The Bombing Of Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941 was one of America’s darkest days. This was the day of the famous pearl harbor bombing. This attack came from the Japanese attacking the American Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack had been in the planning for many years to attack and weaken the United States Naval force. Japan wanted to do this to gain more superiority in the Atlantic and to grow their ties with European nations. In this paper I will talk about the people, the planning, the attack, and the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor bombing.

It all started the morning of December 7, 1941 when Japanese leaders decided to bomb the United States. Families were then broke apart and things became much more complex in the lives of Americans. Pearl Harbor was not “just a bombing,” but in reality it is so much more. This bombing had a great impact on the whole world for World War II. The bombing of Pearl Harbor had many situations before the bombing, during the bombing, and after the bombing.

On December 7, 1941 Japan bombed the United States at Pearl Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor lasted very short than what you would expect which was only one day. Before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, they started war with different nations that were around them. They did this to get the other nation’s materials, for an example oil, lumber, and coal. Japan was foolish for attacking the United States during WWII at Pearl Harbor; their motive was to take over the islands that the United States owned to become more powerful , in contempt of the end the Japanese lost and their cities were destroyed.

On December 7, 1941 Japan bombed The United States at Pearl Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor lasted very short than what you would expect which was only one day. Before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, they started war with different nations that were around them. They did this to get other nation’s materials, for an example, oil, lumber, and coal. Japan was foolish for attacking the United States during WWII at Pearl Harbor; their motive was to take over the islands that the United States owned to become more powerful, in contempt of the end the Japanese lost and their cities were destroyed.

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval plus the air forces of the Empire of Japan.” The bombing of Pearl Harbor was the start of America’s entrance into the Second World War. Just before 08:00 on the Sunday morning, hundreds of fighter planes descended onto the naval base incapacitating almost 20 naval vessels along with over 300 airplanes. The attack on Pearl Harbor also killed over 2,400 Americans

Introduction. I chose this battle because I had been hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor, but I did not know much about it. This paper talks about the countries that fought in this battle, where the battle was fought, what the geography was like during the battle, what the weather was like, what happened during this battle, how many casualties occurred, other things I learned about the battle, who won the battle, and how the battle was important to WWII.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his war speech and asserted December 7, 1941 as, “a date which will live in infamy.” The United States’ naval bases stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii were struck by Japanese planes intentionally and promptly. The news of this attack on the Pearl Harbor shocked the world. It was devastating to the nation that were still in the throes of depression. Witnesses of this event painted a portrait of a nation stunned, but determined to rise again. The United States’ government had not disclosed a Pearl Harbor story to the public--that the U.S. had failed to act on advance information about a planned Japanese attack. Japan 's move against the United States was audacious enough to be considered no more than a slight possibility, although the potential for an attack had been widely discussed.

Both Pearl Harbor and 9/11 are tragic events in United States history, that will likely be remember in American history by even the least historically educated of the American populace and likely much of the rest of the world too. Both events were surprise attacks on American soil and both led to a fervor of patriotism from the American people to get revenge for those that died in the attacks. This paper will compare and contrast the two events, while providing a basic outline of the events and affects the two had on American society, in both the immediate and long term.

Just before 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan; Congress approved his declaration with just one dissenting vote. Three days later, The Japanese allies Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States, and again Congress reciprocated. More than two years into the conflict, America had finally joined World War II.

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the U.S. stepped foot into the territory of the most destructive war throughout the entire course of history. On this particular day, Japan sent 361 planes launched from six aircraft carriers and bombed Pearl Harbor, a naval base located in Hawaii. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the first stage that led us into the war. Many believe that this day was considered to be among the most darkest days of American history, but was the real reason behind the attack? The reason Japan attacked Pearl Harbor is because of the embargoes we imposed on Japan, racial superiority, and the fear of the U.S.’s actions.

The damages to the American military vessels were more severe: “four battleships sunk, three battleships damaged, one battleship grounded, two other ships sank, three cruisers damaged, three destroyers damaged, three other ships damaged, 188 aircraft destroyed, 159 aircraft damaged, 2,402 men killed and 1,247 were wounded”(Attack on Pearl Harbor) . Most of those who died are forever entombed on the ships. However, 1,177 men died on board the USS Arizona and only 299 bodies were recovered; the rest are forever entombed on this battleship.The battleship still lies where it sank

After the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which made every person of japanese heritage on the east coast uproot and move to ten different internment camps. No matter what their loyalty or citizenship they were forced to get up and go to camps established in either California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas. After all said and done this ended up at over one hundred and twenty thousand japanese americans. Sadly most Americans don 't know why they were moved from their homes, how they were removed, and how they were treated within these camps.

The attack on Pearl Harbor, this caused many people to be afraid and angry of the Japanese, American or foreign. This escalated so quickly that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1941(Timeline 6). The Executive Order declared that all people of Japanese ancestry were to be sent to internment camps away from the west coast( Timeline 6). The West coast had many military bases, and other places important to the war effort(Newsreel). With this information it can be can concluded that placing the Japanese people in the internment camps was unjustified. The internment of the Japanese was unjustified because The Germans and Italians were not sent to the internment camps as well, most of the Japanese people didn’t have a job that would allow them to sabotage the United States and the decision was not based on military conditions like it was said to.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor has remained a significant event in United States history. On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces launched an attack on the US naval base in Oahu, Hawaii. It specifically targeted military objectives and the US Pacific Fleet. The results following the two hour and fifteen minute raid destroyed 177 planes, sunk or damages eighteen ships, and left nearly 4,000 Americans dead. This attack on US soil spiked extreme patriotism throughout the nation and directly lead Americans into World War II. Since then, Pearl Harbor has been portrayed as a surprise attack on an unsuspecting country. However, American hands are not completely clean in this matter. Although it may have been a surprise to those in Hawaii, this was not the case in Washington. Information regarding the knowledge of an attack on Pearl Harbor was in fact intentionally withheld from American commanders. Through President Roosevelt’s desire to join the war, and the lack of communication between Washington and Hawaii, Pearl Harbor came to be one of the most tragic events in United States history.

“December 7, 1941 - A Date Which Will live in Infamy.” (Roosevelt, Franklin D.). Even today, nearly seventy years later, we still remember the Pearl Harbor attack launched by Japan. This catastrophic attack on the United States naval base in Hawaii was what pushed the United States of America into World War two. A Japanese Admiral decided to attack the base secretly hoping to cripple the U.S. fleet, this eventually led to United States involvement in the war and prove to be a huge mistake for the Japanese. Today we can witness the long lasting affects Pearl Harbor had on us. We can see the affects it had on Japan because of our retaliation for the bombing and attack of Pearl Harbor. The cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki are witnesses to what the Pearl Harbor attack eventually led too. The United Sates government declared war on Japan, which led to fighting in the Pacific, which eventually led to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the surrender of the Japanese government. Even until today Japan has restrictions on its military capacity. The infamous day of The Pearl Harbor Attack and its aftermath affected both the United States and Japan greatly and even today, nearly seventy year later, we can still witness some of the long lasting effects.