The Doolittle Raid: An Analysis

On December 7, 1941, tragety struck America when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. During the aftermath of this horror, America declaired war on Japan thus taking a side in world war two. Presedent Franklin Delano Roosevelt presented a speech the next day to inform the nation of his declaration of war on Japan as well as to inspire Americans in to suport the war. Roosevelt used rhetorical devices including repetition, his perspective, and personification to further his point.

The United States government announced a policy of neutrality at the outbreak of the war in Europe because it did not want to risk what was at stake by entering the war. It was also believed that the fighting would be contained in Europe and would have no threat of violence for Americans. Since the imports and exports were so important for Americans they did not want to enter the war and complicate the trade. It was not until the threat to sink all ships did the United States government feel as though they needed to enter the war. It was very important for the United States to get involved to stop Germany from taking over Europe and creating a major threat for Americans.

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.

In The American Journey, David Goldfield et al. state that “Americans in the 1930s wanted no part of another overseas war by a wide margin.” Americans were still recovering for the ramifications of World War I and feared our intervention in any foreign conflict. In the fall of 1941, their reluctance was still abounding even though Germany achieved many victories abroad, the British were toiling to save their empire and Japan’s monumental aggression towards China escalated. In fact, Goldfield et al. noted that, “President Roosevelt’s challenge was to lead the United States toward rearmament and support for Great Britain and China without alarming the public.” Unfortunately, the aftermaths of World War I had set the tone for World War II since many small new nations in Europe felt the upper hand of Germany, Japan, Italy and the Soviet Union. Furthermore, the United States was not highly regarded by these nations, especially Japan, whose nationalists felt that they were unjustly treated after World War I. As much as the United States was trying to remain neutral and President Roosevelt wanted Americans to stay out of World War I, the inevitable came to fruition when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Goldfield et al. indicated that, “Speaking to Congress the following day, Roosevelt proclaimed December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy.” He asked for and got a declaration of war against Japan. Hitler and Mussolini declared war on the United States

Many people remember exactly were they were when New York City was attacked. It is the same way with Pearl Harbor. Many men who were at Pearl Harbor know exactly where they were and whom they talked too. Pay Clerk D. L. Westfall, who was on the USS Oklahoma, said the following:

What really pulled the United States into WWII was an attack on Pearl Harbor. Wanted so badly to stay out, the US joined WWII on December 8th by Declaring war with Japan. This started the end of the Ironic WWI, “War to End All Wars”. The reasons Japan attack Peral Harbor Sunday, December 7th, 1941 is debated and talked about. The Reasons Japan Attacked Peral Harbor were because of Japanese Expansion, a need for oil and an expansion to the US American Fleet.

Throughout all of history the United States have always found themselves in the midst of a conflict between other nations. One of the more significant conflicts that the U.S. intervened in is World War II. “World War II was the largest armed conflict in human history. Ranging over six continents and all the world's oceans, the war caused an estimated 50 million military and civilian deaths, including those of 6 million Jews” (World War II 1). World War II officially began when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Poland was a country that was guaranteed military assistance from France and Great Britain if Germany were to attack. If Hitler were to invade Poland he would not only have to fight against the British and French, but he would also have to fight against the Soviets. Therefore, in order for Hitler to prevent fighting a two front war he needed to create an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union. This agreement was called the Nonaggression Pact, which was agreed on August 23, 1939. This agreement stated that in the future neither country would declare war on each other. As a result of this Pact, Hitler was free to invade Poland without worrying about the Soviet Union. Subsequently, on September 3, 1939, France and Britain declared war on the Germans. This marked the beginning of World War II. However, the United States will not decide to enter into the war until December 7, 1941 when the United States is bombed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by the

It can be argued that Roosevelt and the so-called internationalists claimed that a program of aid to Great Britain and other countries fighting against Germany would make actual USA participation in the war unnecessary. The debate on how involved the USA should become in the war deeply divided the country. However, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, in 1941, it was inevitable that both the American isolationists and the internationalist wanted revenge, and so the USA joined the

On September 5, at its outset, the United States declared and maintained its policy of neutrality in the Second World War. Following ongoing atrocities committed by the Axis powers, however, President Franklin D. Roosevelt felt compelled to limit their strength by freezing their U.S. assets and restricting trade of certain goods. Soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Congress unanimously declared war on Japan. Days later, the rest of the Axis powers, including Nazi Germany, Italy, and their smaller European partners, declared war on us, placing the U.S. firmly at the center of the conflict and giving us a pivotal role in ending it. It was a war that irreversibly changed the course of history, changing our nation as a whole in the process; our involvement in World War II forced us to transform our approach to world affairs and foreign relations.

Before Japan had attacked the united states, the U.S. was a neutral state and was trying to

On December 7, 1941, the United States Of America decided to enter World War Two. On that same day, the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor which was the main reason the U.S. join the war. The day directly after that the U.S. join the Allied Powers which consisted of Britain, France, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, and Yugoslavia. With the U.S. at war, they needed a way to motivate people so that they weren’t like Germany in World War One. Although during World War Two, the citizens of The U.S. were so impacted by the thought of war, so they helped soldiers and their government.

In my article I am going to be talking about how the Japanese attacked a Naval Base in Hawaii called Pearl Harbor. I will be taking on the perspective of a U.S military personnel, who experiences the attack first hand. Throughout my paper I will also show the reactions of the people who lived on the Naval Base, and how this attack affected America to this day.

With such events occurring quickly in such a small time period, the second World War came as a massive shock. Yet again, Americans called for isolationism and neutrality as they believed America should focus on ending the Great Depression, not worrying about and dealing with the international issues of other nations and peoples. By analyzing Document 5, it is clear that many Americans still believe in isolationism during the Great Depression. Bennett Champ Clark states in his Defense of the First Neutrality Act that “the desire to keep the United States from becoming involved in any war between foreign nations seems practically unanimous among the rank and file of American citizens.” Americans influenced the US foreign policy yet again as the First Neutrality Act was passed in 1935. By analyzing Document 6, it is clear that President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the choices he made were still influenced by isolationist sentiment as he states in his Quarantine Speech that “it is my determination to adopt every practicable measure to avoid involvement in war.” However, it is clear in President Roosevelt's speech that he knew that entering the war was inevitable as he states that the “peace of the world and the welfare and security of every nation, including our own is today being threatened by that very thing (war).” Although the United States tried its best to not enter the second World War for many years, it could not avoided by the end of 1941. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. The federal government’s response to this attack can be analyzed in Document 7, President Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address to the Congress of the United States. In response to the attack, Roosevelt calls for Congress to “declare . . . a state of war has existed between the United States and the

The Germans had deployed the 352nd infantry division in a defensive doctrine on Omaha beach , Normandy. In hopes of

In addition, Japan were keen on expanding their empire and had to make a decision between surrendering or going to war with the United States. Lastly, United States had not yet entered the Second World War, because they were still reeling from depression due to the First World War. United States did, however, still possess the strongest naval fleets. In that perspective, the Japanese were almost as strong as the American navy. As time passed, America favored more and more towards joining the war. The Japanese anticipated a full-blown naval war with America and therefore, decided to act first by bombing Pearl Harbor which was a key terrain feature in the Pacific due to it’s massive and deep harbor for naval ships.