December and American History

7th December 1941: Pearl Harbour

For the task of our final blog post before Christmas, I thought it appropriate to discuss the relevance of a specific event that has occurred in America during December. Whilst there were many events to choose from that have been relevant to our weekly topics, I thought to choose something that I find so interesting and that is a different focus to previous weeks. Instead of selecting memorable dates such as: the world premiere of ‘Gone with the Wind’, the ratification of the 13^th Amendment abolishing slavery, The Boston Tea Party, or even the Assassination of John Lennon, I thought to single out the 7^th December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour.

What remains so significant about the Pearl Harbour attack to this day was the undetectable nature of the invasion. The attack which killed over 2,400 Americans, as well as destroying or damaging eight navy battleships and 100 planes.[1] Relations with Japan escalated and President Roosevelt declared a state of War with the Japanese Empire on the 8^th December 1941. It was one of the first times that America had been exposed and explicitly vulnerable on its own soil. It also was arguably the most powerful short-term factor for America entering WW2 It remains one of the most memorable and sensitive anniversaries in American history to this day.

On screen adaptations on Pearl Harbour have previously included the documentary ‘December 7^th’ (1943), the film ‘From Here to Eternity’ (1953), ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ (1970) and the memorable ‘Pearl Harbour’ (2001) to name a few.[2] The promotional painting for ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ by Robert McCall, emphasises the chaos that related to Pearl Harbour. The bright colours created by the fires and the vast number of approaching enemy aircrafts, are very effective in setting the scene in just a simple painting. In comparison, the film adaptation ‘Pearl Harbour’ starring Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale conveys a romantic-drama storyline around the historical context of Pearl Harbour.

Today, the nature of this surprise attack has been reflected in more recent incidents, such as the 911 War on Terror, the Orlando shooting or even the Manhattan bombing in September 2016, New York. For many Americans, the early period of December remains as one of reflection and honouring any fallen veterans. This year it was seen at the 75^th Anniversary of Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. Similarly, celebrities including Dwayne Johnson have raised awareness about American troops and celebrated their duty recently this year in Hawaii. Overall, it remains one of the most remembered and historically significant aspects of Americas past.

Sources:

https://news.usni.org/2014/12/05/movies-pearl-harbor

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/01/06/how-america-changed-after-pearl-harbor

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[1] US Naval Institute Staff, “Movies About Pearl Harbour”, USNI News, The US Naval Institute, 5^th December 2014 https://news.usni.org/2014/12/05/movies-pearl-harbor accessed 19 December 2016.

[2] Michael Morella, “How America Changed After Pearl Harbour” US News, 6^th January 2012, < http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/01/06/how-america-changed-after-pearl-harbor > accessed 19 December 2016.