1. Why did the U.S. avoid involvement in WWII until December 1941? Why was the Pearl Harbor attack such a shock to the U.S.?
a. The United States avoided the war for a multitude of reasons. One of the largest reasons was the fact that the economy was not the strongest. It was feared that with war, the Nation could fall further in debt. Furthermore, we were not in the areas that were being threatened. That is until the attack on Pearl Harbor. This attack came as such a surprise because we did not expect our homeland to be attacked. Additionally, we had been involved in peace talks with Japan during this time.
2. Why was the invention of penicillin so important in the context of WWII? What were some other advances in medicine that were
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The atomic bomb was seen as a weapon capable of ending the war, and it did just that. Due to its quick and magnificent destruction capabilities, the United States could avoid hand to hand combat and save the lives of many Americans. On the other hand, the bombs were seen as unnecessarily brutal. Because of its lethal range, hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed.
6. Overall, what were the consequences of WWII for the United States? How was the U.S. changed by the war?
a. In my opinion, the greatest consequence of the war was the fact that we gained a great amount of power in a relatively short amount of time. Although it is cliché, with great power comes great responsibility. But, what really made our country strong was the unity and pride that flourished after the war. Not only did we defend our territory, but we were able to pull out of a recession, break race and gender barriers and most importantly, we began a whole new era of American civilization.
7. What do you think were some of the reasons Ichiuji wanted to serve in the Army despite the prejudice he might have faced?
a. I believe that he would want to serve just so that he could prove that not all of his people were “bad”. In his eyes, being in the army could be a way to protect his country, but also a way to protect his family from further
Lastly, The United States should of joined the World War II because we were attacked after we were trying to stay out of the war. The United States only option was to enter World War because Pearl Harbor was an unprovoked terrorist attack. Also, America had to respond and defend itself. Hitler was also posing a threat to the safety of the entire world. If the United States had not counterattacked Japan, we would have looked weak for the world because we didn't defend ourselves.
The United State’s direct involvement in World War II officially began as soon as the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Prior to that event, America had been providing arms and equipment to England but stopped short of any direct military confrontation with the Axis. The War in the Pacific was considered Asia’s War and the European War was considered a local conflict. US-Japanese relations had become strained in 1941, though America felt secure that her naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was powerful enough to discourage any aggression from Japan. On July 24, 1941, Japan occupied French Indo-China (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos). Two days after that, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt froze all Japanese assets in the United States. American trade
With such events occurring quickly in such a small time period, the second World War came as a massive shock. Yet again, Americans called for isolationism and neutrality as they believed America should focus on ending the Great Depression, not worrying about and dealing with the international issues of other nations and peoples. By analyzing Document 5, it is clear that many Americans still believe in isolationism during the Great Depression. Bennett Champ Clark states in his Defense of the First Neutrality Act that “the desire to keep the United States from becoming involved in any war between foreign nations seems practically unanimous among the rank and file of American citizens.” Americans influenced the US foreign policy yet again as the First Neutrality Act was passed in 1935. By analyzing Document 6, it is clear that President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the choices he made were still influenced by isolationist sentiment as he states in his Quarantine Speech that “it is my determination to adopt every practicable measure to avoid involvement in war.” However, it is clear in President Roosevelt's speech that he knew that entering the war was inevitable as he states that the “peace of the world and the welfare and security of every nation, including our own is today being threatened by that very thing (war).” Although the United States tried its best to not enter the second World War for many years, it could not avoided by the end of 1941. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. The federal government’s response to this attack can be analyzed in Document 7, President Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address to the Congress of the United States. In response to the attack, Roosevelt calls for Congress to “declare . . . a state of war has existed between the United States and the
Throughout all of history the United States have always found themselves in the midst of a conflict between other nations. One of the more significant conflicts that the U.S. intervened in is World War II. “World War II was the largest armed conflict in human history. Ranging over six continents and all the world's oceans, the war caused an estimated 50 million military and civilian deaths, including those of 6 million Jews” (World War II 1). World War II officially began when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Poland was a country that was guaranteed military assistance from France and Great Britain if Germany were to attack. If Hitler were to invade Poland he would not only have to fight against the British and French, but he would also have to fight against the Soviets. Therefore, in order for Hitler to prevent fighting a two front war he needed to create an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union. This agreement was called the Nonaggression Pact, which was agreed on August 23, 1939. This agreement stated that in the future neither country would declare war on each other. As a result of this Pact, Hitler was free to invade Poland without worrying about the Soviet Union. Subsequently, on September 3, 1939, France and Britain declared war on the Germans. This marked the beginning of World War II. However, the United States will not decide to enter into the war until December 7, 1941 when the United States is bombed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by the
because he did not want to risk losing his life for a cause he did not believe in. Here
With war, there comes changes. Some changes are good, while others are bad. World War 1, also known as The ‘Great War’, changed America. Beginning in 1914 and ending in 1918, America witnessed much devastation. Many lives were lost, some countries faced a massive destruction of property and horrible economic depression.
