America Enters the War

Isoroku Yamamoto and Winston Churchhill

Read the following two quotes by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Quote One

"In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory.  But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success. " – Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander in Chief of the Japanese Navy, 1940

Quote Two

"To have the United States at our side was to me the greatest joy. Now at this very moment, I knew the United States was in the war, up to the neck and in to the death. So we had won after all! Hitler's fate was sealed. Mussolini's fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder." - Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 1941

Take a moment to reflect upon the two quotes. Based on what you know about the United States right now, what quality or qualities of the United States are being described by these two famous foreign leaders? Why is it important that America entered World War II? How would the United States and the world have changed if America did not enter the war?