Pearl Harbor Address to
the Nation
Author: President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presentation by: Amy Puckett
What Was the History and
Background of the Speech?
• The background of this speech was that the Japanese
had bombed Pearl Harbor, a harbor where a naval
base is located in Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The
Japanese had started bombing the American island of
Oahu. The attack had caused many people to lose their
lives and caused a lot of damage to the American naval
and military forces. The Japanese had also attacked
other places like Hong Kong, Guam, the Philippine
Islands, Wake Island, and Midway Island. This was a
very tragic time in the United State’s history. It
devastated many people. They needed to be told that
everything was going to be okay. This speech was given
on December 8, 1941; just a day after the attack.
What is the Summary/Purpose of
This Speech?
• In this speech Franklin D. Roosevelt explains to the
people of the United States how the attack on
Pearl Harbor happened. The Japanese had started
bombing the American island of Oahu. The attack
had caused many people to lose their lives and
caused a lot of damage to the American naval and
military forces. He says that the Japanese had also
attacked other places like Hong Kong, Guam, the
Philippine Islands, Wake Island, and Midway
Island. He also informed the people what he was
going to do about the attack.
What is the Summary/Purpose
of This Speech? - Continued
• Roosevelt stated that he would have all measures
taken for the defense of the United States. In this
speech, he encourages the people that they will get
through this time of hardship with a victory and that
something like the tragic incident that happened in
Hawaii will never happen to the Nation again.
What is the Author’s Point of View
and Call to Action?
• The President’s call to action was that they were going
to fight back to regain the thought that America would
not take any attack from another country. He was
going to start a war with Japan. He wanted to tell the
American people that they were going to be alright
and that they will win the battle. Roosevelt’s point of
view point of view was that he was ready to get back
at the Japanese for what they had done to the country.
He didn’t think, by all means, that what the Japanese
had did was right.
Analysis of the Speech
• In this speech there is some allusion in the first sentence.
He says, “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.” This is allusion because it
refers to an actual event.
• Appeal to logic is used in this speech also. He states,
“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.” This is qualified as appeal to
logic because it gives facts that appeal to the listeners’
minds.
Analysis of Speech -Continued
• The President says, “Last night, Japanese forces
attacked Hong Kong. Last night, Japanese forces
attacked Guam. Last night, Japanese forces attacked
the Philippine Islands. Last night, the Japanese
attacked Wake Island. This is used as parallelism
because it uses the same sentence structure to point
out the idea.
• Glittering generalities is used in a sentence in this
speech when he says, “American people in their
righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”
This is glittering generalities because it has positive
meaning to the American people.
Analysis of Speech -Continued
• Appeal to emotion was used in the sentence that says,
“With confidence in our armed forces, with the
unbounding determination of our people, we will gain
the inevitable triumph so help us God.” The reason
that this is appeal to emotion is because it uses words
that appeal to the people of America. They really
needed to hear that everything was going to be fine
after such an awful tragedy.
The Audio and Text of the
Speech:
• The speech
My Reaction to the Speech
• This particular speech was very effective when it was
given because he appealed to the people of the United
States. It really made people calm down and realize
that they were going to get passed this time and he
encouraged the people that they were going to win
the battle. The President says in the part of the
speech, “With confidence in our armed forces, with
the unbounding determination of our people, we will
gain the inevitable triumph so help us God.” This is so
moving because it comforted the people when they
needed it most. I support the author’s opinion because
the Japanese were wrong in what they did and
deserved what they got from America.
My Sources
• http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrpearlharbor.h
tm
• http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq66-1.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor