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93-777: Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other The America First Committee ( AFC ) was an American isolationist pressure group against the United States ' entry into World War II . Launched in September 1940, it surpassed 800,000 members in 450 chapters at its peak. The AFC principally supported isolationism for its own sake, and its varied coalition included Republicans , Democrats , farmers, industrialists, communists , anti-communists, students, and journalists – however, it

186-508: A historically tense relationship . From 1431 to 1863, the Kingdom of Cambodia enforced an isolationist policy. The policy prohibited foreign contact with most outside countries. When Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge came to power on 17 April 1975 and established Democratic Kampuchea , the urban population of every city, including Phnom Penh , was relocated to the countryside. This was ordered by

279-461: A $ 200 per day fee on top of other travel expenses such as meals and accommodation. Prior to 2022, visitors were not allowed to travel independently and had to be accompanied by a tour guide . As of 2021, Bhutan does not maintain formal foreign relations with any of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council , notably including China , its neighbor to the north with which it has

372-658: A 4 from all three faculty members) are admitted, upon which they are immediately notified by the school. There are also 50–80 outstanding students admitted each year without going through this review process. The LL.M. Program and the Visiting Researchers Program at Yale Law are amongst the smallest and most selective graduate law programs in the United States. Yale Law admits around 25 LL.M. students and around 10 visiting researchers every year. These programs are usually limited to those students who intend to pursue

465-472: A career in legal academia. At this distinctive law school, admission to the J.S.D. program is exclusive to candidates who have attained exceptional standing in obtaining their LL.M. degree at Yale Law School and exhibit the promise of delivering outstanding scholarly contributions. Yale Law admitted only men until 1918. Yale Law School houses over two dozen clinics that allow students to represent clients in real-world legal problems. Participation in clinics

558-520: A competition. The only exception is YLS's flagship journal, the Yale Law Journal , which holds a two-part admissions competition each spring, consisting of a four- or five-hour " bluebooking exam," followed by a traditional writing competition. Although the Journal identifies a target maximum number of members to accept each year, it is not a firm number. Other leading student-edited publications include

651-584: A few millionaires such as William H. Regnery , H. Smith Richardson of the Vick Chemical Company , General Robert E. Wood of Sears-Roebuck, publisher Joseph M. Patterson (New York Daily News ) and his cousin, publisher Robert R. McCormick ( Chicago Tribune ). Other funding came from executives of Montgomery Ward , Hormel Foods , and the Inland Steel Company . At its peak, America First claimed 800,000–850,000 members in 450 chapters, making

744-461: A law school. He took on a former student, Samuel J. Hitchcock as a law partner, and Hitchcock became the proprietor of the New Haven Law School , joined by David Daggett in 1824. The Yale Law School shield (shown at the upper right of this page) shows staples and a rampant dog, representing Seth Staples and David Daggett. The school's affiliation with Yale began in the mid-1820s and in 1843,

837-403: A mainstream organization, America First struggled with the problem of anti-Semitism of some of its leaders and many of its members", according to the historian Dunn. The group had some Jewish members at the outset: Sears heir and philanthropist Lessing J. Rosenwald was on the national committee; former California congresswoman Florence Prag Kahn was a member; and the first publicity director for

930-428: A majority of the public favored sending material assistance to Great Britain in its fight against Nazi Germany, a majority also wanted the United States to stay out of direct participation in the war. There were various uncoordinated isolationist groups active during 1939–40, but the public disclosure by President Roosevelt of the destroyers-for-bases deal led to the announcement the following day, September 4, 1940, of

1023-577: A more decentralized fundraising structure, with the chapters typically relying more on small contributions than the national entity. Serious organization and recruitment efforts took place from Chicago, the national headquarters of the committee, not long after the AFC's September 1940 establishment. These included the taking out of full-page advertisements in leading newspapers in various cities and paying for radio broadcasts. Fundraising drives produced about $ 370,000 from some 25,000 contributors. Nearly half came from

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1116-575: A policy made explicit in the Monroe Doctrine's emphasis on unilateral action. Not until 1863 did an American delegate attend an international conference. Isolationism has been criticized for the lack of aiding nations with major troubles. One notable example is that of American isolationism, which Benjamin Schwartz described as a "tragedy" inspired by Puritanism . Some modern American conservative commentators assert that labeling others as isolationist

