Pearl Harbor Dbq Essay

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There have been many attacks on the US throughout history. Some were minor, some were major. To think that the attacks were unexpected or unreasonable can be somewhat hypocritical. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was not something that just randomly happened, it was caused by the actions of the US. Before the attack Pearl Harbor, the US government began to make a number of restrictions on the business they made with Japan. In 1939 the US put an embargo on the trade of aircraft and aircraft parts being exported to Japan(Doc C). The US put this embargo on Japan a little after the Japanese had declared their “new order” policy. By establishing the embargo the US was getting involved in the war efforts against Japan. This meant that they were getting in the way of Japan's effort to create a purely Japanese empire in East Asia. With this embargo, Japan realized that they had made a new enemy. …show more content…

In May 1940 President Roosevelt moved the US Pacific Fleet from California to Pearl Harbor. In July of the same year the US Congress passes the Naval Expansion Act which promised to triple the fleet size by 1944(Doc C). This gives evidence that the US did not stop at a simple embargo on aircraft. It demonstrates that the US was keeping a close watch on Japanese affairs so that they could be ready to attack if they needed to. The Japanese were aware of the actions being taken by the US. They knew that soon enough they would be attacked if they didn't attack first. That is why they were just waiting for the push to start an attack on the

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