Question 1

Instructions: Identify the following. Be as specific as possible, and include names, dates, and relevant facts as appropriate. Be sure to explain the significance of the person or term. 
Pearl Harbor

Accepted Answer

Pearl Harbor refers to a naval base located near Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, which was the site of a surprise military attack by the Japanese Imperial Navy Air Service against the United States naval base at dawn on December 7, 1941. This attack led to the United States' formal entry into World War II.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was orchestrated by the Japanese as a preemptive measure to prevent the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japan's planned military actions in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. The Japanese aimed to neutralize the U.S. fleet as a strategic power in the Pacific, thereby enabling Japan to establish its Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere without interference.

During the attack, the Japanese managed to damage or destroy 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans were killed, and another 1,000 were wounded. The most significant losses included the sinking of the USS Arizona, which resulted in the deaths of 1,177 crew members.

The day after the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the United States Congress, famously describing December 7, 1941, as "a date which will live in infamy." On that day, Congress declared war on Japan with only one dissenting vote, marking the U.S. entry into World War II. Shortly thereafter, Germany and Italy, Japan's Axis allies, declared war on the United States, further expanding the conflict.

The attack on Pearl Harbor had significant strategic implications. It galvanized American public opinion, transforming isolationist sentiment into a unified war effort. It also led to the internment of Japanese Americans, as the U.S. government questioned their loyalty after the attack. Strategically, while the attack initially gave Japan the upper hand in the Pacific, it ultimately proved to be a strategic miscalculation. The U.S. Navy was able to recover and rebuild, and the attack failed to target the Pacific Fleet's aircraft carriers, which were not in the harbor at the time. These carriers would play a crucial role in the U.S. victory in the Pacific.

The events of Pearl Harbor have been memorialized in various ways, including films, books, and the USS Arizona Memorial, which was dedicated in 1962 to honor those killed in the attack. Pearl Harbor remains a significant event in American history and a turning point in World War II.

Question 2

Instructions: Identify the following. Be as specific as possible, and include names, dates, and relevant facts as appropriate. Be sure to explain the significance of the person or term. 
America First Committee

Accepted Answer

The America First Committee was an influential isolationist group in the United States that was most prominent in the early 1940s, just before the U.S. entry into World War II. Established on September 4, 1940, the committee was created by a group of Yale Law School students, including future U.S. President Gerald Ford, future Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, and future Peace Corps director Sargent Shriver, along with other individuals such as R. Douglas Stuart Jr.

The committee's primary goal was to oppose the American entry into World War II. It advocated for the United States to focus on its own defense and avoid becoming entangled in European conflicts. The America First Committee was particularly critical of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's policies, which they believed were leading the country towards war.

The most famous spokesperson for the America First Committee was Charles Lindbergh, the celebrated aviator who had made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. Lindbergh's reputation lent the committee considerable prestige and influence. He argued that the United States had no business in the European war and that its involvement would be detrimental to the nation's well-being.

At its peak, the America First Committee had over 800,000 members and was one of the largest anti-war organizations in American history. It included a broad coalition of members from various political and social backgrounds, including business leaders, politicians, and pacifists.

The significance of the America First Committee lies in its impact on American public opinion and its representation of the strong isolationist sentiment that existed in the country before Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which led to the U.S. declaring war on Japan and subsequently entering World War II, effectively ended the influence of the America First Committee. The committee disbanded on December 10, 1941, as its mission became irrelevant once the U.S. was at war.

In historical discussions, the America First Committee is often cited as an example of the isolationist tendencies in American foreign policy and the debates that can arise in a democracy about the role of the nation in global affairs.

Question 3

Instructions: Identify the following. Be as specific as possible, and include names, dates, and relevant facts as appropriate. Be sure to explain the significance of the person or term. 
War Production Board and the Office of Price Administration

Accepted Answer

The War Production Board (WPB) and the Office of Price Administration (OPA) were two critical agencies in the United States during World War II, each playing a significant role in managing the economy and resources to support the war effort.

War Production Board (WPB):
The War Production Board was established on January 16, 1942, by an executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The WPB replaced the earlier Supply Priorities and Allocation Board and was tasked with overseeing the conversion of industries from peacetime work to war production. The board coordinated the production of war materials and the distribution of raw materials to ensure that the military had the necessary equipment, vehicles, weapons, and ammunition to fight the war.

The WPB was headed by Donald Nelson, who was appointed as its chairman. The board had the authority to set priorities and production goals and to control the distribution of raw materials and supplies. It also had the power to stop the production of civilian goods that were considered non-essential to the war effort. For example, the WPB halted the production of civilian automobiles in order to free up resources for the production of military vehicles.

The significance of the WPB lies in its role in managing the wartime economy and ensuring that the United States could rapidly increase its production of war goods. This was crucial for the success of the Allies, as the ability to out-produce the Axis powers became a key factor in winning the war.

Office of Price Administration (OPA):
The Office of Price Administration was created by an executive order on August 28, 1941, and later established as an independent agency by the Emergency Price Control Act of January 30, 1942. The OPA was responsible for controlling money (price controls) and rationing essential commodities to prevent inflation and ensure that goods were fairly distributed among the American public during World War II.

Leon Henderson was the first administrator of the OPA, and he was succeeded by Prentiss M. Brown. The OPA set price limits on various goods to prevent price gouging and black market activities. It also introduced rationing programs for items such as gasoline, rubber, sugar, meat, butter, and coffee, ensuring that these resources were available for both the military and civilians.

The significance of the OPA was its role in stabilizing prices and preventing wartime inflation, which could have undermined the war effort and the economy. By controlling prices and rationing goods, the OPA helped to maintain civilian morale and prevented the economic disruptions that could have resulted from unchecked market forces during a time of global conflict.

Both the War Production Board and the Office of Price Administration were dissolved shortly after the end of World War II, as their functions were no longer necessary in a peacetime economy. However, their contributions during the war were vital to the Allied victory and had a lasting impact on the management of the U.S. economy in times of crisis.

Question 4

Instructions: Identify the following. Be as specific as possible, and include names, dates, and relevant facts as appropriate. Be sure to explain the significance of the person or term. 
T he "Good Neighbor" policy

Accepted Answer