Pearl Harbor Echoes: A Tapestry of December 6th Moments in History

The Washington Post: Chronicles and Controversies of its Inception

Do people ever wonder what happened on their birthday? Many events have happened in America and throughout the world. Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery for the last time. The King of Pop had medical issues while preparing for a television special. A national park was established, and a popular newspaper today printed its very first edition. A monumental moment in the history of the United States was when our country’s capital moved to Philadelphia from New York. Also, an event that happened technically on December 7 but is too important to be left out is the attack on Pearl Harbor. This attack is something that is very important to our history and brought us into World War II. These things are all important in their own way and happened on the same day, December 6.

Fourteen decades ago was the beginning of “The Washington Post” (Dvorak). 1877 was when “The Washington Post” paper was organized, but mainly for the democrats. Much conflict arose because of the rivalry between others in the community (“The Washington Post”). They brought government issues, things happening outside of America, and even an inside look at our country’s municipality of leadership on December 6, 1877 (Dvorak). The devotion between the Post and the democratic party soon fizzled out in 1889 when the paper was sold (“The Washington Post”). Announcements of the Catholic leader’s sickness were broadcasted, along with hostility in Constantinople. Capitol Hill, spectacles in South Carolina, crashes on water, and anger about King George trying to keep Cuba’s privilege from them were all headliners in the first edition. Of course, for the attention of the public, this newspaper added a little fib to their work. They said an old, single man had passed away from a feline wound fooled by personal idiocy (Dvorak).

From the Fall of ‘The Washington Post’ to Michael Jackson’s Medical Misfortunes

However, while the paper was in good standing with credibility and stature, McLean had bought the paper and ran it well until he let his son take over. His son soon ran the paper into the ground, losing its prestige and status among the citizens in the 1920s. Finally, under the leadership and management of Edward McLean, the paper fell into liquidation (“The Washington Post”). However, before there was McLean, Stilson Hutchins, a democratic reporter, was the creator of this prosperous paper but then sold it to John Philip Sousa. Before his career in the Post, he was a Republican mailman and previous Democratic legislator (Dvorak). Thankfully, for the paper’s sake, Eugene Meyer bought The Washington Post from young Mclean (“The Washington Post”).

Michael Jackson started off his career in a group with his siblings called the Jackson Five. After they gained publicity, Michael turned into a solo act. He was a great musician in the aspect that he was very versatile. He could dance, sing, as well as write his own songs. He had several number-one hits on the charts that came from at least three separate albums (“Michael Jackson”). Misfortune was caused by the famous Micheal Jackson due to the issue of low blood pressure. This incident occurred while he was running through his presumed performance to be streamed over the TV set. News was relayed to the people looking forward to the specialized event through the vice president, Quentin Schaffer. Micheal’s particular medical advisor traveled all the way from California. The HBO team failed to reciprocate the amounts spent on this exclusive event (Stout).

Pearl Harbor’s Shadows: The Evolution and Movements of Congress

A gift of honor was assigned to have been presented to Jackson that night at the Billboards Award Ceremony. When the medical team arrived, Micheal was awake and responsive, which was a great sign (Stout). As he got older, he started on a type of spiral in his decisions. He was not perceived well by other people by some of his actions. He was accused but successfully missed the charges of child molestation. He later passed away at the age of 50 in 2009 (“Michael Jackson”).

1789 was the year that the Congress of the United States of America was founded (“Congress of the United States”). In 1989, representatives of Congress felt like they needed a city that wasn’t as big as New York. The alternative location was, in fact, Philadelphia because they wanted less space to deal with and a place that was easier to manipulate the growth alongside the federal government (Sokol). The Constitution refers to the Congressional branch as more of a financial part of government. Its job is to receive and obtain money on behalf of the government. They can also declare war, among other things (“Congress of the United States”). It was home for destruction, and people wanted a place that wasn’t as contentious toward slavery (Sokol).

Congress is actually not one whole branch. It is two parts that have the same amount of power of ratification of bills. Congressional periods of service last every year from odd to odd. Both sections of this branch work together to form panels to discuss topics that are universal in both (“Congress of the United States”). Another move was made to New Jersey because of accusations toward a governor and his friends who were involved in the war as well. The home for Congress varied around for the next six years until Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton had an encounter about this topic. Their final decision was to have a place called the District of Columbia (Sokol).

From the Trials of Tubman to the Everglades: Stories of Liberation and Conservation

The Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman’s most successful event of her lifetime. It was used to free enslaved African Americans during the time of the Civil War. Disgrace and abuse was reliable thing to count on for young Minty, a nickname from her also enslaved parents (Rosenberg). Harriet Tubman did not always have this first name. When she was born, she was given the name Araminta, then later changed it to her mother’s name, Harriet (“Harriet Tubman”). While working on these farm acreages, she was continually involved in horrifying beatings that caused severe damage to her later in life.

