America First #608: George Teeple Eggleston Papers

Published June 30, 2026 at 6:00 AM MDT

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Photo of the crowd gathered to hear Charles Lindbergh of the America First Committee speak in New York City, April 23, 1941. Box 1, George Teeple Eggleston papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

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First page of an article titled “A Plea for American Independence” by Charles Lindbergh, published in Scribner’s Commentator, December 1940. Box 1, George Teeple Eggleston papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Ticket for the America First rally, April 23, 1941. Box 1, George Teeple Eggleston papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Long before the Presidency of Donald Trump, Charles Lindbergh, the famed aviator, was speaking at America First rallies. He was part of the organizing force that created the America First Committee.

Other notable supporters of the movement were renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright and movie mogul Walt Disney.

Founded in 1940, the America First Committee maintained that the U.S. should remain neutral as World War II spread across the globe. At its peak, the organization had 800,000 members.

The America First Committee argued that resources the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised to Britain would be better spent strengthening American defenses. The Committee’s existence was short-lived.After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the America First Committee disbanded.

See the George Teeple Eggleston Papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.