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United States Entry into World War II_LP2


John Martin


United States Entry Into WWII_Martin


Although World War II had been raging in Europe since 1939, the United States was not actively involved until 1941.  On December 7,  Japan, a member of the Axis alliance of Italy, and Germany, staged a sneak attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

This lesson looks at the United States' initial, active involvement in World War II by utilizing an audio recording, an edited speech, and the final draft of Franklin Roosevelt’s famous “Date of Infamy” speech in which he asked the United States Congress to declare war on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor .


Copies of the following articles: (See Linked Files)

1.“ America Declares War: December 8, 1941, President’s War Message, New YorkHerald Tribune, December 9, 1941, Reporting World War II, Part One, New York:Library of America, 1995, pp. 243-244.

2. http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/day_of_infamy/day_of_infamy.html The actual speech as edited by FDR.

3.  Document analysis sheet from National Archives

3. National Park Service, “Visitor’s Guide for the USS Arizona Memorial.”  This document summarizes the attack on Pearl Harbor and gives questions regarding the information in a chart and the reading. (See linked files:  "The Attack On Pearl Harbor" and "Pearl Harbor Handouts")

4.  millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/diglibrary/prezspeeches/roosevelt/  (audio of President Roosevelt's Dec. 8th speech to Congress)


Sixty minutes


2


How did early involvement in World War II affect the United States ?


Put this phrase on the board:  "The date that will live in infamy." 

Ask students to:

1.  Identify the speaker

2.  Identify the event being described

3.  Project reasons that the author would label this event as a day that will live forever in the mind of the world.


Distribute the Casualties Chart concerning the USS Arizona and questions provided.  (See Linked File "Pearl Harbor Handouts") 

Have students answer the questions.  Go over their answers.


(NOTE:  The Activating Strategy will give students background needed to have historical context for the rest of the lesson.  Also, the teacher can refer back to introductory lesson for more background information.)

Have students read the handouts on the Pearl Harbor Casualties and the Pearl Harbor Attack and discuss.  (See linked files:  Pearl Harbor Casualties and Pearl Harbor Attack.)

Distribute copies of FDR's speech before U. S. Congress on December 8, 1941.  Ask for a student volunteer to read the speech to the class as President Roosevelt might have done.  (The teacher may want to have students use the document analysis form provided in Linked Files "Visitor's Guide to USS Arizona".)

Utilizing the website provided in the Materials section, display a copy of the original draft of the speech, complete with President Roosevelt's own editing marks. Simultaneously, play an audio recording of the speech, which also can be accessed through the website listed in the Materials section of the lesson plan.

Ask students to note 3-5 changes from the original speech to the official one delivered on December 8, 1941.   

 


The teacher should guide a discussion on the reasons  the students feel that the President made so many changes from his original draft. Then, ask eachstudent to select the top two reasons and explain the rationale for their choices in a paragraph to be turned in at the end of class. Students may refer to the original edited speech, the official speech, and the audio version of the speech as needed

In closing the lesson, ask students to rate the speech on a scale of 1-10 based on the impact they felt it  had on  early U.S. involvement in World War II.  (A score of "1" would indicate that the speech had no impact on involvement, while a score of "10" would indicate great impact.) Discuss.



Suggestions for Further Reading

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Armstrong, David, “ Pearl Harbor !  An Eyewitness Account,” American History Illustrated, August, 1974, Volume IX, Number 5, Gettysburg, PA , National History Society, Pages 4-11, 41-48.

 

 

 

Beach, Edward L., “The Biggest Theater,” Battles and Leaders 1995, Forbes, Inc., Pages 44-53.

 

 

 

Gunston, Bill, The Illustrated Directory of Fighting Aircraft of World War II, London, Salamander Books Limited, 2001.

 

 

 

Kennedy, David, Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945, New York, Oxford University Press, 1999.

 

 

 

Lukcas, John, “The Transatlantic Duel: Hitler vs. Roosevelt ,” Battles and Leaders 1995, Forbes, Inc., Pages 38-43.

 

 

 

Pearson/Prentice Hall, Honoring The American Past: The Stories of America’s World War II Veterans, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Pearson Education.

 

 

 

Sommer, Anthony, “Billy Mitchell: Aviation’s Prophet,” American History Illustrated, December, 1974, Volume IX, Number 8, Gettysburg, PA, National History Society, Pages 32-43.

 

 

 

Tanaka, Shelley, Attack On Pearl Harbor, New York , Hyperion Books For Children, 2001.

 

 

 

Time-Life Books, An Illustrated History of World War II, Alexandria , Virginia , Time-Life Books, 2001.

 

 

 

Wheeler, Keith, The Road to Tokyo, Alexandria, Virginia , Time-Life Books, 1979.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                        WEB RESOURCES

Students can sharpen their research skills by formulating questions about World War II, which they then answer by seeking and compiling statistical data. Teachers can, for example, direct students to gather information from the following World Wide Web sites, which are a sampling of the many that include statistical data on World War II. 

HYPERWAR: HYPERTEXT HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. This site includes data about all aspects of World War II, including military campaigns, personnel, and command structures of the armed forces, in all theaters of operations in World War II. www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/index.html

THE

HISTORY PLACE
: STATISTICS OF WORLD WAR II. This section of The History Place Web site provides a variety of data about military forces and operations of World War II, such as total deaths for the war in Europe and the Pacific. It also includes information on African Americans and other minorities in the armed forces. www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/statistics.htm 

 

NATIONAL D-DAY MUSEUM . This site provides statistical data and related information about the D-Day invasion of Europe by Allied forces on June 6, 1944. www.ddaymuseum.org

HISTORY CHANNEL ON WORLD WAR II. This Web site, which is associated with the History Channel cable television network, provides data on all aspects of World War II. www.historychannel.com/wwii/ 

WORLD WAR II CASUALTIES. This page, part of the Navy Historical Center Web site maintained by the Department of the Navy, provides comprehensive statistical information on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps casualties in World War II. www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq11 1.html

ARMY WOMEN'S MUSEUM WAAC/WAC WORLD WAR II STATISTICS. This site features various statistics on both the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and the Women's Army Corps (WAC), which replaced the WAAC in 1943. www.awm.lee.army.mil 

WORLD WAR II: INFORMATION AND STATISTICS ON THE GERMAN ARMED FORCES. Statistics and other information about the German armed forces and comparative data about the armed forces, war costs, and military losses of all countries in the war are available here. www.violentpeace.com/


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Visitor's Guide USS Arizona Memorial LP2 Martin
The Attack of Pearl Harbor
Text of FDR's Speech_LP2 Martin
Pearl Harbor Handouts_LP 2 Martin

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