Pearl Harbor

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/pearl-harbor

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Oʻahu, Hawaii, United States
2. What is the date of surprise attack?December 7, 1941
3. What is Pearl Harbor and why is it important?Pearl Harbor is a deep‑water harbor on Oʻahu, Hawaii, that the United States turned into a major naval base and the headquarters for its Pacific Fleet.
4. How did the U.S. get the rights to use Pearl Harbor?After the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 gave the U.S. access to Hawaiian markets, the U.S. government secured exclusive rights in 1887 to keep a repair and coaling station there.

Reciprocity Treaty of 1875: An agreement that granted the U.S. access to Hawaiian markets and was a precursor to U.S. influence in Hawaii.
Imperial Japanese Navy: The naval forces of the Empire of Japan from 1869 to 1945, responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
World War II: A global conflict from 1939 to 1945 involving the vast majority of the world's countries, fundamentally reshaping global politics and society.
Isolationism: A foreign policy of a nation to remain apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.