Introduction: Pearl Harbor and its Impact on Florida and the Nation
On December 7, 1941, when Floridians learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian islands, few could have imagined the impact that the war was to have on their state. Large numbers of military personnel soon moved into the peninsula, with more than 170 installations established or expanded. Additionally, civilian workers would come to work in the various camps and bases, and in the shipyards and other industries that expanded during the conflict.
The war united Americans in a way never before seen. Furious at the "sneak attack" on Hawaii and the subsequent declarations of war by Germany and Italy, Americans were overwhelmingly united in the war effort. Tens of thousands of men and women enlisted in the weeks and months that followed, while others were drafted into military service. Pearl Harbor initiated the greatest military and economic effort in the nation's history and began changes that would greatly affect both Florida and the United States.
Battleship burning, Pearl Harbor (Associated Press, Courtesy of Forummagazine, Florida Humanities Council)
