Sinalakay ng Hapon ang Pilipinas noong ika-8 ng Disyembre 1941, at ang buong Pilipinas ay dumanas ng kahirapan bunga ng kawalan ng sapat na paghahanda. Lihim na dinala sina Quezon at osmena sa Estados Unidos upang ditto magtago ang Malasariling Pamahalaan hanggang may digmaan. Samantala, ang bayan ay pinahirapan ng mga Hapong hindi nag-atubili sa pagpapaarusa at pagpatay sa mga Pilipinong ipinalalagay na kalaban nila o kaya ay hindi nakikiisa sa kanilang layunin. Naghikahos ang bayan sapagkat ang malaking bahagi ng ani ay kinukuha ng mga Hapon. Sa loob ng mahigit na tatlong taon, ang mga Pilipino ay nagtiis ng gutom, sakit at pagpapahirap ng mga Hapong galit na galit sa hindi pakikiisa ng bayang Pilipino sa kanila.
Noong umaga ng ika-7 Disyembre 1941 (oras sa Hawaii), ang Pearl Harbor, na kinaroroonan ng malakas na plotang Amerikano sa Pasipiko, ay walang awing binomba ng mga eroplanong dala ng plotang Hapon. Ang pagbomba ay ginawa nang walang pagpapahayag ng digmaan, na labag sa batas ng mga bansa.
It has been said that history repeats itself. So why is it crucial to study history? Because one may learn about past human behavior that is relevant to the intellectual growth and development of himself as an individual. Learning about the events of the past give us an understanding of how the world came to be, not only in your world but around the world including all cultures of people as well as nature. Studying history will teach you how to understand and overcome change. Thus, history should be studied for several reasons. First, history helps us to understand other cultures. With this knowledge of history you can be able to analyse other cultures. Another reason to study history is because it helps us to understand change. Change comes every day and without history, people do not have anything to prepare themselves for. Furthermore, an understanding history is a basic prerequisite as a citizen of a nation. Also, history can explain change on a larger scale. For example, if someone wanted to know why the stock markets crash, they could research and look for patterns for economic downturns. So history does matter. It has been said that he who controls the past controls the future. Our view of history shapes the way we view the present, and therefore it dictates what answers we offer for existing problems. One of the greatest benefits of studying history is that it allows us a chance to learn about who we came from. The people of the past are those who came before us, and it is interesting to see how some of the thoughts, attitudes, and practices of today can differ so drastically from those throughout history.
History is important because it helps us to understand the present. History teaches values. If we will listen to what history has to say, we can come to a sound understanding of the past that will tell us much about the problems we now face. If we refuse to listen to history, we will find ourselves fabricating a past that reinforces our understanding of current problems.
