Kelsey Burgess
Honors World History
Pearl Harbor
Since the 1920s Japan and the United States
had been edging towards war with each other. The
government of Japan thought that to solve their
economic problems they could invade the neighboring
countries and take over their imports. “In August
of 1937, the United States government officials
warned Japan, that they would take actions against
them if they happened to invade the neighboring
countries, as they had talked about doing”
(Prange39). With this warning being in the air,
the Japanese government yet continued to move their
military into China and tried to take over the
imports there.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt turned the
warning into action and placed trade embargoes upon
Japan, but did not stop oil exports till July of
1941. During the along months of negotiation about
the situation at hand neither country would budge
from their points. “Throughout the fall of 1941
the presses from many people was on Roosevelt to
make a stronger stand against the Japanese”
(Toland,27). By late 1941 many people in America
believed war between them and Japan, would soon
breakout. Although, it was thought that the
Philippiens would be attacked first not American
grounds. In November of 1941 Tokyo and Washington,
D.C had final words on the conflict, but before the
United States could send their reply to Japan, the
Japanese attack fleet was already making it’s way
to America. Japan had started planning for the
attack in the early spring of 1941; however the