1209-550: A potpourri of affiliations and beliefs: Democrats , Republicans , liberals , conservatives , socialists , communists , anti-communists , radicals , pacifists , and simple F.D.R.-haters ." One of the most famous incidents occurred in February 1939 with a German American Bund organization's Nazi-sympathizing rally , held at the famous sports arena Madison Square Garden in New York City , which attracted thousands. Much of

1302-450: A prohibition on secret recordings and disruption of campus events. The institution is known for its scholarly orientation; a relatively large number of its graduates (9%) choose careers in academia within five years of graduation, while a relatively low number (46%) choose to work in law firms five years after graduation. Another feature of Yale Law's culture since the 1930s, among both faculty and student graduates, has been an emphasis on

1395-608: A retired U.S. Army general who was chairman of Sears, Roebuck and Co. Its highest-profile early member was Henry Ford , the automotive pioneer and notorious anti-Semite, who resigned in controversy. Halfway through the committee's 15-month existence, aviator Charles Lindbergh joined it and became the most prominent speaker at its rallies. Lindbergh's presence resulted in increased criticism that America First embraced overt anti-Semitism and fascist sympathies. Historian Susan Dunn has concluded that, "Though most of its members were probably patriotic, well-meaning, and honest in their efforts,

1488-727: A simple Credit/No Credit system. For their remaining two-and-a-half years, students are graded on an Honors/Pass/Low Pass/Fail system. Similarly, the school does not rank its students. It is also notable for having only a single semester of required classes (plus two additional writing requirements), instead of the full year most U.S. schools require. Unusually, and as a result of unique Connecticut State court rules, Yale Law allows first-year students to represent clients through one of its numerous clinics; other law schools typically offer this opportunity only to second- and third-year students. Students publish nine law journals that, unlike those at most other schools, mostly accept student editors without

1581-623: A strategy of isolationism. Robert Art makes his argument in A Grand Strategy for America (2003). Books that have made the argument that the United States followed unilaterism instead of isolationism include Walter A. McDougall 's Promised Land, Crusader State (1997), John Lewis Gaddis 's Surprise, Security, and the American Experience (2004), and Bradley F. Podliska 's Acting Alone (2010). Both sides claim policy prescriptions from George Washington's Farewell Address as evidence for their argument. Bear F. Braumoeller argues that even

1674-534: A summer school in law and economics, the Yale-Paris ;II-Essec Summer School . The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Yale Law School for the 2021–2022 academic year is $ 93,923. In 2015, the Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance (including cost of living) for three years is $ 289,879. According to Law School Data,

1767-434: 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 and opposes entanglement in military alliances and mutual defense pacts. In its purest form, isolationism opposes all commitments to foreign countries, including treaties and trade agreements. In

1860-590: Is common among Yale Law students, with over 80% of degree candidates participating in clinical activities prior to graduation. Yale Law's clinics cover a wide range of issue areas and legal fields. Students represent clients before courts at all levels of the federal judiciary, state courts in Connecticut and other states, international tribunals and adjudicative bodies, administrative processes, and private arbitration. Yale Law School has greatly expanded its clinical programs in recent years, adding eight new clinics during

1953-743: Is divided into two regimes with the People's Republic of China solidified control on mainland China while the existing Republic of China was confined to the island of Taiwan as both governments lay claim to each other's sovereignty. While the PRC is recognized by the United Nations , European Union , and the majority of the world's states, the ROC remains diplomatically isolated although 15 states recognize it as "China" with some countries maintaining unofficial diplomatic relations through trade offices . From 1641 to 1853,

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2046-855: Is the Yale Law Journal , one of the most highly cited legal publications in the United States. According to Yale Law School's ABA -required disclosures, 83% of the Class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required or JD-advantage employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners. Yale Law alumni include many prominent figures in law and politics, including Presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . Alumni also include current U.S. Supreme Court justices Clarence Thomas , Samuel Alito , Sonia Sotomayor and Brett Kavanaugh , as well as multiple former justices, including Abe Fortas , Potter Stewart and Byron White ; several heads of state, including German President Karl Carstens , President of

