Schultz 1
A. Student
Mrs. Brinker
Honors English 9
December 18, 2012
The Effects of Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941 has become known as the “Day of Infamy” because it was the day
America plunged into its Second World War. The spot where this event happened was Pearl
Harbor and was located on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. America’s naval base was located there
and had become important during the 1930s. The attack on Pearl Harbor was not unexpected.
America had been warned that there would be an attack; they just decided to not heed the
warnings or prepare. America could have sent out ships to protect against this attack and stop
this event from happening. The attack on Pearl Harbor had both positive and negative impacts on
the social and political aspects of America. The attack was premeditated, and a result of a
conflict between Japan and America. It was this conflict between the two countries that led to
this catastrophic event.
America was more powerful than Japan, and the Japanese were intimidated by them.
Japan was attempting to expand its country in a way that was similar to what Hitler was doing in
Europe. The Japanese military was invading China and America felt that they need to end the
invasion.. America went to China’s defense and started a conflict with Japan. America’s first
attempt to stop Japan’s expansion was the Embargo Act. The Embargo Act put a restriction on
the export of scrap steel and iron. America wanted the act to look like a neutral act, but in
actuality it was directed toward Japan (“America at War” 5). This angered Japan deeply. They
knew that the act would destroy their economy and had to stop it from happening at any cost.
Student 2
America was defending its ally China, and “Japan was faced with a critical choice: abandon its
decade-long effort to control China and return to its home islands, or go to war with the most
industrially productive, technologically advanced nation on Earth” (“America at War” 7). Japan
knew this was a major decision because lives could be lost if they attacked. Before the decision
was made, the Japanese government tried one more time to end the Embargo Act peacefully. The
Japanese government was given only a few weeks to negotiate and was unsuccessful. America
was defending China, and they would not go back on their ally. Angered by the unwavering
American government, Japan took action and started planning their attack. Admiral Isoroku
Yamamoto, who became the best admiral in World War II, was chosen to develop the plan to
destroy Pearl Harbor. The attack was intended to be a surprise, but America became aware of it.
America thought that Japan was trying to scare them into ending the Embargo Act. They did not
prepare for an attack. The Japanese began their initial movements early in the morning and “[a]t
dawn Commander Mitsuo Fuchida led the first wave of Japanese aircrafts, consisting of 133
torpedo, dive, and horizontal bombers and zeros” (Shirer 2). They reached Pearl Harbor at 8:55
a.m. Not expecting the attack, America was caught off guard. 2,500 of their men were killed and
1,176 were injured (Shirer 3). No one could believe what had happened. The whole country was
shaken. The attack happened swiftly and had immediate impacts on every aspect of America.
Society in America changed immediately after the attack. Within days Japanese
Americans could already begin to see the hostility that was growing against them. Japanese
Americans began to get fired from jobs, had medical and law licenses revoked and insurance
policies cancelled. Even the Treasury Department froze bank the accounts of Japanese
Americans, in order to stop them from leaving the country. Racism in Hawaii was bad, but it was
worse in California. The American citizens were scared of the Japanese Americans. Even though
Student 3
these Japanese people were American citizens many other Americans thought “‘A Jap is a
Jap…it makes no difference whether he is an American citizen, he is still Japanese’” (Austin 1).
Japanese Americans felt like they were living in Europe, and being mistreated the way that the
Jewish people were. Furthermore, while American citizens were discriminating against the
Japanese, they were also coming together in war efforts more than they ever had before. Women
volunteered to assist troops at headquarters. Men volunteered to defend their country by signing
up to fight. The Navy asked the women of America to make watch caps, and knit socks and
turtlenecks. There are many people that believe “[w]ar and patriotism are often two sides of the
same coin because warfare produces strong feelings of nationalism as well as challenges to the
nation’s cultures and society” (Pach 1). To create patriotism “I am an American Day” was
celebrated on the third Sunday in May. The holiday began in 1940 and was designed to
encourage all citizens that were naturalized to accept American values. Patriotism was a way that
Americans could show their national identity. Due to society’s hostile reaction to the attack, the
government had to become involved and begin to bring the country’s fears to an end.
