Middle School
Worksheets
The Friendship Train
France has been a friend to America since before the Declaration of Independence. One of the most beloved American symbols of freedom, the Statue of Liberty, was a gift from France in 1886. During World War II, the French people suffered through years of German occupation. After the war finally ended, the people of France, and most of Europe, were in great need of the basic necessities of life. In 1947, Americans banded together to fill a "Friendship Train" with $40 million worth of fuel, food, and clothing for these hard-pressed people.
Journalist Drew Pearson proposed the idea for the train. He wrote a newspaper column titled "Washington Merry-Go-Round." He suggested that Americans come to the aid of their European friends. The purpose of the train was to provide desperately needed assistance to the people of Europe. It would be a gesture of goodwill on the part of the American people.