2139-478: Is used against individuals in a pejorative manner. Yale Law School Yale Law School ( YLS ) is the law school of Yale University , a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut . Established in 1824, it has been ranked the number one law school in the country by U.S. News & World Report every year since the magazine started publishing law school rankings. The 2020–21 acceptance rate

2232-524: Is vital." When the war began in Europe ( Nazi Germany 's invasion of Poland ) in September 1939, most Americans, including politicians, demanded neutrality regarding Europe. Although most Americans supported strong measures against Japan, Europe was the focus of the America First Committee. The public mood was changing, however, especially after the fall of France in the spring of 1940. Still, while

2325-612: The Yale Journal on Regulation , the Yale Law and Policy Review , and the Yale Journal of International Law . In November 2013, it was announced that a $ 25 million donation would bring student dormitory living back onto campus, with renovations to begin in 2018. Since 2020, Yale Law School has held the top spot as the world’s best law school, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) . Yale Law has been ranked

2418-491: The Atlantic Charter and the placing of economic pressure on Japan. Consequently, America First objected to any material assistance to Britain, such as in destroyers-for-bases, that might drag the United States into the war and remained firm in its belief that Nazi Germany posed no military threat to the United States itself. The America First Committee was not a pacifist organization, however, and it based its beliefs around

2511-486: The Catholic Church and in order to try to keep foreigners at bay, he turned church courtyards into artillery parks and turned confession boxes into border sentry posts. Some scholars, such as Robert J. Art , believe that the United States had an isolationist history, but most other scholars dispute that claim by describing the United States as following a strategy of unilateralism or non-interventionism rather than

2604-618: The Communist Party of Kampuchea and the secret police Santebal , and they then established an infamous prison gulag inside the torture chamber called Tuol Sleng (S-21) . Cambodia proceeded to implement the Year Zero policy, hastening isolation from the rest of the world. Ultimately, the authority of the Khmer Rouge and its isolationist policy would collapse in 1978 when the Vietnamese invaded

2697-631: The Internet in order to preserve its culture, environment, and identity. Eventually, Jigme Singye Wangchuck lifted the ban on television and the Internet. His son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck , was elected Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan, which helped forge the Bhutanese democracy . Bhutan has subsequently undergone a transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy multi-party democracy . The development of Bhutanese democracy has been marked by

2790-572: The Kennedy presidential administration (and brother-in-law), and Kingman Brewster Jr. , who would later become president of Yale University . Stuart dropped out of Yale to focus on the anti-intervention cause, and during Summer 1940, he and Brewster found support for the cause among politicians in Washington and party conventions, and among corporate figures in Stuart's home area of Chicago . On September 5,

2883-696: The New Deal . The law school's 15th dean, Harold Koh (2004–2009), made human rights a focus of the law school's work, building on a tradition that had developed over the previous two decades. On March 23, 2009, the White House announced the appointment of Koh to the United States Department of State as the Legal Adviser of the Department of State . Robert C. Post was selected to replace him as dean of

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2976-449: The North , which would continued by his son and grandson following his death in 1994. In 1814, three years after it gained its independence on May 14, 1811, Paraguay was taken over by the dictator José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia . During his rule which lasted from 1814 until his death in 1840, he closed Paraguay's borders and prohibited trade or any relationship between Paraguay and

3069-587: The Tokugawa shogunate of Japan enforced a policy called kaikin . The policy prohibited foreign contact with most outside countries. The commonly held idea that Japan was entirely closed, however, is misleading. In fact, Japan maintained limited-scale trade and diplomatic relations with China , Korea , and the Ryukyu Islands , as well as the Dutch Republic as the only Western trading partner of Japan for much of

3162-546: The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit . Professors Clark and Frank, among others, became judges on that court. Some of the faculty members who became Second Circuit judges continued to teach courses at YLS and chose their clerks from student graduates. These judges influenced thinking in general at YLS and particularly reinforced student interest in public service, a characteristic tradition at YLS since

