The Past And Present Society Fall 2006 Lecture Series
Tuesday, October 3rd - Tuesday, October 31st, 7-9pm
Smith Hall, Room 102, University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
1939
THE UNITED STATES:
THE COLOSSUS UNARMED
Winston Churchill once wrote that the task of the historian is to stir the dry bones of the past so that we can once again feel the passions that animated people of long past ages. That will be the aim of this series of lectures. The Second World War started on September 3, 1939. Although Americans, as neutral, viewed the conflict as spectators. They heatedly debated the proper role for the nation in a warring world. The political scene of 1939 was dominated by president Roosevelt, and the question on everyone’s mind was whether he would run for an unprecedented third term. With the nation still mired in a long depression, sober citizens seriously questioned whether the American economy would ever again reach the dizzying heights of 1929. In the Spring of 1939 the New York and San Francisco Worlds fairs opened; in December “Gone With The Wind” premiered in Atlanta; and Glenn Miller’s “sound” captivated the youth of a nation. And we might add a Plymouth cost $770.00 FOB Detroit.