Pearl Harbor Dbq Essay

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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. Japan ambushed Pearl Harbor with the intentions of obtaining world domination, vengeance on the United States, and to prevent becoming a third-class …show more content…

In 1938, Japan announced its plan to constitute a new order in East Asia (Doc C). In this new order, the rule of the Japanese emperor would be drawn-out over Earth. This was a driving force for Japan’s invasion because of their ambitious desires. By damaging an American naval base, it gave Japan the ability to also occupy China and Manchuria leading to a rise in their military power (Doc C). Japan’s presence in more of East Asia brought them one step closer to expanding their authority. Therefore, they would not have been capable of this without the distraction at Pearl Harbor. The United States’ imposition of an embargo for aircraft caused a stir in Japan. Two years after, America imposed a second embargo, only this time stopping oil shipments. Considering 80% of Japan’s oil was imported from them, this left the island country with an insufficient supply of petroleum (Doc D). The blockage in trade resulted in heavy sufferings for Japan’s military. Previous Prime Minister Hideki Tojo expected the oil supply to last only two years before navy ships are compelled to stop moving (Doc E). Japan’s displeasure at this affair soon developed into an aspiration for revenge at Pearl