December 7, 1941 marked a bloody event in US history--an event soon recognized as the Bombing of Pearl Harbor. Approximately 2,403 lives of servicemen, as well as 68 innocent lives of civilians were claimed at the hands of the malicious Japanese attackers, who ruthlessly raided this unready naval port with bomb after bomb until it was left in smothers and corpses. The Imperial Japanese Navy made this surprise attack Pearl Harbor, located in Oahu, Hawaii, at a time least expected. In this essay, Richard Ketchum aims to demonstrate to his readers that Roosevelt didn't "trick" the Japanese into "striking the first blow," and also inform his readers that President Roosevelt along with his administration laudably responded to the emergency in the best way possible. War against Japan was inevitable, but this bombing was all that was needed to convince the majority of Americans that involvement in this war was imperative.

President Franklin...