Topic Sentence: Little Piece of Information: In the morning of December 7, 1941, Japan surprised America by bombing a US Naval Base, known as Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii. Many Americans were wounded, killed, and devastated at this act of terrorism on their land. Therefore, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and many citizens knew they had to join the Allies and fight back all that was destroyed (Davidson and Stoff 811).
“Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rival ship, interest, humor, or caprice? It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world... we may safely trust to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies.” This quote from George Washington in his 1796 farewell address describes the opinion of the United States for a majority of its history. Americas public opinion and national policy had the purpose of minimizing the risk of entering another war.
There have been many attacks on the US throughout history. Some were minor, some were major. To think that the attacks were unexpected or unreasonable can be somewhat hypocritical. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was not something that just randomly happened, it was caused by the actions of the US. Before the attack Pearl Harbor, the US government began to make a number of restrictions on the business they made with Japan.
It was december 7th 1941, a day that japan ensured the world would never forget. Despite high risk japan decided to take the gamble and enact their terror on an american naval base by the name of pearl harbor. Hundred of japanese fighter planes descended onto the naval base taking a total of 2400 lives and wounding over 1000 people. There are three main that I believe lead japan to their decision those things being , oil embargo, us militarization, and the new world order and expansion. To begin with japan was upset about oil embargo.
December 7, 1941 is considered one of the most impactful days in United States’ history: the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Despite their size, Japan left an incredible amount of damage with their 5 submarines and 408 planes. President Roosevelt had been avoiding scuffling with Japan since their pact with Germany and Italy; war with Germany was sure to erupt soon enough. However, soon after the ambuscade, the United States’ declared war on Japan and launched their involvement in World War II. Japan’s leaders recognized the risks of invading one of America’s naval bases; yet they persisted.
On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes and submarines made an unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor. This bombing of the naval base located in Oahu, Hawaii climaxed a decade of worsening relations between the United States and Japan, and it marked the beginning of our direct involvement in World War II. So why would a nation smaller than California bomb one of the United States’ most valuable naval bases? While many factors could have influenced it, three in particular stand out. The U.S. oil embargo, Japan’s new world order, and U.S. fleet expansion all contributed to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese planes flew into the American Naval base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with a surprise attack that heavily damaged and destroyed planes and navy vessel as well as killed over 2,000 servicemen. This attack was a huge surprise for the commanders on base, but many historians do not believe it was much of a shock for President Roosevelt or other important individuals in Washington. Immediately after the attack, Japan declared war on the United States, which also meant that the United States would eventually go to war with Japans ally, Germany, which the President had wanted for many months prior to the attack. President Franklin Roosevelt had previous knowledge of the surprise attack, but withheld it from any generals,
Did you know that fuel still leaks from the wreckage of one of the ships that sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor?. The Empire of Japan attacked the United States, specifically the naval base Pearl Harbor located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, on December 7th 1941. They attacked at 7:48 AM with planes damaging eight battleships and sinking four, destroying 188 U.S. airplanes, killing 2,403 Americans, and wounding 1,178. As a result of the attack public opinion of Japanese Americans living in the west coast went down drastically, leading to the Internment of Japanese Americans. The attack on Pearl Harbor changed the U.S. role from passively supporting the Allies with supplies, to becoming an active participant in the war on the side of the Allies.
Japanese planes and submarines managed a surprise attack on the U.S at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Attacked on December 7, 1941, the United States previously deciding to stay out of World War II, now declare war on Japan. Trouble started boiling between the two countries after World War I. In the aftermath of the previous war, the U.S. proposed an establishment of the League of Nations, a way for countries to work out their problems directly without declaring war. A League of Nations was created, and numerous nations joined, among those was Japan however, the United Stated did not join.
December 7th is a day that will live in infamy for all Americans, a day once filled with death, destruction, and desolation. On December 7th1941 a huge fleet of Japanese fighters, bombers, ships, and submarines converged and attacked the United States Navy at Pearl Harbor, resulting in the destruction or damage of 19 US Navy ships, damage or destruction of 347 planes, as well as the death of 2471 Sailors, and many more injured. At first it seemed there was no reason for Japan’s attack but after many years the United States figured out why they did what they did. There were at least three reasons why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor; these include: the many United States embargos towards Japan, the rapidly growing U.S. fleet, and extreme Japanese
Former United States Representative, Joe Baca, states, “Pearl Harbor caused our Nation to wholeheartedly commit to winning World War II, changing the course of our Nation’s history and the world’s future.” What this quote purposely left out was how the United States needed a way out of the Great Depression. The only way out of the depression was war. Even with all the acts and plans Franklin D. Roosevelt put forth, none would truly be able to turn the economy around. Pearl Harbor was an emotional time for America; however, it was also an extremely key time for the American Government.
By time it was 10:30 p.m., it was clear the Japanese were going to break diplomatic relations with the United States. A high-ranking U.S. officers began to be informed of the coming breach” (Paschall). The U.S. became alert about the imminent attack of the Japanese by decrypting a secret message that was being sent from Japan. Although the U.S. officials knew that Japan could be delivering a deadly attack, they lacked the information to know what the attack was about and where it would occur. The Japanese naval fleet, in order to prevent being discovered, arrived at the coast opposite of Pearl Harbor in Oahu early in the morning on December 7, 1941.
“Mary Tsukamoto once said ‘I knew it would leave a scar that would stay with me forever. At that moment my precious freedom was taken from me’” (Martin 54). The Betrayal. The attack on Pearl Harbor.
When one ponders Pearl Harbor, they often think of the island of Hawaii. To be more specific, “Pearl Harbor is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu” (wikipedia.org). Located and docked there were approximately 100 ships. Among them, “Seven were moored on Battleship Row along the southeast shore of Ford Island while the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) lay in drydock across the channel.” The most important of the group were the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and USS Utah, all memorialized and currently located at the Pearl Harbor Memorial (military.com).
On December 7th of 1941, an attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese changed the course of history of the United States and the world. This attack on an American naval facility claimed a staggering 2,403 lives and wounded 1,178 others forcing the United States’ formal entrance into World War II. I was very fortunate to visit and participate in a South Washington County ISD 833 group band performance at this historic site, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. While visiting this monument, I learned about the significance of this International aggression on the American soil. This attack symbolized a threshold point for Americans from just offering support to the Europeans to becoming actively involved in the war.
