Final answer:
The U.S. response after Kristallnacht in 1938 was limited. President Roosevelt withdrew the ambassador and spoke against persecutions, but the U.S. largely maintained its restrictive immigration quotas, turning away Jewish refugees like those on the St. Louis. It wasn't until 1944 that the U.S. created the War Refugee Board and began to lift some restrictions.
Step-by-step explanation:
After Kristallnacht, the pogrom against Jewish people in Germany in 1938, the United States' response was tepid. President Roosevelt spoke out against the persecutions and withdrew the U.S. ambassador to Germany, however, the United States turned away many Jewish refugees including the passengers of the German ship St. Louis. Congress debated--but did not pass--a bill that would have allowed twenty thousand German-Jewish children to enter the U.S in 1939. Antisemitism, isolationism, and the economic pressures of the Great Depression influenced American policy to maintain strict immigration quotas despite the dire situation of Jews in Europe.
American Action and Inaction
The American government was influenced by a variety of factors including economic hardships, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia. This led to the continuation of immigration quotas and other restrictions. It wasn't until 1944 that the efforts of Jewish leaders and some members of Congress, such as Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, succeeded in creating the War Refugee Board and lifting certain restrictions against Jewish refugees.
International Response
In contrast to the U.S., Britain allowed unaccompanied Jewish children to find refuge through the Kindertransport, rescuing as many as ten thousand children. The U.S.'s reluctance contributed to a failure to provide asylum to Jews during a time when Nazi Germany escalated its violent campaign against Jewish communities, culminating in the Holocaust.