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Pearl Harbor Essay

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Even though the U.S. didn’t join WWII until 1941, it still had a massive impact. The U.S. supplied the allies in hopes of them winning the war. The only problem with this is that it made the U.S. a Target for opposing countries in the war, Japan was one of these countries. During the war tensions between Japan and the U.S. had grown high. On December 7, 1941, Japan carried out a mass attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base taking many lives and destroying many ships and planes. If the U.S. would have paid attention to some simple details, the attack could have been stopped. A great example of one of those details was on the morning of December 7, 1941, when a radar operator reported seeing a group of planes flying in, he was told by his superior to not worry about them (National WWII Museum). This was one of the biggest details that could have allowed the U.S. to stop the attack, but it was ignored. If this bit of information was taken seriously, many people and military supplies could have been saved. Another crucial mistake that was made is that there was no long-distance patrol conducted and that is Pearl Harbor’s number one defense (Richardson 76). If a long-distance patrol would have been conducted they would have seen the …show more content…

had made. During the war, the U.S. was aiding China to try and undercut Japanese aggression. The U.S. also stopped vital resources to Japan(Hart). The U.S. should have realized that the tensions with Japan were rising and that Japan would most likely do something to try and stop U.S. actions. The U.S. had also intercepted and decoded a note from Japan that referenced the idea of an attack coming up on the U.S. and this attack would occur in the Pacific Ocean(Hart). This was another major piece of evidence that the U.S. had and didn’t take full advantage of it. The U.S. could have upped their precautions for all their bases in the Pacific and been able to counter any attack coming their

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But fortunately for the United States, they were able to intercept and decipher the Japanese code. This gave the United States enough time to gather up forces to fight against the Japanese. The Japanese goal was to end the United States involvement in the Pacific. A couple months before the Battle of Midway the United States was able to launch a surprise Attack against the Japanese which they were launched from the island of Midway. The United States was able to successfully bomb the Japanese mainland.

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The attack on Pearl Harbor forced the United States into a state of immediate revenge, permanently erasing all ideas of isolationism from American thoughts on foreign policy forever. For the majority of American history all its citizens whether republic or democratic shared one belief, the aim of the United States was to keep America out of war unless America itself was attacked. Japan 's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was just the initiative that America needed to officially abandon isolationism and enter the dreaded war. The attack left 2,403 dead, a crippled Pacific Fleet that included 8 damaged or destroyed battleships, and 188 destroyed planes. In one attack this Japanese action silenced the heated debate that had divided Americans ever since the German defeat of France left England alone in the fight against the Germans.

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This extreme act of violence and very cowardly attack spurred many Americans determination. The attack had two immediate goals, destruction of American aircraft and the sinking of many battleships. Only two battleships were permanently lost, of the eight that were under attack, four were armed and at sea within two weeks of the attack. The assault had left the base’s most vital onshore facilities- oil storage depots, repair shops, shipyards, and submarine docks completely intact. The US Navy was able to rebuild quickly from the attack.

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

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The United States and Japan fought in World War II during 1941 to 1945. Japan planned to expand their land and gain resources- which led them to invade China whom was an ally of the U.S. In result, the United States cut off the supply of oil to Japan. On December 7th 1941, Japan’s air force did a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor because that is where their military base is located.

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Despite the fact that President Franklin Roosevelt was determined to keep the nation out of the conflict, a few months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Congress declared war on Japan (Higley). After this declaration, the United States was fully committed to the war effort, both militarily and economically. Even so, some Americans still believe that the United States should have kept to their traditional policy of isolationism and could have “remained safely disconnected from the greatest conflict in human history” (Boren). Unfortunately, the reality is that the United States was too slow to respond to the aggression that was occurring in Europe and Asia, enabling the Axis powers to gain an advantage. Thus, by the time the United States decided to intervene, it was already too late have avoided the

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In a letter from the U.S. Ambassador in Japan to the Secretary of State, the U.S Ambassador mentions notably the poor internal economic and financial situation of Japan along with the unsuccessful attempts to obtain loans from England, France, and Holland. The Ambassador also mentions the steady increase of stress in the Government and the mention of a hot-headed military that doesn't want to face the horrible facts (Doc H). Due to the fact that the U.S. Ambassador is in Japan his point of view on Japan’s situation is first hand and can see the effects of the deprivement of resources Japan is going through. In past history many countries had taken an imperialist mindset and when in the need for resources they would take over other countries for their resources. So keeping in mind the United States power, Japan’s want for the same power, and Japan’s “hotheaded military”, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor could have been to take resources from the U.S. as well as weaken them for possibly taking their power.

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There was no evidence of the Japanese moving toward Pearl Harbor that was picked up in Washington” (NPR). FDR knew a Japanese attack was possible, but experts and insiders agree that the attack in Hawaii on Pearl Harbor was

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World War ll was one of the deadliest and most widespread conflicts in history. It involved the majority of the world's nations, and it is estimated that around 70 million people died as a result. The United States' entry into the war is often attributed to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7th, 1941. It led to the United States’ entry in to the World War and ulimately led to the Allies’ victory over the Axis Powers. However, it is reasonable to argue that if Japan never attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States would not have joined the war.

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