Pearl Harbor Persuasive Essay

On December 7, 1941, the United States of America was attacked by the Japanese naval and aerial forces on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. Following the devastating event, FDR addressed to Congress to declare war on the Japanese Empire. President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew how to get the people of the nation to understand that the attack on Pearl Harbor called for a war. His convincing tactics and approach to his audience demonstrated that a declaration for war was imperative. FDR uses emotional words, his position of authority and his knowledge of the Japanese attacks to rally the American people to support the war effort.

Despite the fact that President Franklin Roosevelt was determined to keep the nation out of the conflict, a few months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Congress declared war on Japan (Higley). After this declaration, the United States was fully committed to the war effort, both militarily and economically. Even so, some Americans still believe that the United States should have kept to their traditional policy of isolationism and could have “remained safely disconnected from the greatest conflict in human history” (Boren). Unfortunately, the reality is that the United States was too slow to respond to the aggression that was occurring in Europe and Asia, enabling the Axis powers to gain an advantage. Thus, by the time the United States decided to intervene, it was already too late have avoided the

Thornton states that President Roosevelt knew that the war was inevitable but that he wanted Japan to fire the first shot. He knew that if he brought the country into the war, he would not have the support of the American people. He used Pearl Harbor as a reason for our country to go to war. Baily and Ryan believe that President Roosevelt did not want to go to war with the Japanese because it would hamper the lend-lease program which was aiding in the fight against Germany.

December 7, 1941 is considered one of the most impactful days in United States’ history: the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Despite their size, Japan left an incredible amount of damage with their 5 submarines and 408 planes. President Roosevelt had been avoiding scuffling with Japan since their pact with Germany and Italy; war with Germany was sure to erupt soon enough. However, soon after the ambuscade, the United States’ declared war on Japan and launched their involvement in World War II. Japan’s leaders recognized the risks of invading one of America’s naval bases; yet they persisted.

The U.S was going to war and our Commander and Chief had the broad responsibility to lead us as a nation in what would soon become known as World War II. Franklin D Roosevelt had decided to declare war. This would take us into a period of time that Roosevelt had to make many difficult choices out of fear and bad advice. “Two months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 ordering all Japanese-Americans to evacuate the west coast.” (History.com 2015)

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan”1 Franklin Roosevelt declared in his speech to congress, urging a declaration of war upon Japan. However, the tragedy that is Pearl Harbor lacked the suddenness that FDR emphasized in his speech. Instead the former president knew what the Japanese had planned, he knew precisely where and when the Japan would attack American territory, he knew what the events would lead to. In 1941 the world was at war and America had signed the Neutrality Act. However, FDR had already violated the treaty without the consent of congress, by sending equipment to England because

World War Two is one of the most gruesome wars that has ever plagued the world. Yet the United States was able to stay out of it until December 7th, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese and forced the United States into the war. The current president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, addressed Congress in a speech with the goal of convincing Congress to provide a declaration of war. President Roosevelt acknowledges the significance, uses pauses to create tension, and emphasizes the Japanese threat within his Day of Infamy speech. Roosevelt starts off his speech with attacking the issue at hand and giving a reason as to why Pearl Harbor was bombed.

This would not bode well for the United States economically because it would close off our trade connections with Europe. Once the Pearl Harbor was attacked, US involvement was no longer a question. Public opinion changed overnight,

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, an American naval base in Hawaii, was attacked. The attack was launched by the Japanese Empire in an effort to weaken the US’s pacific military fleet because Japan was planning on invading China, one of America’s allies. The attack on Pearl Harbor was extremely concerning for many Americans because the US had never been attacked by a foreign nation before, aside from the Revolutionary War. As a result of this increase in concern, the US joined World War ll and Japanese- Americans became the victim of lots of scrutiny. Slowly Americans of Japanese descent had their rights stripped away.

On December 7th, 1941, a surprise attack was launched against the naval base Pearl Harbor located in Hawaii. The scene was filled with confusion, terror, and destruction as Japanese aircraft dive-bombed the harbored ships. The sailors stationed at the base had zero warning of the incoming attack and many thought it was a training exercise gone wrong when the first bomb hit the deck of a ship. Even though the event lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes, 2,403 American lives were lost, and 19 ships suffered severe damage or were lost completely (Remembering Pearl Harbor 1). The attack is often referred to as “waking a sleeping giant” (Robertson) because it ultimately led to America entering World War II.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation the following day, calling December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy.” The United States declared war on Japan, and soon after, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The attack on Pearl Harbor had significant consequences for the United States. The country mobilized for war, and millions of Americans joined the military to fight in World War II. The war effort created numerous jobs and helped to lift the United States out of the Great

For a large portion of its early history prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States had an isolationist foreign policy. The United States was able to concentrate on internal development and economic progress thanks to this policy, which was founded on the idea that the country should stay out of alliances and conflicts in Europe and Asia. But as tensions across the world grew in the early 20th century, the United States started to take a more active part in world politics. The United States played a significant role in drafting the Treaty of Versailles, which contributed to the creation of the League of Nations, after World War I, but the Senate finally decided against the country's membership. The Kellogg-Briand Pact, signed in

America was unified and officially abandoned isolationism for full

“Mary Tsukamoto once said ‘I knew it would leave a scar that would stay with me forever. At that moment my precious freedom was taken from me’” (Martin 54). The Betrayal. The attack on Pearl Harbor.

Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor is by far one of America’s most remembered events in history. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese dropped bombs on the American base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This attack is what persuaded President Franklin Roosevelt to join World War 2 and fight on two fronts. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor for many reasons. They attacked because they believed they would create a New World Order, they felt threatened by America and because of the oil embargo.