Which laws were enacted by Congress to keep the United States out of involvement in a European conflict?

• A. Cash-and-carry
• B. Neutrality Acts
• C. Draft
• D. Atlantic Charter

Answer: (B)

The main idea tested is how Congress tried to keep the United States out of European wars through law. In the mid-1930s, Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts designed to prevent U.S. involvement in overseas conflicts. These laws restricted arms sales, banned loans to belligerents, and limited American citizens’ and ships’ involvement with countries at war. They establish a legal framework of nonparticipation, reflecting a strong isolationist mood and aiming to keep the United States out of European hostilities.

Why this is the best fit: the Neutrality Acts are specifically about staying out of conflict, whereas the other options point to measures or documents that move the country toward involvement. Cash-and-carry emerged later as part of the neutrality framework, allowing trade under certain conditions but still within a neutral stance. The draft is about building military capacity and readiness, signaling potential entry into war rather than preventing it. The Atlantic Charter is a wartime agreement about postwar goals, not a domestic set of laws to keep the U.S. out of conflict.