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Neutrality Acts

Definition

The Neutrality Acts were laws passed by Congress in the mid-1930s designed to keep the United States out of future wars by prohibiting American citizens from trading with nations at war or traveling on their ships.

Analogy

Imagine if you're a shop owner who decides not to sell goods to two people because they always fight over them. That's essentially what these acts did - they stopped America from selling weapons or lending money to countries that were fighting each other.

Related terms

Isolationism: This is a policy of remaining apart from political affairs or interests of other groups, especially foreign nations.

Lend-Lease Act: An act allowing U.S. government to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed "vital" for defense before entering World War II.

Cash-and-Carry Policy: A policy that allowed belligerent nations to buy goods and arms in the US if they paid cash and transported them on their own ships.