Attack on Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor

World War 2 had been going on for two years, but President Franklin D. Roosevelt had promised to keep the United States neutral. On December 7, 1941, Japan made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This attack changed everything.

During World War 2, Franklin Roosevelt was president. The day after the attack, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. It worked and Congress agreed. During the war, President Roosevelt spent most of his time planning strategies and conducting meetings with the Allies.

On December 7, 1941, at 7:55AM (Hawaiian time) Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by Japanese torpedoes and bomber planes. After two hours, the Japanese sunk about 18 U.S. ships and destroyed over 170 aircrafts. Overall, there were over 3,700 US casualties and almost 2,300 servicemen killed. This attack brought the America into WWII.

Pearl Harbor is located on the south coast of Oahu Island, Hawaii. The US Navy had recently made Pearl Harbor the American Pacific Fleet’s new home base because they were worried that Japan would attack. On this day, there were 92 naval vessels anchored in Pearl Harbor, including the USS Arizona. At 7:55AM, Japan dropped bombs on Pearl Harbor.

This tragic happening, also addressed as “The Day of Infamy”, was a horrible day in the history of the world. I think this day, Dec. 7, 1941, was a devastating day to America. Even though this attack was deadly, American men and women showed great patriotism by leaving their homes and jobs to help with the war effort. Men went to join the armed forces, while the women took over the men’s jobs at home, flew planes, and worked as nurses. I think this event was really important because it made America a stronger country in the end.

Bibliography

United States History. http://www.u-s-history.com/.

Rubel, David. The Scholastic Encyclopedia of Presidents and Their Times. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.Scholastic Inc. 1994

The World Book Encyclopedia 2005 Edition: Volume 15(P). Pearl Harbor. World Book, Inc. (a Scott Fetzer Company. 2005