The Role of the Congress in Shaping the Emergency Shipbuilding Program of the World War II Era, 1933-1943

Abstract Title of Document: THE ROLE OF THE CONGRESS IN SHAPING THE EMERGENCY SHIPBUILDING PROGRAM OF THE WORLD WAR II ERA, 1933-1943 James Louis Scott, Ph.D., 2012 Directed: John W. Jeffries, Professor of History Dean, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. This dissertation examines the role Congress played in shaping the emergency shipbuilding program of the World War II era. The Merchant Marine Act of 1936 provided the statutory foundation for the shipbuilding program and was the most significant contribution Congress made in influencing national shipbuilding policy. It was the detailed consideration of the 1936 legislation that enabled this study to identify a greater degree of congressional influence than had prior maritime policy research. Congressional manuscript collections were used in this dissertation, and that differentiates it from prior examinations of American maritime policy history. The insights gleaned from these manuscript collections were integrated with information from the extensive public records of congressional committees with responsibility for shipbuilding and shipping issues and the United States Maritime Commission to prepare a historical narrative covering the years 1933 - 1943. The analysis of the historical record was augmented using theories from American Political Development, Historical Institutionalism and the Two Congress framework. The use of political science theory was valuable in helping determine how shipbuilding policy was made, and especially in investigating why certain policies developed as they did. It is recommended that future policy history scholars use political science and policy sciences theory in their research. Utilization of concepts from American Political Development concerning the importance of history in understanding policy outcomes was critical to the conclusions of this research because shipbuilding decisions made by Congress in 1789 and 1817 limited the options available to the Congress in 1935 and 1936. They also determined the structure of the shipbuilding and shipping industries the Congress was forced to deal with as it endeavored to reform national maritime policy. The study concluded that, in addition to the impact of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, the ability of individual members of Congress to influence shipbuilding policy was dependent on an intersection of position and interest. Those members who chaired major authorizing committees had the greatest opportunity to influence policy, but that only happened when there was also a strong personal interest in shipbuilding issues. That interest was as often determined by local constituent needs as it was by national policy considerations