To what extent did the United States follow its policy of neutrality prior to entering the Second World War?

The question requires that candidates consider the extent to which the United States followed its policy of neutrality prior to entering the Second World War. Candidates may refer to the Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936 and 1937, which limited US response to aggression abroad. The Acts established that the US wished to stay out of war by eliminating some of the factors, such as selling weapons and making loans to belligerent nations, which pulled it into the First World War. However, as the Second World War began, US policy shifted to allow some aid to the Allies. The Neutrality Law of 1939 allowed the US to sell weapons on a cash-and-carry basis. In 1941, this became known as Lend-Lease. The US also traded destroyers to Great Britain in 1940 and later took over defense of the western Atlantic. In 1941, the US and Great Britain signed the Atlantic Charter. In Asia, as Japan expanded into China and Indochina, the US established partial, then total, trade embargoes. Candidates will have to decide if these actions follow a policy of neutrality. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the extent to which the United States followed its policy of neutrality prior to entering the Second World War. Most of the responses were quite sound in both knowledge and analysis, developing the background as to US isolationism and documenting the transition or evolution to interventionist policy.