Refugees in Times of Reelection: An Analysis of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman’s Responses to Jewish Refugees During and After World War II

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dc.contributor.advisorPoor, Lauren
dc.contributor.authorBurke, Anabel
dc.contributor.departmentHistory.en_US
dc.contributor.otherBaylor University.en_US
dc.contributor.schoolsHonors College.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-25T00:06:24Z
dc.date.available2017-05-25T00:06:24Z
dc.date.copyright2017-05-08
dc.date.issued2017-05-24
dc.description.abstractMany individuals hold a false notion that America is a safe haven for refugees, but a closer look at the refugee crisis surrounding World War II (1930-1948) tells a different story; Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and Harry S. Truman faced the difficult decision of if they should help Jewish refugees, and if so, how. In this thesis I argue that presidents’ actions concerning refugees are tempered by political concerns and driven by a xenophobic America, and that for a president to act humanitarianly and openly in refugees’ best interest that they are usually not facing reelection and are in a relatively safe political position. By examining the political correspondence of both presidents, I show that refugees fare best when they seek aid and admittance to the United States under a second-term president, and the examples of FDR and Truman help to shed a light on the more recent Syrian refugee crisis and former President Obama’s motivations and dealings with those clamoring at America’s gates.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2104/10015
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rightsBaylor University projects are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.en_US
dc.rights.accessrightsWorldwide accessen_US
dc.subjectWorld War II.en_US
dc.subjectRefugees.en_US
dc.subjectJewish.en_US
dc.subjectFranklin Roosevelt.en_US
dc.subjectHarry Truman.en_US
dc.subjectMotivations.en_US
dc.titleRefugees in Times of Reelection: An Analysis of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman’s Responses to Jewish Refugees During and After World War IIen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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