PEARL HARBOR
On December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes launched an attack on an American naval base at Pearl Harbor. Although the onslaught had only occurred for a duration of two hours, the “Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. (history.com)” The death toll totaled more than 2,000 Americans, with another 1,000 wounded or seriously injured.
As Hawaii and Japan were around 4,000 miles apart, the attack was deliberately planned for months. Not expecting an attack, American military leaders left their naval facilities with minimum security, relatively undefended. This made Pearl Harbor an easy target, and Japanese leaders felt even more willing to attack because a major portion of the Pacific Fleet was in the harbor. With this, the Japanese believed that they could cross the Pacific without being attacked by America’s armed forces. However, the Japanese assault failed to render useless the oil storages, repair shops, and docks. Also, because no American aircraft carriers were present during the raid, the U.S. Navy was able to quickly recover.
The day after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt presented his declaration of war to Congress. “I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again (history.com),” Roosevelt declared. Congress approved the United States’ entry in World War II the same day.
As Hawaii and Japan were around 4,000 miles apart, the attack was deliberately planned for months. Not expecting an attack, American military leaders left their naval facilities with minimum security, relatively undefended. This made Pearl Harbor an easy target, and Japanese leaders felt even more willing to attack because a major portion of the Pacific Fleet was in the harbor. With this, the Japanese believed that they could cross the Pacific without being attacked by America’s armed forces. However, the Japanese assault failed to render useless the oil storages, repair shops, and docks. Also, because no American aircraft carriers were present during the raid, the U.S. Navy was able to quickly recover.
The day after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt presented his declaration of war to Congress. “I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again (history.com),” Roosevelt declared. Congress approved the United States’ entry in World War II the same day.