During World War ll, one of the USA's best allies, Great Britain, got pulled into the conflict. Many Americans were hesitant on assisting them, claiming that they gained nothing by helping out in the previous war and that they should be focusing on America itself. …show more content…
While Britain was fighting in the war and struggling, people were worried that helping them would hurt their economy, but Roosevelt reassured them that they had no reason to worry. He states in a press conference on December 17, 1940, “what I am trying to do is to eliminate the dollar sign. That is something brand new in the thoughts of practically everybody in this room, I think—get rid of the silly, foolish old dollar sign.” This shows how he believes that money overshadows more important things, such as helping a country who is desperately trying to fight for freedom. He then proceeds to tell an analogy in which a neighbor’s house catches on fire. Would one lend him a hose and help him out just for the sake of it or would they put a price on it? This analogy is a way of saying that the decision to help a neighboring country should never depend mainly on money. If one helps another out, they are sure to repay them for the favor. Roosevelt shows that by being a country that does not do things solely for the purpose of money, they can help others out and help the fight for