FDR and the Holocaust by Verne W. Newton provides a basis for scholarly discourse for the Hyde Park Conference of 1993. The book includes essays, articles, and chapters from different scholars specializing in the Holocaust and Roosevelt in which they examine FDR’s response to the Holocaust. The first chapter of the book is a summary of the participants’ remarks of the “Policies and Responses of the American Government towards the Holocaust,” which was prepared by rapporteur J. Garry Clifford. The objective of the conference was to determine through discussion whether or not the controversy over the Roosevelt administration’s response to the Holocaust was correct. Following this chapter, the first section of the book is filled with essays, articles, and chapters submitted by participants at the conference. The second section of the book includes papers by historians who were not participants at the conference, but whose contributions are relevant to the issues discussed. The articles written by the scholars throughout the book look at the policies between 1933 and 1942, addressing the critiques of FDR and his failure to stop the genocide of the Jewish community in Germany. The overall book not only looks at the rescue efforts during the war and the possibilities for future research and analysis, but also supplies a definitive resource for a pivotal time in United States history. Verne W. Newton, the editor, simply compiled a variety of essays and articles written by additional qualified people. Only the preface and a few short chapter introductions are actually the work of Newton himself. Some of his accomplishments include being the former direction of the FDR Library and the current director of the James A. Cannquino Librar... ... middle of paper ... ...the time of the Holocaust, as described by Breitman, Feingold, and the other authors. The articles, essays, and chapters included in the book went into detail about how FDR could have and should have responded differently to the Holocaust. The book is a series of essays based on the original conference, and because they were written to inform and not entertain, it left the book dry and confusing. As a student who is studying this time period in history, I found it difficult to understand what the different sources were referring to. I believe that this book would be great as a reference, source for differing opinions, and provision of new information of FDR and the Holocaust for an academic scholar. For me, the scholarly reading level that the book was written in was at times overwhelming and I would not recommend it to the average reader interested in the topic.
“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” (Elie Wiesel) The Holocaust is a topic that is still not forgotten and is used by many people, as a motivation, to try not to repeat history. Many lessons can be taught from learning about the Holocaust, but to Eve Bunting and Fred Gross there is one lesson that could have changed the result of this horrible event. The Terrible Things, by Eve Bunting, and The Child of the Holocaust, by Fred Gross, both portray the same moral meaning in their presentations but use different evidence and word choice to create an overall
"The United States and the Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.
Vanden Heuvel, William J. “The United States and Its Leaders Were Not to Blame for the Holocaust.” World War II. Don Nardo. Michigan: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Print.
Things were obviously very out of hand by the time America joined the war. To this day, we have learned through our mistakes and now realize that something to this degree must never happen again. By discovering the traumatizing effects of Hitler's rule, our country and its people realize that we must choose to act before it is too late. It is for this reason that we study the Holocaust. We must do all in our power to ensure that history does not repeat itself in this dreadful manner.
Bard, Mitchell G., ed. The Holocaust. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2001. Print. Turning Points in World History.
“99 subhuman Jews in the row, 99 subhuman Jews! Shoot one down, kick it around, 98 subhuman Jews in the row!” ~ Concentration camp worker during the holocaust. How could you begin to describe what’s always said to be such a horrible and tragic event? The Holocaust or Final Solution only seems as bad equal to the amount the person describing it values human life. To answer all of the topics presented to me I will be discussing the following; What is meant by “The Holocaust” or “Final Solution”, Why the Jewish were dehumanized, The choices made during the Holocaust, and My personal view on events that took place during the holocaust.
Evens, Richard; Gotfried, Ted; Lipsadt, Deborah; Zimmerman ,John; Sherman, Michael; Globman, Alex. “Holocaust Encyclopedia.” http://www.ushmm.org United States Holocaust
"The Holocaust." World War II Reference Library. Ed. Barbara C. Bigelow, et al. Vol. 1:
Gottfried, Ted. Deniers of the Holocaust: who they are, what they do, and why they do it. Brookfield , Connecticut : Twenty-First Century Books, 2001. Print.
In the “American Holocaust” by David Stannard, Stannard points out how the Spaniards, British, and Americans were treating the indigenous people differently. In chapter 1 of the “American Holocaust,” Stannard talks about how the Europeans main goal was to find and acquire gold. When the Europeans began to arrive in America they began to discover a land that contained a variety of gold. Once they discovered that there was gold they began to establish and did not see the indigenous people as part of the land. Indigenous people were required to work in forced labor and take care of the land however they were not part of the land and did not have their own property, towns and villages. In the first chapter of the American Holocaust Stannard
America during the years of war had many ideas float around of what to do and how to fix the issue present. But, not much action was effectively taken. The American Jewish Leaders Meeting with President Roosevelt on December 8, 1942 discussed political ideas given to President Roosevelt and his hesitation on taking action. During this meeting, several American Jewish representatives met with Roosevelt and told him the idea of the War Refugee Board. The War Refugee Board’s goal was to aid civilian victims of the Nazis and restrict the Nazi’s actions. Yes this board did save thousands of Jews ,but, it took President Roosevelt almost three years to establish this board even though he knew about the killings occurring. If Roosevelt took action just a little bit early, thousands of more lives could have been spared. This fact truly represents America’s hesitation as a whole by showing that even the President, an extremely powerful person, was uncertain on taking action. Continuing with this point, there were many bills that were presented during the time of war but congress rejected them which ended up hurting many Jews. For example, the Wagner-Rogers bill was created to take in 20,000 endangered Jewish children. The senate did not support this bill which could have saved thousands of Jewish children. Overall, both Roosevelt and America in general were very hesitant in doing anything
The Holocaust an event so horrendous that uttering its name makes grown men tremble. The Nazi Party's wrath seemed unstoppable, likewise to a school bully picking its victims without the slightest of remorse. The events of the Holocaust were inhumane and discusting and are incapable of adaquate description through this paper or any for that matter. Eventhough the Holocaust has such an infamous negative connotation, it remains to be one of the most internationally well-known historical topics. The mystery that is Hitler, the mastermind behind the entire plot, is one code that may stay uncrackable for eternity. We are not completely in the dark as to his thoughts toward the "Final Solution" he meticulously devised though.
Levi, Neil, and Michael Rothberg. The Holocaust: Theoretical Readings. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2003. Print.
Dwork, Deborah, and R. J. Van Pelt. Holocaust: a History. New York: Norton, 2002. Print.