3255-628: The 2016–2017 academic year. Yale Law School signed in June 2011 an Agreement for Collaborative Activities to create an environment for long-term joint research, exchange and programming activities, with Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University , the direct inheritor of the Faculty of Law of Paris and acting law school of the Sorbonne University . They organize, together with the ESSEC Business School ,

3348-401: The 61-year-old chairman of Sears, Roebuck and Co. , to preside over the committee. Wood remained in his post until the AFC was disbanded in the days after Japan 's attack on Pearl Harbor. Organizationally, America First had an executive committee of about seven people, which took the lead in forming America First policies. Its initial members included Wood, Stuart, and several businessmen from

3441-545: The AFC one of the largest anti-war organizations in the history of the United States. Two-thirds of members were located within a 300-mile radius of Chicago, and 135,000 members in 60 chapters throughout Illinois, its strongest state. There were almost no AFC chapters in the American South , where traditions of involvement in the military and ancestral ties to the United Kingdom ( Great Britain ) were both strong. The AFC

3534-485: The AFC would never be able to purge itself of the taint of anti-Semitism." American isolationism of the late 1930s had many adherents, and as historian Susan Dunn has written, "isolationists and anti-interventionists came in all stripes and colors—ideological, economic, ethnic, geographical. Making up this eclectic coalition were farmers, union leaders, wealthy industrialists, college students, newspaper publishers, wealthy patricians, and newly arrived immigrants. There were

3627-407: The America First Committee, which would become the strongest such group. In its announcement, the AFC advocated four basic principles: The America First Committee launched a petition aimed at enforcing the 1939 Neutrality Act and forcing President Franklin D. Roosevelt to keep his pledge to keep America out of the war. The committee profoundly distrusted Roosevelt, and argued that he was lying to

3720-612: The America First supporters were middlewestern Republicans who distrusted the President for various reasons, but it was not a purely sectional organization or partisan political movement. Thousands of sincere Americans of varied background and from both political parties joined and contributed to it. It also attracted support from a number of fringe hate organizations, from anti-Semites, and from Nazi sympathizers. This minority support tarnished its reputation." Author Max Wallace argues that by

3813-516: The American people. On January 11, 1941, the day after Roosevelt's Lend-Lease bill was submitted to the United States Congress , Wood promised AFC opposition "with all the vigor it can exert." America First staunchly opposed the convoying of ships involving the U.S. Navy , believing that any exchange of fire with German forces would likely pull the United States into the war. It also opposed

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3906-416: The Class of 2013 accepted full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners. Yale Law School's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 8.4%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation. The median salary for

3999-599: The French revolutionary wars and the Napoleonic wars, encouraged another perspective. A desire for separateness and unilateral freedom of action merged with national pride and a sense of continental safety to foster the policy of isolation. Although the United States maintained diplomatic relations and economic contacts abroad, it sought to restrict these as narrowly as possible in order to retain its independence. The Department of State continually rejected proposals for joint cooperation,

4092-466: The Midwest. There was also a larger national committee, which was composed of prominent individuals who supported America First's aims. Over the course of the organization's existence, some fifty people were part of the national committee. Finally, there were local chapters organized in cities and towns of various size wherever a sizeable anti-interventionist feeling existed. The existence of chapters permitted

4185-483: The Midwest. Wheeler and Nye were especially active as speakers at America First rallies. Other celebrities supporting America First were actress Lillian Gish and architect Frank Lloyd Wright . Following his resignation as ambassador to the Court of St. James's in late 1940, the increasingly isolationist, anti-British, and defeatist Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. was offered the chance to head the America First Committee. Members of

4278-559: The New York chapter was Jewish. However, the automotive pioneer and infamous anti-Semite Henry Ford had joined the national committee at the same time as Rosenwald, which soon led to Rosenwald resigning. In response, America First removed Ford from the national committee and also removed from it Avery Brundage , whose actions at the 1936 Berlin Olympics were associated with anti-Semitism. Attempts by America First to recruit other Jewish people to

4371-583: The Philippines Jose P. Laurel , and Peter Mutharika , former president of Malawi ; U.S. senators, governors, and officials; and the current deans of four of the top fourteen-ranked law schools in the United States: Penn , Virginia , Northwestern , and Georgetown . The school began in the New Haven law office of Seth P. Staples in the 1800s, who began training lawyers. By 1810 he was operating

