Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

was one of the most devastating attacks that occurred on American land. This deliberate attack against the United States from Japan, forced the United States into a war they were trying to avoid (World War II). With the world on the verge of war, The United States tried not to get involved in European affairs. However, with the strong Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan), fighting to expand their evil ways, the U.S. formed the Lend-Lease Act as a way to help their Allies (Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union) without actually entering the war, by sending them Money, food, and weapons”(Goldfield,743). It was not until Sunday, December 8, 1941 the day after the Pearl Harbor attack that Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war against Japan, officially entering the U.S. into WWII. In this paper I will discuss the actions that lead up to the attack against the United States, how Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and how the United States retaliated.


I believe the tension between America and Japan started when President Coolidge signed the National Origins Act of 1924 completely eliminating Japanese immigrants from the United States. Certain states including California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and many other western states did not allow Japanese to own or lease land and also ruled that they would never become naturalized citizens because they were “nonwhites” (Goldfield, 753). The United States and Japan continued feuding in the 1930s with their differences over territory. Japan started to expand in 1931 when they took over Manchuria (previously part of China), and the hopes of taking over all of China. Japan allied with Nazi Germany and took over Indochina in 1940. President Roosevelt wanted to stop the expansion of Germany and Japan so he increased military and financial aid to China and cut off essential raw materials to Japan including oil. Without oil, Japan would be unable to keep its industrial factories productive and its military forces would...

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