The government had to take immediate action in order to keep the country from chaos. The first
step taken was the drafting of Executive Order 9066. Seventy- two hours after the attack on Pearl
Harbor a proposal for the mass exile of Japanese Americans was drafted. Executive Order 9066
was instated on February 19, 1942. The order was written to be nonspecific to any culture, but
only affected Japanese Americans. After the United States government passed Executive Order
9066 changes began to happen and “[i]n the spring and summer of 1942, the United States as an
ostensible matter of military necessity, incarcerated virtually the entire Japanese American
population of the west coast states” (Daniels 1). There were never formal charges brought
against the Japanese Americans, yet no one could appeal the incarceration (“Executive Order”).
Student 4
In addition to Executive Order 9066 incarcerating Japanese Americans, the government wanted
to utilize them as soldiers in the war. At first these containment camps had posted sign-up sheets
for men to enlist in the army. The government saw that few men were enlisting and instituted a
draft in the camps. The Japanese men were angry that they were in the camps and “[d]ozens of
Japanese Americans refused to be drafted from the camps into the military to protest their
incarceration” (Austin 4). They also believed that since they no longer had the liberties of an
American citizen, they no longer had to fight in the army. The men that were drafted worked as
translators, interpreters, intelligence workers, and soldiers. The 442nd Combat Regiment was
solely made of Japanese American men and became the most decorated group during World War
II. Those who remained in the camps remained there for many years, and upon release were not
the same people they were before incarceration.
Society and politics were aspects of American culture that were affected by the attack on
Pearl Harbor. Even after the initial moments of the attack, America’s entire future had been
changed. Within days Japanese Americans saw changes and orders being passed. American
citizens were coming together in war efforts, yet Japanese Americans had no part in that; they
were incarcerated in camps. They stayed there for many years and were changed people after
they were released. Ever since the attack on Pearl Harbor, things in America have been different.
There is more of an acceptance in society because they have seen what racism and fear can do to
a country. America learned that the quick rush to judgment about Japanese Americans was the
reason they were incarcerated. To remember the attack, a memorial was erected in Hawaii on the
exact spot were Pearl Harbor was located. This memorial stands as a constant reminder of what
happened to this country and how it should never happen again. The attack on Pearl Harbor has
had a lasting impact on many aspect of America that can still be seen today.
Student 5
Works Cited
"America at War: Background to Involvement." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et
al. Vol. 5: 1940-1949. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 13
Nov. 2012.
Austin, Allan W. "Japanese Americans, World War II." Americans at War. Ed. John P. Resch.
Vol. 3: 1901-1945. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 81-83. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.
Daniels, Roger. "Japanese American Incarceration." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley
I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 4. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 459-462. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.
"Executive Order 9066 1942." Milestone Documents in American History: Exploring the
Primary Sources That Shaped America. Ed. Paul Finkelman and Bruce A. Lesh. Vol. 3:
1888-1955. Dallas, TX: Schlager Group, 2008. 1450-1460. Milestone Documents. Gale
Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2012.
Keaton, Angela Frye. "Civil Liberties, World War II." Americans at War. Ed. John P. Resch.
Vol. 3: 1901-1945. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 22-24. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.
Matray, James I. "Japanese Americans." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler.
3rd ed. Vol. 4. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 462-465. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.
Pach, Chester J., Jr. "Patriotism." Americans at War. Ed. John P. Resch. Vol. 3: 1901-1945.
Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 135-137. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 13 Nov. 2012.
Student 6
"Race Relations." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 5: 1940-1949. Detroit:
Gale, 2001. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.
Shirer, Frank R. "Pearl Harbor." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed.
Vol. 6. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 271-273. Gale Virtual Reference
Library. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.
Shirley, Craig. December 1941. Nasville: Thomas Nelson, Inc, 2011. Print.