Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) Social Science Practice Test

Which event directly led to the United States declaring war on Japan?

1. The attack on Pearl Harbor

2. The bombing of Hiroshima

3. The signing of the Atlantic Charter

4. The fall of Singapore

The correct answer is: The attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor is the event that directly led to the United States declaring war on Japan on December 8, 1941. This surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. naval base in Hawaii resulted in significant damage to the Pacific Fleet, including the sinking or damaging of numerous battleships and the loss of thousands of American lives. The attack galvanized public opinion in the United States and unified citizens behind the war effort. In response to the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress, famously calling December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy," and requested a declaration of war against Japan, which Congress approved almost unanimously the following day. The other options represent important historical events but do not have a direct causal relationship to the U.S. declaring war. The bombing of Hiroshima occurred later in the war, the signing of the Atlantic Charter was an agreement on mutual war aims between the U.S. and Britain before the U.S. was formally involved in World War II, and the fall of Singapore occurred in early 1942, significantly impacting the British Empire's position in the Asia-Pacific but not directly influencing the U.S. declaration of war.