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How Did Pearl Harbor Changed The Course Of Human History

Decent Essays

“Millions of people gave their lives fighting fascism and imperialism, but Pearl Harbor was the event that forever changed the course of human history” (Sam Graves). Pearl Harbor was a saddening and surprising bombing on the United States by the Japanese. This event happened on the Sunday morning of December 7th, 1941 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Pearl Harbor bombing shocked millions across the country and sent the United States into complete chaos and even though the country was against going to war, America stood united. “Despite the enormity of the defeat at Pearl Harbor, and its potential consequences, [President] Roosevelt remained steady and sure-minded” (Gillon p.xv). During World War II, Pearl Harbor stood as a significant turning …show more content…

Harry Elmer Barnes says, “An intriguing and not full resolved point stems from the fact that the Japanese learned from the Germans at the end of April, 1941, that the United States had broken their Purple code in which they sent top secret diplomatic messages.” Even though they were supposedly told that the Americans had exposed their secret code, the Japanese continued to send messages in it because “it would make it all the more clear to the American officials that Japanese peace efforts were sincere” (Barnes p.14). The Japanese were prepared to go to war if the peace treatise were to be broken and according to Barnes, “In January, 1941, Roosevelt and Hull rejected the amazingly generous Japanese effort to settle Japanese-American relations by peaceful methods,” therefore it was a matter of time before the Japanese decided to take action against the United Sates. The significance of Pearl Harbor resonates in the hearts of every person in the United States of America. Children, adults, soldiers, workers, and all civilians felt how serious this event was. For years after, children were taught about Pearl Harbor and to remember the hardship that the United States has been through to fight for

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