Excerpt from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s "The Great Arsenal of Democracy" Speech (1940)
We must be the great arsenal of democracy. For us this is an emergency as serious as war itself. We must apply ourselves to our task with the same resolution, the same sense of urgency, the same spirit of patriotism and sacrifice as we would show were we at war.
We have furnished the British great material support and we will furnish far more in the future.
There will be no "bottlenecks" in our determination to aid Great Britain. No dictator, no combination of dictators, will weaken that determination by threats of how they will construe that determination.
The British have received invaluable military support from the heroic Greek army, and from the forces of all the governments in exile. Their strength is growing. It is the strength of men and women who value their freedom more highly than they value their lives.
I believe that the Axis powers are not going to win this war. I base that belief on the latest and best information.
We have no excuse for defeatism. We have every good reason for hope—hope for peace, hope for the defense of our civilization and for the building of a better civilization in the future.
I have the profound conviction that the American people are now determined to put forth a mightier effort than they have ever yet made to increase our production of all the implements of defense, to meet the threat to our democratic faith.
As President of the United States I call for that national effort. I call for it in the name of this nation which we love and honor and which we are privileged and proud to serve. I call upon our people with absolute confidence that our common cause will greatly succeed.
Use the excerpt to answer the question.
Which of the following statements best describes the context of the speech?
A.
The United States had not yet become involved in World War II but was willing to sell armaments to Allied forces.
B.
The United States had been involved in World War II for more than a year and needed to increase armament production.
C.
The United States had been involved in World War II for several months and wanted to supply its military with greater weapons.
D.
The United States had just become directly involved in World War II but had already begun mobilization to help Allied forces.