Critical Thinking Questions   Home       If you'd like to print out this page, click the Print button above. Alternatively, you may click the printer icon on your browser's toolbar, or choose File>Print from the menu.     What was Roosevelt's image, and what did he represent to the American public in the late 1930s? By the time Roosevelt went to San Francisco to review the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the world was on the brink of war. Do you think the armed forces, and the American public in general, were aware of the world tensions that existed at that time? Think about the economic troubles of the Great Depression, still very much in existence at the time this film was made. Do you think the prospect of war was anticipated to be a relief to the American economy? In May 1937, American unemployment stood at seven million; by the next year, it increased to 11 million. Why was the onset of World War II beneficial to the U.S.'s economic state?