Pearl Harbor vs 9/11

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Pearl Harbor vs. 9/11

There haven’t been many major attacks on the United States, but the one that stands out is the attack on Pearl Harbor. Both Pearl Harbor and 9/11 incidents put the country through devastating times. Pearl Harbor affected the people of the United States in a greater way than 9/11 because it motivated the country to get involved in World War II, while 9/11 only started a War on Terror.

On December 7, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack on a U.S. military base known as Pearl Harbor. This attack killed over 2,000 people, mostly U.S Navy and Military officials. Almost sixty years later, the United States is attacked again by a terrorist group known as Al Qaeda. These attacks were on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and Pentagon in Washington, D.C. These attacks also killed over 2,000 people, but it was mostly civilians unlike the incident at Pearl Harbor. The similarities of these shocking events are the number of causalities during the attack. The differences between them will be seen during the aftermath.

As you all know, most seek revenge after being attacked. The United States was forced to declare war both times. Nonetheless there was a big difference in the type of war being declared. After the Pearl Harbor attack, the United States declared war on japan. Japan had great alliance with Germany and Italy, and they were willing to support them. In discussing the motive for the United States getting involved in World War II, Parshall claims “The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor arguably remains the single most important event in American military History, leading as it did to the United States' entrance into World War II” (parshall). World War II would become one of the most memorable wars for the American military. The United States joined the allies, countries who were fighting for a great cause and ended up claiming victory. It was a victory to be proud of but many were sad because more...