4464-583: The United States into the war. The group fervently opposed measures for the British advanced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt such as the destroyers-for-bases deal and the Lend-Lease bill , but failed in its efforts to block them. The AFC was founded by Yale Law School student R. Douglas Stuart Jr. , a Princeton graduate who was heir to the Quaker Oats Company fortune, and headed by Robert E. Wood ,

4557-469: The active encouragement and participation of the reigning Bhutanese monarchs since the 1950s, beginning with legal reforms, and culminating in the enactment of Bhutan's Constitution . Tourism in Bhutan was prohibited until 1974. Since then, the country has allowed foreigners to visit, but has tightly controlled tourism in an effort to preserve its natural and cultural heritage. As of 2022, tourists must pay

4650-452: The affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, and generally attempting to make one's economy entirely self-reliant; seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement, both diplomatically and economically, while remaining in a state of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities. Before 1999, Bhutan had banned television and

4743-581: The aim that the United States would embody preparedness with a modern, mechanized army and a navy that would be strong in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The principal pressure group opposing America First was the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies , which argued that a German defeat of Britain would in fact endanger American security, and which argued that aiding the British would reduce, not increase,

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4836-413: The average student who borrowed money to attend Yale Law School in the graduating class of 2022 graduated with $ 143,437 in debt. The annual total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, mandatory university health insurance, and living expenses) at Yale Law School for the 2021–2022 academic year is $ 93,821. According to Yale Law School's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 78.8% of

4929-457: The best case for isolationism, the United States in the interwar period, has been widely misunderstood and that Americans proved willing to fight as soon as they believed a genuine threat existed. Warren F. Kuehl and Gary B. Ostrower argue: Events during and after the Revolution related to the treaty of alliance with France, as well as difficulties arising over the neutrality policy pursued during

5022-658: The best equipment that modern skill can design and that modern industry can build. With the formal declaration of war against Japan, the organization chose to disband. On December 11, the committee leaders met and voted for dissolution, the same day upon which Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy declared war on the United States . In a statement released to the press, the AFC wrote: Our principles were right. Had they been followed, war could have been avoided. No good purpose can now be served by considering what might have been, had our objectives been attained. We are at war. Today, though there may be many important subsidiary considerations,

5115-591: The coastlines of China, Japan, and Korea, and were one of the key primary concerns, although the maritime ban was not without some control. In the winter of 1757, the Qianlong Emperor declared that—effective the next year— Guangzhou was to be the only Chinese port permitted to foreign traders, beginning the Canton System . Since the division of the territory following the Chinese Civil War in 1949, China

5208-478: The committee was publicly launched in a national radio broadcast by retired General Hugh S. Johnson , who had headed the National Recovery Administration (N.R.A.) during the early Great Depression as part of the New Deal programs combating the bad economic conditions for a while before President Roosevelt discharged him in 1934. America First chose retired Brigadier General Robert E. Wood ,

5301-645: The country and then overthrew Pol Pot on 7 January 1979. After Zheng He's voyages in the 15th century, the foreign policy of the Ming dynasty in China became increasingly isolationist. The Hongwu Emperor was not the first to propose the policy to ban all maritime shipping in 1390. The Qing dynasty that came after the Ming dynasty often continued the Ming dynasty's isolationist policies. Wokou , which literally translates to "Japanese pirates" or "dwarf pirates", were pirates who raided

5394-481: The dangers involved in such a policy, both for us and for them. Instead of agitating for war the Jewish groups in this country should be opposing it in every possible way, for they will be among the first to feel its consequences. Tolerance is a virtue that depends upon peace and strength. History shows that it cannot survive war and devastation. A few farsighted Jewish people realize this and stand opposed to intervention. But

5487-574: The extreme views of Lindbergh's circle, while for his part the aviator preferred to act independently. Wood, however, wanted to bring Lindbergh on, and on April 10, 1941, it was agreed that Lindbergh would join the national committee, with the aviator's first rally appearance taking place on April 17 at the Chicago Arena . Once he did join, Lindbergh became America First's most prominent speaker. His involvement significantly increased rally attendance and organization membership, but it also greatly increased

