On the quiet, sunny morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy in Oahu, Hawaii, designed to crush and render helpless American forces in the Pacific region. Rather than crush the U.S. fighting spirit, the American public, outraged by the assault—yet previously divided over America's role in the overseas conflict—rallied in support of the government's decision to enter WWII against Japan.