history paper

Pearl Harbor

2

Pearl Harbor

Christina Rothstein

UMUC

HIST 465

October 30, 2015

Pearl Harbor Attack

Thesis: To the Americans the attack on Pearl Harbor was a historic event not only to them but the Japanese empire. This act led to neutral United States joining World War II. Was the United States aware of the attack and did nothing to prevent it or was there a political affiliation?

Details of the Pearl Harbor attack will be given in the forthcoming paper. This will include research on how the attack on Pearl Harbor lead to World War II. Also, research will be conducted on how many American’s died due to the attack and what other countries declared war on the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Was this attack really without a declaration of war and without warning?

The attack on Pearl Harbor was by the Japanese on the United States naval base. This was a surprise military strike which lead the United States to enter into World War II. Hawaii is where this attack took place, there were fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo’s launched in the attack. This took place on December 7, 1941. The Japanese took seven hours for air strikes from Hong Kong to Pearl Harbor. The following day the United States declared war on Japan releasing Atomic Bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On December 11, 1941 Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, in which the United States declared war on Germany and Italy. Because the attack was without warning it was labeled as a war crime. Japan’s plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor was to neutralize the United States, protecting Japan’s move in Malaya where they were gaining natural resources. President Roosevelt stated that December 7, 1941 was “a date which will live in infamy (Darman, 2013)”.

References

Darman, Peter. 2013. Attack on Pearl Harbor: America enters World War II. New York: Rosen Central.

Greaves, Percy L., and Bettina B. Greaves. 2010. Pearl Harbor: the seeds and fruits of infamy. Auburn, Ala: Ludwig von Mises Institute.

Horn, Steve. 2005. The second attack on Pearl Harbor: Operation K and other Japanese attempts to bomb America in World War II. Annapolis, Md: Naval Inst. Press.