Later on in her life, she met John Tubman, whom she decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and he was not a slave (Rosenberg). Five years after she became the wife of John Tubman in 1844, she heard that she may be taken away from her home. She made the ultimate choice to leave and run to the state of Philadelphia (“Harriet Tubman”). Nineteen journeys back down to the South bring more and more people to the North with the addition of most of her family members (Rosenberg). The story is that through all the journeys that Harriet made, she never lost a single person out of roughly 300. She started to become revered for her acts by many activists. Bounty rose rapidly until it reached a peak of $40,000 (“Harriet Tubman”).

This national park is one of the biggest Everglade territories toward the southern portion of Florida (“Everglade National Park”). More specifically, going for 5,000 years, communities of the Everglades stretched as far as Orlando to the Bay of Florida. The Everglades National Park was not created in a brief amount of time. It took lots of time and energy from the population of the surrounding area. They soon fashioned their ideas collectively to save these charming and exclusive places. 1.5 million acres were kept for the park by the government on December 6, 1947 (“A Beginning for the Park”).

Everglades to Oahu: The Preservation of Nature and the Prelude to War

Many different attractions pull people to visit this beautiful Everglade park. They have many different displays of the origins of the Everglades. Water activities are beloved among the people who come to visit these parks. More specifically, a popular pathway is the Wilderness Waterway, which is just under one hundred miles long (“Everglade National Park”). Ernest F. Coe had a certain pull to defend the population of the Everglades. Coe established a federation to make this national park a reality (“A Beginning for the Park”). Even though the Everglades National Park was ratified in 1947, it was recognized in the early 1930s. Individual companies provide exploration trips to the guests via water throughout the Everglades.

A very large section of the park underwent severe destruction due to Hurricane Andrew in 1992 (“Everglades National Park”). It was thirteen years in the making, with the responsibility of finding the financing and acreage, but it all was worth it on opening day in 1947 (“A Beginning for the Park”). Starting after this incident, the park has been put on the World Heritage in Danger list twice (“Everglade National Park”). River of grass is another name some people have used to describe the beautiful Everglades. The name was originally given by a previous writer, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who worked for “The Miami Herald” tabloid, titled her novel Everglades: River of Grass” in 1947. The piece helped everyone believe that these wetlands have a great benefit and should be secured and safe (“A Beginning for the Park”).

In Oahu, Hawaii, at a Navy base was the infiltration of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, by the Japanese. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was enraged at the outbreaks at dawn due to the lack of announcement of battle. It was, however, said to be one of the most well-thought-out affairs of World War II. In retaliation to Japan fraternizing with Hitler and Mussolini, drastic steps were taken toward the situation (Setterfield). Japan thought that the only solution for their industrial issues was for them to push themselves into bordering areas. The Nanking Massacre is only a piece of the many barbarities Japan implemented on China, along with starting a war (“Pearl Harbor”).

Awakening the Giant: The Tensions and Tragedy of Pearl Harbor

In retaliation to Japan’s fraternizing with Hitler and Mussolini, drastic steps were taken toward the situation. No affiliation was made involving economic and monetary needs, stopping its equity flow and prohibiting cargo from anywhere (Setterfield). Japan only became more furious, and this fueled their anger by becoming more than insistent on not moving. At this point in time, warfare seemed like it was going to happen no matter how many negotiations were had (“Pearl Harbor”).

The response of Japan’s chancellor was to war, and their target was Pearl Harbor. As Admiral Yamamoto pondered upon these acts that were made towards the United States, he says, “I feel all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with terrible resolve” (Setterfield). The statistics for the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack are that America had roughly 320 choppers and carriers that were destroyed, 2,403 casualties were caused, and nearly 1,000 injuries (“Pearl Harbor”).

This is a very interesting set of historical events. Many people believe that nothing happens on their birthday, but that is not the case. December 6 has held many historic events that people have remembered. The attack on Pearl Harbor could have been the most memorable one that everyone is aware of. However, some of these events are very interesting but not publicized now at this point in time. These historical events are all important in their own ways, and people should pay them all a little attention.

References

1. The Attack: Original radio broadcasts, photographs, and personal testimonials from survivors.
2. Government Documents: Documents detailing the attack, like President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” speech to Congress.
3. “At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor” by Gordon W. Prange.
4. “Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness” by Craig Nelson.
5. “Day of Infamy” by Walter Lord.
6. Articles from “The Journal of American History” or “Pacific Historical Review” focus on the causes, the attack itself, or the aftermath.