Pearl Harbor By: Dawson Ayers By: Dawson Ayers

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Japan invaded China and most of southeast Asia. The United States demanded Japan stop but was ignored. The United States cut off exports to Japan. Japan retaliated by destroying the U.S. Pacific fleet at anchor at Pearl Harbor.

Early in the morning Japanese aircraft carriers launched 350 airplanes against the Pacific fleet. The first bombs fell at about 7:55 a.m.

When the attack was finished, 21 of the 96 ships at anchor were sunk or severely damaged. The death total was 2403 (including 68 civilians). Rescue boats trawled the harbor under the moonlight, pulling oil-covered bodies out of the water like slippery fish.

Congress declared war on Japan the next day. In a radio speech, Roosevelt urged Americans to back the war effort and avenge Pearl Harbor. He said, “Every single man, woman, and child is a partner in the most tremendous undertaking of our American history.”