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America Enters the War

America Enters the War. Goals: To understand why the US got involved with WWII To understand the US’ reaction to the Pearl Harbor attack. Japan is Threatened. America’s presence in Guam and the Philippines and support of China posed a threat to Japan

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America Enters the War

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  1. America Enters the War Goals: To understand why the US got involved with WWII To understand the US’ reaction to the Pearl Harbor attack

  2. Japan is Threatened • America’s presence in Guam and the Philippines and support of China posed a threat to Japan • Roosevelt tried to stop Japanese expansion with a trade embargo • No oil, iron ore, fuel, steel, or rubber! • Japan then signed the Tripartite Pact in 1940 with Germany and Italy

  3. Japanese Expansionism Leads to War • In 1941, Hideki Tojo became the Japanese prime minister and focused on military expansion • Japan and the US tried to negotiate an end to the tension, but with little success • Tojo gave up on peace and decided to deliver the first blow against the US

  4. Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor • Pearl Harbor was the site of the US Navy’s main Pacific Fleet • Japan sent 6 aircraft carriers, 360 planes, along with battleships, cruisers, and submarines for a surprise attack • With one successful strike, Japan could wipe out most of the US’s Pacific Fleet • On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor completely by surprise

  5. Victory for Japan, but… • Nearly 2,500 killed, 8 battleships severely damaged, 3 destroyers damaged, 160 aircraft destroyed and 128 more damaged • The US battlefleet was knocked out of commission for nearly 6 months • The Good News: aircraft carriers were deployed at sea along with 7 heavy cruisers • Only 3 battleships suffered irreparable damage • Submarine bases and important fuel depots survived • Japan cancelled a third wave of bombers, didn’t seek the aircraft carriers, and turned back home in case of a counter strike

  6. US Reaction • “Nothing will ever be the same, it never was the same” – Journalist Marquis Child • The US was now forced to declare war on Japan as isolationalists and interventionalists agree • The House of Rep. voted 388 to 1 to declare war, and the Senate voted 100 to 0 for war • Germany and Italy then declared war on the US because of their alliance with Japan

  7. America Mobilizes for War • Patriotism and service swept the country • From 1941 to 1942 alone, the army grew from 1.4 million to more than 3 million • Over 350,000 women joined the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) to provide clerical work, truck drivers, instructors, and lab techs

  8. American Production • In Jan 1942, the government set up the War Production Board (WPB) to oversee the transition from peacetime to wartime industries • The massive defense spending ended the Great Depression • Ford Motor Company poured all its resources into building B-52 Liberator bombers • In 1944, America’s production levels were double that of the Axis nations collectively • “To American production, without which the war would have been lost” – J. Stalin

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