During World War II the U.S. had three different aspects of the war going on. The
Also, if the United States was to enter the war, national production would switch from civilian products to war materials (Economic). In the years leading up to the war, America was already in a state of recession and they did not want to spend millions of dollars on this conflict. The following quote states how much the war affected the economy of the United States. "The total cost of World War I to the United States (was) approximately $32 billion, or 52 percent of gross national product at the time" (Economic). If you were the president of the United States, would you want to put out $32 billion dollars when your country is in recession as it is? Second, another reason the United States stayed out of the war for so long was because of their policy of neutrality. On August 19, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson addressed the congress and informed them of the U.S. policy of neutrality (First). In doing this, President Wilson was saying that the United States would stay neutral during the war and not intervene. During the president’s address to congress, he states, “Every man who really loves America will act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality” (First). By saying this, the president is saying that the policy of neutrality is the absolute best choice for the United States in this situation, and any citizens that did not believe in this did not truly care for the country or its people.
Now that world war had once again begun, US involvement seemed inevitable. The United States didn't want to be involved in foreign, political wars. We wanted to be left alone. As a result, the Senate was strongly against the Versailles Treaty and refused to ratify it(4). We made a separate peace with Germany. This would come back to haunt us after we were forced into war by the attack of Pearl Harbor.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States were not immediately prepared for war. The United States needed to get its armed forces ready to deploy and come up with a plan to defeat Germany. Early in the war the Allies, which were primarily the United States, Great Britain, Russia, and The Free French Forces were not strong enough to make a landing on mainland Europe. Therefore, they needed to find another place to fight the Germans and Italians. The plan that the Allies came up with was to engage Italian forces in North Africa. Initially it was just Great Britain fighting the Italians and Germans in North Africa, but in November of 1941
The internal negative impacts are as followed: United States soldiers returned home with a grand welcome party however, all else was lacking. America had never experienced a time of post war such as World War I and was ill prepared for the return of its’ soldiers and its’ new claimed victory. “By granting World War II veterans comprehensive education, housing, and unemployment benefits, the government recognized the error of sending World War I veterans home with little more than the clothes on their backs” (Keene, Jennifer D. 2). American soldiers faced a tremendous change to their prior life-styles as war efforts had altered the familiarity of their hometowns. World War I and Its Aftermaths states, “Frustration and racism combined to produce violence” (28). Turmoil grew greatly post the Great War due to the Great Migration, new-found intolerance among American citizens, and lack of jobs. Acts of violence were induced by and included racial riots, strikes, and violation of civil rights. Racial Riots such as the Red Summer were a direct result of World War I. “The massive bloodshed during included thousands of injuries, hundreds of deaths, and vast destruction of private and public property across the nation” (Chavaz, Tizoc 21). Intolerance was cultivated during the Great War. “By whipping up nationalist passions American attitudes toward radicalism, dissent, and immigration were poisoned” (Chavaz, Tizoc 21). Greedy business men desired to cripple the union and the gains made during the War. World War I and Its Aftermath states, “Many business leaders, on the other hand, were determined to break the power of the unions and roll back the gains labor had made” (27). The business leaders’ actions caused a wave of strikes to hit the nation. War. World War I and Its Aftermath states, “By the end of the year, more than 3,600 strikes involving more than 4 million
The United States was impacted greatly because of the war. The United States at the time under President Wilson had initially decided to stay out of the war because it had nothing to do with them. However, in 1917 when a German Submarine attached U.S shipments in order to encourage Mexico to declare war. The war is one that will remain heavily engraved in history. More than 11 million solders died and many civilians died too due to hunger and disease. World War 1 caused a major social impact of the war is what caused the “sense of loss innocence” causing the emergence of the “lost generation” where poets, writers and artists came out to discuss the war experience. Economically the United States became a superpower in the world. The War effort increased commerce and the GDP greatly. Also as a result of the war wages in industries rose by about 20 percent. Union membership also increased from 2.5
Imagine the world if the United States didn’t enter the second World War. The United States was able to control the Germans, so they weren’t able to take over all of Europe; a whole continent to themselves. The United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7th, 1944, because the United States cut off oil shipments to Japan so they would come to bargain. Instead of bargaining, the Japanese came to Pearl Harbor and proved that it was a mistake to cut off the oil supply. Another reason the United States joined the war was the Germans were sinking United States’ ships while taking supplies to England. They were even using unrestricted submarine warfare even though they promised not to do so in years prior.
World War II was a horrible event that will be remembered as one of the darkest Points in human history. With estimates of deaths ranging from 60 to 80 million, it is unthinkable to imagine that this chaos was allowed to grow and erupt as it did. Many Americans in the United States, simply thought the madness in Europe would be contained to that continent. However, a new enemy brought the war to our shores.
Maybe, just maybe, he wanted to be human. To leave behind that legacy of ferocity and honor, and take up the legacy of farmland and creativity. And that feeling was usually the strongest when he was around one person in particular...