C.S.I.“A Day That Will Live In

Infamy”

Mr. Giesler

American History

CLASSIF IED

C A S E F I L E

“A Day The Will Live in Infamy”

December 7, 1941, the Japanese shocked the world by bombing the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and launched the United States into WWII

Activity Directions Work Cooperatively

Read each document thoroughly

Use your Think Marks

Complete handout - “Detective Log”

Complete handout - “Questions to Consider”

Individually, complete a one-page summary

Have Fun!!!

Who authored

the document?

When was the

document authored?

What type of

document?

Who was the audience for

the document? Why was it created?

Who was the aggressor in the

incident according to the document?

Document A

Document B

See Handout

Detective Log

Document A

Treaty of Kanagawa

Document B

Executive Order: 8832Franklin D. Roosevelt

Date: July 26, 1941

Document C

The “Konoe Message”

Document D

September 6th, 19416th Imperial Conference of Empire of Japan

Topic: Imperial Policy Execution Outline

Document E

Verbal Directive of the Chief of the Naval General Staff2 December 1941 

Verbal Directive to: Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet (in Tokyo at the time)

Document F

December 6, 1941From: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United State

To: Emperor Hirohito of Japan

Questions to Consider

What questions did you ask while evaluating these sources?

On what points do the accounts agree?

On what points do the accounts differ?

Which of these sources aligns most closely with what you already knew about the attack on Pearl Harbor? Please explain?

Which of these sources is most reliable in determining what actions of the United States and Japan? Why do you think so?

Describe the difficulties in developing an accurate account of historical events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor?

If you were asked to write your own historical account of the events during the events leading up the attack of Pearl Harbor, how would you go about doing so?

Cracking the Case

Based on your analysis of the documents and citing

evidence to support your answer, please write a one-page

summary, which answers the following questions: Was

every step taken by both the United States and Japan to

avoid war? Were Japan’s justified? Did the United States

back Japan into a corner?