Pearl Harbor Infamy Speech Analysis

Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation The speech I have chosen to write about is the Pearl Harbor Address, also known as the Infamy Speech. On December 7, 1941 the Nation of Japan launched a surprise attack on a naval base, located in Hawaii. On December 8, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt stood before a Joint Session of Congress and spoke of the horrors that had taken place the day before. President Roosevelt informed Congress of the thousands of casualties and the numerous vessels that the American Navy had lost. The President informed the people that not only had Japan launched an attack on Pearl Harbor, but they had also sank American ships that were out at sea. They also launched attacks on many other Pacific islands and countries. The President informed Congress that the United States had been in contact with the Japanese Emperor prior to the attacks, discussing peaceful solutions to problems the two countries were having. President Roosevelt stated that the attacks were unprovoked and completely unexpected. To me, in his speech, President Roosevelt is trying to

He states that “hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger” (Roosevelt, 1941). Also that “with confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph” (Roosevelt, 1941). President Roosevelt tried his best to make sure that every person that was listening and anyone that might hear it in the future, that he believed that it was in the best interest of our nation to declare war on Japan. That something had to be done to stop future incidents like Pearl Harbor from happening again. He also wanted people to know that no matter how hard we got hit, that America, its military, and its people would get back up and not only fight but would win no matter