Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Very Powerful Words That Moved a Nation

1732 Words4 Pages

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president at the time of the attack. He was born on January 30, 1882, and he was president for twelve years. He was president during the The Great Depression in the US and during WWII, and he was the only president to serve more than two terms. FDR gave a speech on December 8, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His purpose was to inform the American people of the attack and persuade Congress to declare war on Japan. “Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” (Roosevelt). Franklin Delano Roosevelt is informing the country that Pearl Harbor was bombed. He talks about this attack becoming a day which will live in infamy, to show it’s importance. He wants to emphasize this attack and to get the country thinking about war. He wants to get involved in World War II, and this horrible attack would be grounds to get involved. Also, going to war would unite the country and it would bring the country out of depression. Further along in the speech Franklin Delano Roosevelt says, “The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu” (Roosevelt). He also states many places that had been attacked after the attack on Pearl Harbor, such as Hong Kong, Guam, the Philippines, Wake Island, and Midway Island. By doing this Franklin Delano Roosevelt is proving to the American people that this was not one attack in protest of sanctions, but ... ... middle of paper ... ...o. “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation.” US Capitol Building, Washington D.C. 8 December 1941. "Hitler's Declaration of War on America (December 11, 1941)." Germany World War II. Web. 10 May 2014. "Japan, Italy, and Germany Declare War on the United States: Page 2 of 5." The World War II Multimedia Database. Web. 10 May 2014. Robinson, Bruce.“Pearl Harbor: A Rude Awakening.” BBC. Web. 10 May 2014. “D-Day."ARMY. Web. 09 May 2014. McGrath, Jane. "HowStuffWorks "After Pearl Harbor"" HowStuffWorks. Web. 12 May 2014. "History for May 7 - On-This-Day.com." History for May 7 - On-This-Day.com. Web. 10 May 2014. Harney, Will. "World War 2 Facts." World War 2 Facts RSS. N.p., 17 Apr. 2013. Web. 09 May 2014. "The History Place - Timeline of Pacific War." The History Place - Timeline of Pacific War. Web. 09 May 2014.

Open Document