Free Essays on Pearl Harbor

KORDAE JAMAAL OTIS COACH DAVES ENGLISH 1 2 May 2002 The road to war between Japan and the United States began in the 1930s when differences over China drove the two nations apart. In 1931 Japan conquered Manchuria, which until then had been part of China. In 1937 Japan began a long and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to conquer the rest of China. In 1940, the Japanese government allied their country with Nazi Germany in the Axis Alliance, and, in the following year, occupied all of Indochina. The United States, which had important political and economic interests in East Asia, was alarmed by these Japanese moves. The U.S. increased military and financial aid to China, embarked on a program of strengthening its military power in the Pacific, and cut off the shipment of oil and other raw materials to Japan. Because Japan was poor in natural resources, its government viewed these steps, especially the embargo on oil as a threat to the nation's survival. Japan's leaders responded by resolving to seize the resource-rich territories of Southeast Asia, even though that move would certainly result in war with the United States. The problem with the plan was the danger posed by the U.S. Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese fleet, devised a plan to immobilize the U.S. fleet at the outset of the war with a surprise attack. The key elements in Yamamoto's plans were meticulous preparation, the achievement of surprise, and the use of aircraft carriers and naval aviation on an unprecedented scale. In the spring of 1941, Japanese carrier pilots began training in the special tactics called for by the Pearl Harbor attack plan. In October 1941 the naval general staff gave final approval to Yamamoto's plan, which called for the formation of an attack force commanded by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. It centered around six heavy aircraft carriers accompanied by 24 supporting vessels. A... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor Free Essays on Pearl Harbor PEARL HARBOR Pearl Harbor as a part of the ever-dreadful World War Two is what I believe to be the theme of the 1940’s. World War Two is the largest war to be fought by America to this date. This decade revolved solely around warfare. Franklin D. Roosevelt took his third and fourth term as President in this era. After the massive attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, the Japanese were put in concentration camps due to the threat of spies. The war allowed the economy to soar bringing many jobs and helping America recover from the Great Depression. Many soldiers died throughout the war and World War Two has had an everlasting impression on our society. December 7, 1941 will have the most memorable affect on America throughout the decade as Japan bombed our naval base on an island in Hawaii and took us knee deep in the world’s largest international war. Franklin Delano Roosevelt became our President in 1932 and the expectations of America soared as we were going through a state of great depression. The President was quick to act as he passed new anti-depression bills left and right in his fight to help America’s economy. He came up with work projects to help the unemployed and laid the basis for our social security program. F.D.R. would go on to serve another three terms as president. This third term came in 1940 as World War Two was getting hot and heavy. â€Å" In accepting the nomination for that year Roosevelt broke with tradition; never before had a President run for a third term. Some of his former associates were vocal in criticism† (Patterson 5). Roosevelt still had strong opposition of America joining the war against the Axis powers. The United States gave great aid to that of the Allied powers and continued in negotiations with Japan. Though on December 7, 1941 it was seen that Japan had no intention s of negotiating with us. On this day, Japan bombed our naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Roosevelt ... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor A Deep Dark Secret On 7 December 1941 the greatest humiliation and disaster in United States Navy, Army, and Government history occurred. Truly this was and is, â€Å"’A date which will live in infamy.’†(Costello 1), but not for the bombing of Pearl Harbor, rather for the deception, the misguidance, and the trickery used by the Government and Franklin D. Roosevelt. In a purely artificial chess game Roosevelt sacrificed over 2400 American Seamen’s lives, thanks to his power as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. By over-looking the obvious facts of an attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt was able to control both the political and economic systems of the United States. Most of American society before the Pearl Harbor bombing believed in the idea of isolationism. Franklin D. Roosevelt knew this, and knew the only way in which United States countrymen would take arms and fight in Europe’s War was to be an overt action against the United States by a member of the Axis Power. Roosevelt also believed Hitler would not declare war on the United States unless he knew they were beatable. There are numerous accounts of actions by Roosevelt and his top armed forces advisors, which reveal they were not only aware of an attack by Japan, but also they were planning on it, and instigating that attack. On 7 October 1940, Lieutenant Commander Arthur H. McCollum, head of the Far East desk of the Office of Naval Intelligence, wrote the eight-action memo. This memo outlined eight different steps the United States could do that he predicted would lead to an attack by Japan on the United States. The day after this memo was giving to Franklin D. Roosevelt, he began to implement these steps. By the time that Japan finally attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, all eight steps had occurred (Willy 1). The eight steps consisted of two main subject areas; the first being a sign of United States military prep... