Sydney Botie

Ms. Kane

U.S. History Honors 11

10 May 2011

U.S. History DBQ: Military Security and Protection of Democratic Ideals

Democratic ideals are defined as the beliefs involving the support of democracy,

which the founders of the United States believed were essential for democracy to

function properly. The democratic ideals that one speaks of can be found in both the

Preamble of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. After 1939,

world affairs drew the United States into greater international involvement. These events

forced the United States to abandon its isolationist foreign policy in favor of more active

global involvement. Though, in order to have success in the war, the United States

needed military security and protects the democratic ideals that the nation was built upon,

which ended up shaping American foreign policy.

On The 7th of December, in 1941, the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan

deliberately attacked the United States of America. The attack was intended as a

preventive action to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with the military actions

the Empire of Japan, who was planning against overseas territories of the United

Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. “The base was attacked by 353

Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft

carriers. Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk and the four others present were
damaged.” In quite clear evident, the United States felt aimed at, causing the United

States to enter the war and retaliate. Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that the justification

of the United States entering war was the attack on Pearl Harbor, which ultimately led the

United States in declaring war (Doc 1). In 1948, the Treaty of Brussels and the Soviet

Berlin Blockade led to the creation of the Western European Union's Defense

Organization. However, participation of the United States was thought necessary in order

to counter the military power of the USSR, which began plans of the United States

having involvement in the war as an ally. The discussions then led to the North Atlantic

Treaty, which was signed on April 4th, 1949. The document included the words of the

agreement: “The Parties of NATO agreed that an armed attack against one or more of

them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.

Consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of

the right of individual or collective self-defense will assist the Party or Parties being

attacked, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems

necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the

North Atlantic area” (Doc 4). This treaty showed how the United States stopped avoiding

the war, and continued to become an ally, and it resembled the United States long-term

commitment to international involvement. Though distant to military security, President

Harry S. Truman’s “Address Before a Joint Session of Congress” in 1947 of March 12th,

which related to the United States protecting democratic ideals. The United States

extended their democratic ideals to Greece and Turkey, when Truman decided to help the

two countries prevent communist spread, and we would help them economically and

financially, which was supported by Truman believing that the free people of the world
look to the United States for support in order to maintain their freedoms (Doc 5). This

ended up being known as the Truman Doctrine, which stated that it would be "the policy

of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by

armed minorities or by outside pressures." He pressed his point by arguing that if Greece

and Turkey didn’t receive aid from us, they would then inevitably fall to communism

with grave consequences throughout the world. In President George Bush’s, State of the

Union Address, he construed that the purpose of our troops being in the Persian Gulf, was

that of a plan to restore Kuwait’s legitimate government, and also to ensure the stability

and security of this region, and to stop Iraq’s leader Saddam Hussein, who was trying to

be seized so he wouldn’t be able to control the world’s oil resources, to avoid further

aggression. What was necessary was to “build a new, enduring peace, based not on arms

races and confrontation, but on shared principles and the rule of law” (Doc 7). This

showed how the United States was using its world power to avoid totalitarian methods of

running a country, and to shy away from aggression.

Overall, the United States was a very power nation during the world events after

1939. The events led to the United States having a greater international involvement in

the war. The United States left behind policies of isolation, and began to favor global

involvement. Throughout the war, the United States proved to be a world power, and

showed the strive for military security and the protection of democratic ideals, in which

shaped the foreign policies of America during the 1940’s and continued ever since.