BACKGROUND

There are many factors that contributed to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was a U.S. Naval base located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Japan was struggling from economic problems and had thought that the only way to fix them was to expand into other territories. When Japan declared war on China, the U.S. retaliated and refused to trade with Japan. This, instead, strengthened Japan’s determination and led them to think that the only way to fix their problems was to attack the U.S. and destroy the Pacific Fleet (“Pearl Harbor: Attack,…”). The Japanese were in the war on the Axis powers side with Germany, and the U.S. was on the Allied side with Great Britain and The Soviet Union (“How Pearl Harbor …”). On Sunday the 7th at 8:00am the sky was full of warplanes and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor injuring or killing thousands of Americans (“Pearl Harbor: Attack, ..."). 

"Aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941: left to right, USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee, and USS Arizona. (Franklin Roosevelt Library)" (Archives.gov)