__NOTOC__ The ''Quarantine Speech'' was a speech given by U.S. President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

on October 5, 1937. The speech called for an international "quarantine" against the spread of the "epidemic of world lawlessness" by aggressive nations as an alternative to the political climate of American neutrality and non-intervention that was prevalent at the time. No countries were directly mentioned in the speech, although it was interpreted as referring to the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

, the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

, and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. Roosevelt suggested the use of economic pressure, a forceful response, but less direct than outright aggression. The speech was given at the dedication of the Outer Drive Bridge between north and south outer

Lake Shore Drive Lake Shore Drive (officially Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Drive; also known as DuSable Lake Shore Drive, the Outer Drive, the Drive, LSD or DLSD) is a semi-limited access Limited-access highway, expressway that runs alongside the sh ...

. The speech received backlash for its interventionist ideals, causing protest from non-interventionists and heightening America's isolationist sentiments. Public response to the speech was mixed. Famed cartoonist Percy Crosby, creator of Skippy (comic strip) and very outspoken Roosevelt critic, bought a two-page advertisement in the ''New York Sun'' to attack it. In addition, it was heavily criticized by Hearst-owned newspapers and Robert R. McCormick of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', but several subsequent compendia of editorials showed overall approval in US media. Roosevelt realized the impact that those writing in favor of

isolationism Isolationism is a term used to refer to a political philosophy advocating a foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality an ...

had on the nation. He hoped that the storm isolationists had created would fade away and allow the general public to become educated and even active in international policy. However, this was not the response that grew over time, with the controversy eventually intensifying isolationism views in more Americans. Roosevelt even mentioned in two personal letters written on October 16, 1937, that "he was 'fighting against a public psychology which comes very close to saying 'peace at any price.'" Disappointed in how the public reacted to the speech, Roosevelt decided to take a step back with regards to his foreign policy, even to the point of accepting an apology from Japan after the sinking of the USS Panay.

Footnotes

References

* Borg, Dorothy. "Notes on Roosevelt's" Quarantine" Speech." ''Political Science Quarterly'' 72.3 (1957): 405-433
in JSTOR
* Dallek, Robert. ''Franklin D Roosevelt And American Foreign Policy 1932 1945'' (1979
online
pp 148–51 * Haight, John McV. "Roosevelt and the Aftermath of the Quarantine Speech." ''Review of Politics'' 24#2 (1962): 233–259 * Haight, John McV. "France and the Aftermath of Roosevelt's 'Quarantine' Speech." ''World Politics'' 14#2 (1962), pp. 283–30
in JSTOR
*
No more killing fields: preventing deadly conflict
'. David A. Hamburg, Cyrus S. Vance, 2003,

Rowman & Littlefield Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...

. Pages 36–37. . * Jacobs, Travis Beal. "Roosevelt's "Quarantine Speech"." ''Historian'' 24.4 (1962): 483–502
in JSTOR
* Ryan, Halford Ross. ''Franklin D. Roosevelt's rhetorical presidency'' (Greenwood Press, 1988).

External links

Transcript and audio of speech
{{Franklin D. Roosevelt 1937 in international relations 1937 in the United States History of Chicago Speeches by Franklin D. Roosevelt World War II speeches 1937 in Illinois October 1937 in the United States 1937 speeches

See also

Footnotes

References

External links