America Enters the War

On December 7, 1941 at 6:00 A.M., while Americans were still sleeping, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. More than 2,000 American sailors were killed and more than 1,000 were wounded. The Japanese destroyed almost 200 American planes.

The next day President Roosevelt spoke to both houses of Congress. He told Congress how the Japanese government had been in Washington for peace talks that Sunday. At the same time the Japanese planes were attacking the naval base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. He asked Congress for a declaration of war against Japan. Only one person voted against war.

Three days later both Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. Congress declared war on those two countries as well.

This made a big change in the war. America had steel, food, arms, ships, and manpower to add to the war. Thousands of men rushed to join the army, navy, and air corps. By 1945 almost 13 million men were in the armed forces. Women joined as nurses, clerks, pilots, cooks, mechanics, and drivers. Factories began building tanks and fighter planes.

The Americans at home helped by rationing food, gasoline, and shoes. People saved scrap metal, fats, and nylon and silk stockings.

Americans were afraid that the Japanese-Americans would become spies. Almost 72,000 Japanese-Americans were moved from their homes to camps. They suffered great hardships in the camps.