Pearl Harbor: the Turning Point to a Second World War
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a turning point in history because it entered the United States into World War II. On the day of the attack, there were about 18,000 military personnel at Pearl Harbor. Not only were the military personnel affected by the attack, but the civilians living in the area, and subsequently the rest of the United States. The day following the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a declaration of war against Japan. People that had been lazily playing cards the day before would soon be drafted or choose to enlist in the military, building airplanes, or making soldiers' clothing in factories. Almost no one knew what Pearl Harbor was before the attack. In an interview, a man named Arthur Hechinger said: "About 3 p.m. that afternoon, everybody in the place heard of the attack. My first reaction was, 'Where is Pearl Harbor?' We didn't, and couldn't, grasp the depth of what was taking place at that moment." The United States was completely unprepared for an attack of this scale, and this is why it was so devastating to Americans.