5580-775: The impetus for this isolationism came from college students, with Yale University being a particularly strong outpost of such sentiments. The America First Committee was established on September 4, 1940, by Yale Law School student R. Douglas Stuart, Jr. (son of R. Douglas Stuart , co-founder of Quaker Oats ). Stuart had been part of an earlier anti-interventionist student organization at Yale Law School, one that began in Spring 1940 and included future president Gerald Ford , future U.S. Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart , and future diplomat Eugene Locke as signatories to an initial organizing letter. Other Yale students who became involved were future Peace Corps director Sargent Shriver during

5673-404: The importance of spending at least a few years in government service. A similar emphasis has long been placed on service as a judicial law clerk upon graduation. Its 4.5:1 student-to-faculty ratio is the lowest among U.S. law schools. Yale Law does not have a traditional grading system, a consequence of student unrest in the late 1960s. Instead, it grades first-semester first-year students on

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5766-625: The internal affairs of sovereign states, associated with trade and economic protectionism and cultural and religious isolation, as well as with the inability to be in permanent military alliances , with the preservation, however, some opportunities to participate in temporary military alliances that meet the current interests of the state and in permanent international organizations of a non-military nature”. This contrasts with philosophies such as colonialism , expansionism , and liberal internationalism . Isolationism has been defined as: A policy or doctrine of trying to isolate one's country from

5859-505: The interventionists and the British who called for "the defense of England" really meant "the defeat of Germany." A speech that Lindbergh delivered to a rally in Des Moines, Iowa , on September 11, 1941, may have significantly raised tensions. He identified the forces pulling America into the war as the British, the Roosevelt administration, and American Jews . While he expressed sympathy for

5952-495: The invasion of the Soviet Union, they reversed positions and denounced the AFC as a Nazi front , a group infiltrated by German agents. Nazis also tried to use the committee. The aviator and orator Laura Ingalls ' pro-Nazi rhetoric and straight-armed Nazi salutes on her America First speaking tour worried the group's leadership, but they allowed her to continue because of praise from local chapters where she had spoken. When Ingalls

6045-455: The law school. In 2022, two federal appeals judges, James C. Ho and Elizabeth L. Branch , stopped hiring Yale Law graduates as clerks because of concerns the school suppresses conservative views. The school responded by initiating actions to "reaffirm its commitment to free speech", which included an orientation about "free expression" and "respectful engagement", the appointment of a new dean to help law students "resolve disagreements", and

6138-479: The level of criticism that America First faced from interventionists and from the Roosevelt administration. On June 20, 1941, Lindbergh spoke to 30,000 people in Los Angeles and billed it as a "Peace and Preparedness Mass Meeting". Lindbergh criticized the movements that he perceived were leading America into the war and proclaimed that the U.S. was in a position that made it virtually impregnable. He also claimed that

6231-664: The likelihood of the United States being pulled into the war. The Lend-Lease bill was debated fiercely in Congress for two months, and the America First Committee devoted its strength towards defeating it, but with the addition of a few amendments it was passed with solid margins in both houses of Congress and signed into law in March 1941. In the end, America First failed in all its efforts to prevent Roosevelt's increasingly close relationship with Britain and failed in its efforts to legislatively block Roosevelt's actions. "Seeking to brand itself as

6324-501: The majority still do not. Their greatest danger to this country lies in their large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio, and our government. Many condemned the speech as antisemitic . Journalist Dorothy Thompson wrote for the New York Herald Tribune an opinion that many shared: "I am absolutely certain that Lindbergh is pro-Nazi." Republican presidential candidate Wendell Willkie criticized

6417-410: The most competitive in the United States. In 2023, the median GPA for the entering class was 3.96, and the median LSAT score was 175. After an initial round of screening by the admissions department, approximately 25% of applications are independently evaluated by three different faculty members. Each application is scored from 2–4 at the discretion of the reader. All applicants with a perfect 12 (i.e.,

6510-403: The national committee found no takers. As Dunn writes, "the problem of anti-Semitism remained; some chapter leaders spewed anti-Semitic accusations, while others invited anti-Semitic speakers to address their members." America First tried to keep some distance between itself and the popular radio priest and fascist sympathizer Father Coughlin . The world-famous American aviator Charles Lindbergh

