America Enters the War

Why it Matters

In early December 1941, the U.S. had engaged in war-like activity but had yet to commit itself

This would quickly change, and once again, U.S. involvement in the war would decide the struggle’s conclusion

Japan Attacks the United States

The United States and Japan were WWI allies

Prior to 1941- Conflict over power in Asia and the Pacific Japan resented U.S. presence in Guam

and the Philippines and the U.S. support of China

BUT Japan relied on trade with the U.S.

Trouble in the Pacific

Roosevelt tried to stop Japanese expansion into Indo-China by placing an embargo on supplies to Japan such as oil, iron ore, fuel, steel, and rubber

Japan signed the tripartite Pact in 1940 and the U.S. placed a more extensive embargo

1941- Hideki Tojo became Prime Minister- focused on military expansion

The Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor- site of the United States

Navy’s main Pacific base In an attempt to eradicate the U.S. naval

and air presence in the Pacific, Tojo sent… 6 aircraft carriers 360 airplanes Battleships and cruisers SubmarinesIn a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941

Results of the Attack

Americans lost nearly 2,500 people and a significant amount of damaged battleships and aircraft

The U.S. battleship fleet was out of commission for 6 months This allowed Japan to get necessary

materials from their newly conquered territories

Results of the Attack

Despite heavy losses, the most important ships, aircraft carriers, were out at sea at the time and survived the attack untouched

Only 3 of the battleships left in Pearl Harbor were unusable

Vice Admiral Nagumo proved too conservative Canceled a 3rd wave of bombers Refused to seek out aircraft carriers And turned back home when he feared a U.S.

counter strike

America Declares War

As news of Pearl Harbor spread across the nation Americans rallied together and anticipated a monumental change

The attack ended any political divisions between isolationists and interventionists

The U.S. declared war on Japan Japan, Italy, and Germany declared war

on the U.S.

Mobilizing for war

During the course of the war, more than 16 million Americans served in the military

Americans from all ethnic and racial backgrounds joined the fight

Mexican and Native Americans served in integrated units, African Americans did not

Mobilizing for War

Women’s Army Corps (WAC)- provided clerical workers, truck drivers, instructors, and lab technicians for the U.S. army

Women also joined the Army Nurse Corps and cared for the wounded in Europe and Japan

Mobilizing Industry

Roosevelt knew that American production would play a key role in an Allied victory

War Production Board- oversaw the conversion from peacetime production to wartime production

The massive defense spending finally ended the Great Depression There was job for every worker This production gave the allies a crucial

advantage Stalin toasted, “To American production,

without which the war would have been lost.”

Japanese Forces take the Philippines

General Douglas MacArthur-commander in the Pacific-struggled to hold the U.S. positions in the Philippines

A massive land attack forced the U.S. back from Manila to Bataan

MacArthur retreated to Australia while other Americans stayed behind

Japanese Forces take the Philippines

The Allied soldiers held out until May 1942 when they surrendered

The Japanese troops forced the remaining sick and malnourished POWs to march 55 miles to the Bataan Peninsula

More than 7,000 Americans and Filipinos died on what became known as the Bataan Death March

Bataan Death March Map

Lifting American Morale

Colonel James Doolittle led a bombing raid against Tokyo as a way for the U.S. to retaliate against Japan Minimal military gains, but bolstered

American morale Battle of Coral Sea- marked a shift in

momentum for the U.S. Forced Japan to call off attack in New

Guinea