler is able to create such a powerful army like he was eventually able to do.
I think the government right away should have tried to rescue the Jews and stop the nazis.
I agree with Danielle that it was frustrating that the Americans did not get involved earlier when it was pretty clear that they should have.
i agree with Luke, the united states should have become more involved early-on when the signs of anti-semitism were at their most obvious. The violence that the nazi party had created in the early years with the burning of jewish buildings should have only assisted a decision to become involved
i agree with Luke, the united states should have become more involved early-on when the signs of anti-semitism were at their most obvious. The violence that the nazi party had created in the early years with the burning of jewish buildings should have only assisted a decision to become involved
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