6603-423: The national committee included: advertising executive Chester Bowles , diplomat William Richards Castle Jr. , journalist John T. Flynn , writer and socialite Alice Roosevelt Longworth , military officer and politician Hanford MacNider , novelist Kathleen Norris , New Deal administrator George Peek , and World War I flying ace and later aviation executive Eddie Rickenbacker . The aforementioned Gerald Ford

6696-473: The number one law school in the United States by U.S. News & World Report between 1990 and 2024. Among U.S. law schools, Yale has the lowest acceptance rate and the highest yield rate—whereas less than 5% of applicants are admitted, about 80% of those who are accepted ultimately enroll, either in the Fall following their acceptance or after a deferral. Since its inception in 2018, with Yale Law School securing

6789-492: The outside world. The Spanish settlers who had arrived in Paraguay just before it gained its independence were required to marry old colonists or the native Guaraní in order to create a single Paraguayan people . Francia had a particular dislike of foreigners, and any foreigners who attempted to enter the country were not allowed to leave for an indefinite period of time. An independent character, he hated European influences and

6882-431: The past toward the policy our government has followed. Whether or not that policy has been wise, our country has been attacked by force of arms and by force of arms we must retaliate. Our own defenses and our own military position have already been neglected too long. We must now turn every effort to building the greatest and most efficient Army, Navy and Air Force in the world. When American soldiers go to war it must be with

6975-460: The period. The culture of Japan developed with limited influence from the outside world and had one of the longest stretches of peace in history. During this period, Japan developed thriving cities, castle towns, increasing commodification of agriculture and domestic trade, wage labor, increasing literacy and concomitant print culture , laying the groundwork for modernization even as the shogunate itself grew weak. In 1863, Emperor Gojong took

7068-605: The plight of the Jews in Germany, he argued that America's entry into the war would serve them little better: It is not difficult to understand why Jewish people desire the overthrow of Nazi Germany. The persecution they suffered in Germany would be sufficient to make bitter enemies of any race. No person with a sense of the dignity of mankind can condone the persecution the Jewish race suffered in Germany. But no person of honesty and vision can look on their pro-war policy here today without seeing

7161-493: The political science lexicon, there is also the term of “ non-interventionism ”, which is sometimes improperly used to replace the concept of “isolationism”. “Non-interventionism” is commonly understood as “a foreign policy of political or military non-involvement in foreign relations or in other countries’ internal affairs”. “Isolationism” should be interpreted more broadly as “a foreign policy grand strategy of military and political non-interference in international affairs and in

7254-450: The primary objective is not difficult to state. It can be completely defined in one word: Victory. Once war was declared, the national leaders of the America First Committee supported the United States war effort, with many serving in some capacity. Similarly, many of the leaders of local chapters volunteered for service in the U.S. armed forces ; a few continued to involve themselves in anti-war actions. Isolationist Isolationism

7347-481: The rankings discourage low-income applicants and "fail to advance the legal profession" by devaluing programs that encourage public interest profession rather than high-paying corporate jobs. Yale's decision was followed by Harvard Law School , which also withdrew from the rankings. Yale Law School enrolls about 200 new students a year, creating one of the smallest classes among top U.S. law schools. Its small class size and prestige combine to make its admissions process

7440-461: The safeguards of civilization against Asia (which included the Soviet Union), his speech argued that instead of fighting, all of Europe and the United States should "defend the white race against foreign invasion". For the first half of America First's 15 months of existence, the group and Lindbergh kept at arm's length from each other, as Stuart was leery of being too closely associated with some of

7533-492: The school's students began receiving Yale degrees. Daggett went on to serve as mayor of New Haven, U.S. Senator, and judge on Connecticut's highest court. An opponent of education for African Americans and a supporter of colonization, he helped lead opposition to the establishment of a college for African Americans in New Haven and presided over the trial of a woman who ran a boarding school for African American girls. A special relationship or connection developed between YLS and

7626-446: The second-highest law school ( Harvard Law School ). Additionally, a 2010 survey of "scholarly impact," measured by per capita citations to faculty scholarship, found Yale's faculty to be the most cited law school faculty in the United States. In November 2022, Yale made a voluntary decision to pull out of the U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings. Describing their methodology as "profoundly flawed," Yale claimed that

