Keeping America Pure

Charles Lindbergh first achieved fame for the first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927. He and his wife Anne retired from the public spotlight after their infant son was kidnapped and murdered five years later, but England’s declaration of war on Germany in 1939 brought him back from self-imposed retirement as one of the most eloquent exponents of isolationism, frequently speaking on behalf of the antiwar America First Committee.

For class today, read his September 15, 1939, radio address. In responding to one of the prompts below, remember this week concision is our watchword.

How does Lindbergh’s opening invocation in section 1 differ from the politician’s cliché, “My Fellow Americans”? Quote and analyze his words in considering the consequences.
How does Lindbergh’s account of American history in sections 1 and 2 serve his political vision? Quote and analyze his words in considering how this history functions as a rhetorical appeal.
In section 3, Lindbergh makes a crucial distinction between two types of war to argue that the war in Europe is not one worth intervening in. Quote and analyze his language (both word and metaphor) to tease out the implications of this distinction.
How do Lindbergh’s arguments compare with the case made in one of the antiwar cartoons just below? Quote from the visual details of the cartoon you choose to focus on.