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor On December 7, 1941 the U.S. troops stationed on the island of Pearl Harbor were not waken up by the familiar sound of a bugle but instead by gunfire and explosions. This is what it might have been like if you were one of the troops at Pearl Harbor. This attack was important because it led to other events in World War II. Some of these events were America's involvement in the war and the dropping of the Atom Bomb at Hiroshima. Between the years of 1920 and 1940 dictators came to power in Germany, Italy, and Japan. The first country to have a dictatorship was Italy. Their dictator was Benito Mussolini. He became dictator in 1922. Mussolini organized and founded the Fascist party before he became dictator. After there loss in World War I Germany had severe problems with their economy. Adolf Hitler and his political party the Nazis promised they would end Germanies problems if Hitler became dictator. The Germans made Hitler their dictator in 1933. Italy and Germany deci ded to become allies in 1939. They called themselves the Axis Powers. Japan joined the Axis Powers in 1940. The emperor of Japan at the present time was Emperor Hirohito. After he joined with the Axis Powers he started taking over countries, cities, and island in and around Japan that belonged to countries who opposed the Axis Powers. Joseph Stalin, the ruler of Russia at the present time, sided with Hitler until Hitler double crossed him and tried to take over Russia. After the double cross Stalin decided to side with the Allies. The Allies were the countries that were opposed to the Axis Powers. These countries were Britain, France, the U.S.A., and Russia. The three leaders of the Allied Powers were Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president of the U.S.A., Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Britain, and Joseph Stalin. After World War II started Japan grew angry with the U.S.A. because they were helping China by sending them... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor The bombing of pearl harbor could have been avoided and many lives could have been saved if the united states didn’t have over confidence in themselves, if the Americans would have kept better tract of Japanese intelligence, and if Roosevelt would of warned pearl harbor of his knowledge of it going to be attacked. Many things led up to the bombing of pearl harbor. The things that led up to the bombing started when japan started to make naval bases all over the territories it controlled. Roosevelt saw this as a threat to the United States so he decided to cut off their supply of natural resources. Roosevelt knew that without natural resources japan would not be able to last economically very long. In 1941 the United States tried to come to an agreement with japan to settle their differences. Japan wanted the untied states to keep supplying oil and for the United States to let japan go to war with china. The untied states refused to lift the oil embargo until japan would back of f of their aggression with china. Neither country would agree to a settlement and war seemed like it was inescapable. (Pearl harbor conspiracy, 12) The many people in the United States knew that pearl harbor was going to be bombed, but nobody in Hawaii knew about the planned attack. Pearl harbor at the time before the bombing was very relaxed. â€Å" Many people in pearl harbor had no clue about the Japanese plotting to bomb it because nobody was informed about it.†( ). â€Å"Many people had no idea that pearl harbor was going to be bombed† as Ruth Erickson says who was a nurse at the time of the bombing. She says: â€Å" we did not know what to think when pearl harbor got bombed †¦ We were sitting in the dining room on a Sunday morning having a late breakfast when all of a sudden we heard lots of gunshots and we saw a plane crash on the tennis court. We had no idea what had just happened.†() . Another man who had no idea that pearl harbor was going to be b ombed is... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor I don ¹t think it is an understatement to say that this is the second Pearl Harbor, ² Senator Charles Hagel from Nebraska told the Los Angeles Times on September 11, 2001. â€Å"Pearl Harbor, the sequel, erupted on September 11, 2001 when hijacked planes destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and parts of the west wing of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.† Borders into the United States were closed and the FAA shut down all airports across the nation. People all over the county woke up to what at first glance appeared to be video from a blockbuster Hollywood movie like Armageddon, or Independence Day. In reality, what we were watching was the horrendously real aftermath of the complete destruction of the World Trade Center towers. In recounting the events of 9/11 no one had any idea how bad it really was. Rather, people stayed glued to their television sets in hopes of a light at the end of the tunnel. What they received from the newscaste rs inside their televisions was confusion and disbelief. More than a month later we are still holding our breaths for some sort of a beam, even a small one. A huge fireball erupted Ã…  seconds later it became the attack heard around the world, a New York city fire fighter told Christine Frey for her article in the New York Times on September 13, 2001. Since 9/11 the media has constructed its own Hollywood, its own Broadway, and built its own arena for the biggest show of ideology under one roof. On September 11th, senator John McCain called the events of the day,  ³clearly an act of war. ² On September 13th, president Bush declared war in a press conference and  ³vowed to use all our resources to conquer the enemy (L.A. Times, 9/13, Column A). ² But who was the enemy? In all efforts to cover the casualties of the attack and to play and replay the World Trade Center towers being blown up, the media failed to indicate just whom it was we were now at war... