Standard USHC-7: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of World War II on the United States and the nation’s subsequent role in the world. USHC-7.1 Analyze the decision of the United States to enter World War II, including the nation’s movement from a policy of isolationism to international involvement and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

THE UNITED STATES: Roosevelt’s primary goal was to help Britain and its allies defeat Germany, so he introduced policies to discourage the Japanese from attacking the British Empire

Export Control Act: gave Roosevelt the power to restrict the sale of strategic materials to other nations Roosevelt immediately blocked the sale of airplane fuel and scrap iron to Japan through an embargo Embargo: refusal to ship certain products to a country This resulted in Japan signing an official alliance with Germany and Italy, and becoming an Axis Power

Japan’s surprise attack on December 7, 1941, came a few minutes before 8:00am.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor sank or damaged a dozen naval vessels, destroyed almost 200 warplanes, and killed or wounded nearly 3,000 people. The next day, President Roosevelt emotionally described December 7, 1941 as “a day which will live in infamy.” Following the president’s speech, the Senate voted 82 to 0 and the House 388 to 1 to declare war on Japan.

Picture is linked to Pearl Harbor attack scene from the movie

GERMANY: The terms of Japan’s alliance with Germany specified that Germany only had to come to Japan’s aid if Japan was attacked, not if Japan attacked another country But, Hitler had grown frustrated with the American navy’s attacks on German submarines, and he believed the time had come to declare war

On December 11, 1941 Germany and Italy both declared war on the United States

On February 9, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 The evacuation order began the “round up” of 120,000 Americans of Japanese heritage to one of 10 internment camps These were officially called “relocation centers” and were located in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado and Arkansas http://www.archive.org/details/Japanese1943