l the same day. In spite of efforts to avoid combat, the fears of the British people had come true on that day.The United States of America, like Great Britain, had hoped to avoid bringing the horrors of war to its people. For many years after the development of tensions in Europe and the Far East, the leaders of the U.S. had done nearly everything possible to remain neutral. For them, too, the memories of World War I were still fresh in mind. Although the U.S. did participate in such affairs as the temporary peace treaty that prevented the capture of Shanghai by the Japanese, the U.S. was determined to prevent the need for it's troops to be placed in the way of danger (Ienaga 66). And so it would have remained, if it were not for one incident that would change the lives of many in the United States.The morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941 began as any other day in Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval base in Hawaii. At 7:49, the Japanese fleet of carriers that had been making its way toward the Hawaiian Islands leaped into action. Plane after plane of Japanese aircraft screamed into the harbor and pounced on the American fleet as it sat helpless (Ienaga 136). No one saw the attack coming, so defense to the brutal assault was minimal. In the aftermath of the massacre, the final tallies shocked the nation. Five U.S. battleships and ten warships had been destroyed, and three more battleships were severely damaged. The human death toll was also high. Over 2,400 American soldiers were slaughtered in the attack.Franklin D. Roosevelt wasted no time in reacting to the attack on Pearl Harbor. By the afternoon of December 7th, Roosevelt had ordered protection for Washington D.C., major cities along the western coast, major bridges, and dozens of other security precautions in the event of another wave of enemy aggression (Bailey 20). The next day, Roosevelt delivered a speech to congress asking for a declaration of war. The beginning of the speech would bec...