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor KORDAE JAMAAL OTIS COACH DAVES ENGLISH 1 2 May 2002 The road to war between Japan and the United States began in the 1930s when differences over China drove the two nations apart. In 1931 Japan conquered Manchuria, which until then had been part of China. In 1937 Japan began a long and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to conquer the rest of China. In 1940, the Japanese government allied their country with Nazi Germany in the Axis Alliance, and, in the following year, occupied all of Indochina. The United States, which had important political and economic interests in East Asia, was alarmed by these Japanese moves. The U.S. increased military and financial aid to China, embarked on a program of strengthening its military power in the Pacific, and cut off the shipment of oil and other raw materials to Japan. Because Japan was poor in natural resources, its government viewed these steps, especially the embargo on oil as a threat to the nation's survival. Japan's leaders responded by resolving to seize the resource-rich territories of Southeast Asia, even though that move would certainly result in war with the United States. The problem with the plan was the danger posed by the U.S. Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese fleet, devised a plan to immobilize the U.S. fleet at the outset of the war with a surprise attack. The key elements in Yamamoto's plans were meticulous preparation, the achievement of surprise, and the use of aircraft carriers and naval aviation on an unprecedented scale. In the spring of 1941, Japanese carrier pilots began training in the special tactics called for by the Pearl Harbor attack plan. In October 1941 the naval general staff gave final approval to Yamamoto's plan, which called for the formation of an attack force commanded by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. It centered around six heavy aircraft carriers accompanied by 24 supporting vessels. A... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor December Seventh: â€Å"A Day Which Will Live In Infamy† Following a series of shocking events of the second World War, the immense world power known as the â€Å"Home of the Brave† was inevitably forced to join in the war effort, by a drastic and detestable movement of war on their country by Japan. Japan at the time, was a somewhat struggling empire, looking to expand their influence and make its mark among a world of larger, more threatening nations. The road to war between Japan and the United States began in the 1930s, when differences over the country of China drove the two nations in opposing directions. Japan was on its march, further expanding its empire into China, and the United States was going to do all in its power to prevent it. 1 The struggle began in 1931, following the conquering of Manchuria, which until then had been a part of China. Succeeding this somewhat easy victory for Japan, the Japanese government decided in 1937, to begin a long and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to conquer the remaining regions of China. By 1938, Japan occupied much of China and had taken Nanking, longtime capital of China, where Japanese troops killed more than 42,000 civilians. The Chinese government, led by Chiang Kai-shek, had fled to central China. But China refused to give up. To force China to surrender, Japan decided to cut off supplies reaching China from Southeast Asia. Japan's military leaders spoke of building an empire, which they called the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. This alerted the League of Nations, which had been compiled following World War One in order to prevent such acts of aggression. Therefore, the League sent representatives to Machuria to investigate the situation. Their report condemned Japan, which inevitably lead to Japan simply withdrawing from the League. 2 Meanwhile, Hitler marched through Europe. Germany, in 1938, annexed Austria and then seized Czechoslovakia without resistance. In Augu... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor - Brief Look On December 7, 1941 the U.S. troops stationed on the island of Pearl Harbor were not waken up by the familiar sound of a bugle but instead by gunfire and explosions. This is what it might have been like if you were one of the troops at Pearl Harbor. This attack was important because it led to other events in World War II. Some of these events were America's involvement in the war and the dropping of the Atom Bomb at Hiroshima. Between the years of 1920 and 1940 dictators came to power in Germany, Italy, and Japan. The first country to have a dictatorship was Italy. Thier dictator was Benito Mussolini. He became dictator in 1922. Mussolini organized and founded the Fascist party before he became dictator. After thier loss in World War I Germany had severe problems with thier economy. Adolf Hitler and his political party the Nazis promised they would end Germanies problems if Hitler became dictator. The Germans made Hitler thier dictator in 1933. Italy and Germany decided to become allies in 1939. They called themselves the Axis Powers. Japan joined the Axis Powers in 1940. The emperor of Japan at the present time was Emperor Hirohito. After he joined with the Axis Powers he started taking over countries, cities, and island in and around Japan that belonged to countries who opposed the Axis Powers. Joseph Stalin, the ruler of Russia at the present time, sided with Hitler until Hitler double crossed him and tried to take over Russia. After the double cross Stalin decided to side with the Allies. The Allies were the countries that were opposed to the Axis Powers. These countries were Britain, France, the U.S.A., and Russia. The three leaders of the Allied Powers were Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president of the U.S.A., Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Britain, and Joseph Stalin. After World War II started Japan grew angry with ... