1. Why did the Japanese attack the US?
1.1. Political
1.1.1. Wanted to "catch" the European colonial powers and the US by surprise
1.1.2. Disable the American fleet for a few months to give them enough time to conquer the Dutch East Indies and to absorb its resources to finance their war in China and the US once the US' navy was rebuilt
1.2. Economic
1.2.1. The US had placed an embargo with the Japan
1.2.2. Oil and metal were not traded with them, which placed a strain on their military and economy
2. Island Hopping
2.1. Battle of Guadalcanal
2.2. Battle of Midway
2.2.1. Japan targeted Midway Island because they wanted the US Pacific fleet from the Pearl Harbor to Midway to defend the Island.
2.2.2. The US had decoded their message and knew they were coming so they hid their fleet and surpise attacked them. American victory
3. US response to Japanese attck at Pearl Harbor
3.1. Domestically
3.1.1. There was a surge of nationalism and America wanted revenge on the Japanese.
3.1.2. The day after the attack, before a joint session of Congress, President Roosevelt made his famous speech that labeled December 7 as "a date which will live in infamy."
3.2. Diplomatically
3.2.1. Doolittles raid on Japan raised American morale and shook the confidence of some in Japan
3.2.2. Battles of Midway and Guadalope