Pearl Harbor & Japanese Internment

On December 7th 1941 the Japanese Navy attacked the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Results of the Attack

• 2,388 people were killed and another 1,178 were

wounded.

• Though the U.S. Navy lost several ships and many planes, the damages were not critical.

The U.S.S. Arizona continues to leak oil in this 2004 photograph.

WHY did the Japanese attack the United States?

Because…1) The U.S. was conducting a blockade

which kept the Japanese from acquiring the raw materials and petroleum they needed to keep their war machine going.

2) The Japanese knew that war with the U.S. was inevitable, so they hoped to destroy our navy before the war started.

Reactions to the attack

Reactions to the attack

Reactions to the attack

Reactions to the attack

Because Pearl Harbor was a “sneak attack” Americans began to distrust Americans of Japanese or even Chinese descent.

There were rumors that Japanese-American citizens would spy for Japan or sabotage the war effort.

The U.S. government decided to lock up any Japanese-Americans for the duration of the war.

Internment camps were set-up in isolated areas of the country

Japanese-Americans were rounded and sent by train to their new “homes”

120,000 Japanese-Americans were placed in camps for the duration of the war.