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor My report is about the attack on Pearl Harbor. In this report I will explain what happened and why it happened. So you know, Pearl Harbor is located on Oahu island, Hawaii. Pearl Harbor was the operating base of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The Japanese pulled a surprise attack on the U.S. on December 7, 1941 at 7:50 A.M. during the beginning of World War II. On November 26 a powerful Japanese task force, under the command of vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, left the Kuril Islands; on December 2 it received a coded message issuing the attack order. The undetected Japanese force arrived off the Hawaiian Islands on the morning of December 7. In two successive waves more than 350 Japanese bombers, torpedo planes, and fighters struck. More than 75 U.S. warships(including battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and auxiliaries) were based at this "Gibraltar of the Pacific." All U.S. aircraft carriers were els ewhere. Observing radio silence, it reached a launching point a! t 6 AM, December 7. At 7:50 AM, the first wave of Japanese planes struck Pearl Harbor, bombarding airfields and battleships moored at the concrete quays. The U.S. totally taken off guard had to defend themselves in pajamas. They used anti-aircraft guns in an attempt to stop the Japanese. A second wave followed. The surprise attack was over before 10 AM. The results were devastating; 18 U.S. ships were hit, and more than 200 aircraft destroyed or damaged. The battleship Arizona was a total wreck; the West Virginia and California were sunk; and the Nevada was heavily damaged. Approximately 2,400 Americans were killed, 1,300 wounded, and 1,000 missing. Japanese losses were fewer than 100 casualties, 29 planes, and 5 midget submarines. The Japanese totally destroyed the U.S. naval power in the Pacific. The attack was, however, a colossal political and psychological blunder, for it mobilized U.S. p... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor In 1931, Japanese troops were sent into Manchuria for resource plundering. A few years later, Japan invaded China. At this point the United States was drawn into tensions with Asia. Japanese officials were sent to Washington to keep peace after President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered a trade embargo on the Empire thus cutting off Japanese oil needed for aggression. This became the bane for their aggression against the United States. Meanwhile, Japan prepared for their surprise attack on Oahu Island, or Pearl Harbor. Secret transmissions from Japan to their diplomats in Washington, DC usually got to the Americans ears first. Japanese code was decoded to Japanese then translated to English. Admirals and generals warned of the attack to each other. One in fact predicted the attack to be on Sunday November 29, 1945, just a week away from the actual attack. Several warnings were sent to Washington but the American high command ignored them because they saw it as suicide and highly unlikely. When the Japanese began sending diplomats to Washington was when they began planning the massive naval attack. Their first obstacle was the depth of Pearl Harbor. The harbor was far too shallow for torpedoes to level out in the water. A torpedo at the time took at least 75 feet to level out, and Pearl Harbor was only 40 feet. To solve this problem, Japanese admirals came up with a fin that was meant to level the torpedo out quicker than the normal torpedo. It was tested, worked, and used in the attack. Three hundred planes were sent on 6 carriers to launch the attack. Japanese officials set up code words to let them know whether or not the attack was going to be successful. The most famous is the one issued to signal the admiral that the ancient Japanese preferred way to wage war was accomplished, surprise. The word was used three times in a row, â€Å"Tora, tora, tora!† . On December 7th, 1945, Japan attacked the US naval fleet stationed at Pearl H... Free Essays on Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor - Brief Look On December 7, 1941 the U.S. troops stationed on the island of Pearl Harbor were not waken up by the familiar sound of a bugle but instead by gunfire and explosions. This is what it might have been like if you were one of the troops at Pearl Harbor. This attack was important because it led to other events in World War II. Some of these events were America's involvement in the war and the dropping of the Atom Bomb at Hiroshima. Between the years of 1920 and 1940 dictators came to power in Germany, Italy, and Japan. The first country to have a dictatorship was Italy. Thier dictator was Benito Mussolini. He became dictator in 1922. Mussolini organized and founded the Fascist party before he became dictator. After thier loss in World War I Germany had severe problems with thier economy. Adolf Hitler and his political party the Nazis promised they would end Germanies problems if Hitler became dictator. The Germans made Hitler thier dictator in 1933. Italy and Germany decided to become allies in 1939. They called themselves the Axis Powers. Japan joined the Axis Powers in 1940. The emperor of Japan at the present time was Emperor Hirohito. After he joined with the Axis Powers he started taking over countries, cities, and island in and around Japan that belonged to countries who opposed the Axis Powers. Joseph Stalin, the ruler of Russia at the present time, sided with Hitler until Hitler double crossed him and tried to take over Russia. After the double cross Stalin decided to side with the Allies. The Allies were the countries that were opposed to the Axis Powers. These countries were Britain, France, the U.S.A., and Russia. The three leaders of the Allied Powers were Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president of the U.S.A., Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Britain, and Joseph Stalin. After World War II started Japan grew angry wi...