7719-544: The speech as "the most un-American talk made in my time by any person of national reputation." In the end, Lindbergh's remarks hurt the cause of the isolationists. During the period after Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union had signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop non-aggression pact , most American Communists were opposed to the United States entering World War II, and they tried to infiltrate or take over America First. After June 1941, when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa ,

7812-476: The summer of 1941, "extremist elements had successfully hijacked the movement". After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, AFC canceled a rally with Lindbergh at Boston Garden "in view of recent critical developments," and the organization's leaders announced their support of the war effort. Lindbergh gave this rationale: We have been stepping closer to war for many months. Now it has come and we must meet it as united Americans regardless of our attitude in

7905-483: The sympathies of political figures, including: Democratic senators Burton K. Wheeler of Montana and David I. Walsh of Massachusetts, and Republican senators Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota and Henrik Shipstead of Minnesota. Philip La Follette , former Governor of Wisconsin and a founder of the Wisconsin Progressive Party , was another prominent member. Overall, support from politicians was strongest in

7998-520: The throne of the Joseon Dynasty when he was a child. His father, Regent Heungseon Daewongun , ruled for him until Gojong reached adulthood. During the mid-1860s he was the main proponent of isolationism and the principal instrument of the persecution of both native and foreign Catholics. Following the division of the peninsula after independence from Japan at the end of World War II , Kim Il Sung inaugurated an isolationist nationalist regime in

8091-465: The top position, the Fortuna Ranking of US Law School Rankings has consistently placed Yale at #1, while Harvard and Stanford have maintained their positions as #2 and #3 respectively in the latest 2023-2024 ranking. The school also saw a greater percentage of its students go on to become Supreme Court clerks between the 2000 and 2010 terms than any other law school, more than double the percentage of

8184-453: Was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United States. Its yield rate of 87% is also consistently the highest of any law school in the United States. The school’s small size and prestige have made its admissions process the most selective of any law school in the United States. Each class in Yale Law's three-year J.D. program enrolls approximately 200 students. Yale's flagship law review

8277-780: Was admired in Germany and was allowed to see the buildup of the German air force, the Luftwaffe , in 1937. He was impressed by its strength and secretly reported his findings to the General Staff of the United States Army , warning them that the U.S. had fallen behind and that it must urgently build up its aviation. Lindbergh, who had feuded with the Roosevelt administration for years, delivered his first radio speech on September 15, 1939, through all three major radio networks. Voicing his belief that people of Northern and Western European descent were

8370-589: Was arrested in December 1941 and put on trial for being an unregistered Nazi agent, the prosecution revealed that her handler, German diplomat Ulrich Freiherr von Gienanth, had encouraged her to participate in AFC activities. In addition to Ingalls, who was convicted, another America First speaker would be convicted for failing to register as a Japanese agent. Various historians have described attempts to keep Nazi and fascist sympathizers out of its chapters as not always successful. Historian Alexander DeConde wrote, "Most of

8463-503: Was controversial for the anti-Semitic and pro- fascist views of some of its most prominent speakers, leaders, and members. The AFC was dissolved on December 11, 1941, four days after the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into the war. The AFC argued that no foreign power could successfully attack a strongly defended United States, that a British defeat by Nazi Germany would not imperil American national security, and that giving military aid to Britain would risk dragging

8556-434: Was never able to draw sufficient funding to conducting its own public opinion polling. The New York chapter received slightly more than $ 190,000, most of it coming from its 47,000 contributors. As the AFC never had a national membership form or national dues, and local chapters were quite autonomous, historians point out that the organization's leaders had no idea how many "members" it had. The America First Committee attracted

8649-483: Was one of the first members of the AFC when a chapter formed at Yale University (however he resigned from the AFC shortly afterward, lest he endanger his position as an assistant coach for Yale Bulldogs football ); Potter Stewart also served on the original committee of the AFC. Another future president, and son of the former and recently resigned American ambassador to Britain ( Joseph P. Kennedy ), John F. Kennedy contributed $ 100 with an attached note, "What you are doing

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