Pearl Harbor is one of the most important turning points in World War II, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who'd argue that with you. In terms of other turning point events, the human loss wasn't ridiculous or terribly significant - 2,000 dead and 1,000 wounded. I know, I know, it definitely sounds like a lot - but not so much in comparison to other battles / attacks that took place in WWII. The Japanese didn't even accomplish everything they wanted to, with a third wave in place but never executed and four American naval vessels not present. As much of a tactical victory it was for the Japanese and a horrible setback for the Americans (with 20 navy ships and almost 200 airplanes damaged and/or destroyed), but that's not why Pearl Harbor is considered an especially important event.
It was the last straw for the Americans, and the last nail in Hitler's coffin, so to speak. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt - FDR - had been itching to enter the war for a while, and asked Congress to declare war on Japan the day after Pearl Harbor (December 8, 1941). Congress approved the declaration. Three days of the attack, Germany and Italy declared war on America, and we officially entered World War II. The war in the Pacific didn't start all that auspiciously for the United States, but by the summer of 1942, the navy had turned it around. We adapted to war quickly, drafting men and mobilizing the country, with a dash of unjust paranoia when it came to Americans with Japanese or German descent. In the 1970 film "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (which was about Pearl Harbor), Admiral Yamamoto says,"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." And though it was confirmed - nor denied - that Isoroku Yamamoto ever said or wrote this, it was true nonetheless. The Americans played a key role in ending the war and ending Hitler's reign, effectively validating "I don't care who started it, I'm gonna finish it!"
It was the last straw for the Americans, and the last nail in Hitler's coffin, so to speak. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt - FDR - had been itching to enter the war for a while, and asked Congress to declare war on Japan the day after Pearl Harbor (December 8, 1941). Congress approved the declaration. Three days of the attack, Germany and Italy declared war on America, and we officially entered World War II. The war in the Pacific didn't start all that auspiciously for the United States, but by the summer of 1942, the navy had turned it around. We adapted to war quickly, drafting men and mobilizing the country, with a dash of unjust paranoia when it came to Americans with Japanese or German descent. In the 1970 film "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (which was about Pearl Harbor), Admiral Yamamoto says,"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." And though it was confirmed - nor denied - that Isoroku Yamamoto ever said or wrote this, it was true nonetheless. The Americans played a key role in ending the war and ending Hitler's reign, effectively validating "I don't care who started it, I'm gonna finish it!"