Analysis Of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Entering Into War

Going it to war is one of the hardest decisions a president may have to make but they cannot do it alone. They must have the support of the American people. Entering into war is not one most Americans agree to do without hesitation. War is associated with destruction, violence, and death. With so many opposed what appeals and approaches does a president use to “sell” a war to the American people? To answer this question we will look at 3 documents from Franklin D Roosevelts presented throughout the timeline of the war and how his “sales pitch” changed along the way.
One of the first acts by FDR that got America involved in the war was discussed in his fireside chat “The Great Arsenal of Democracy”. This fireside chat occurred after Roosevelt

Repealing this embargo showed that America favored Britain and France. This decision sparked worry in Americans because this could easily lead to involvement in the war. Roosevelt’s response to this fear of war was quite simple; we can only stay out of war if the British and French do well. Roosevelt starts this “sales pitch” by using rational appeal, in attempts to prove this is the logical approach. Roosevelt does this by explaining he repealed the embargo to supply these countries with the proper firepower to protect democracy. If he did not repeal the embargo Britain and France would meet a soon demise which would draw America into the war. This reveals Roosevelts strategy of the fear appeal. He uses fear of war to justify his repeal of the embargo. Roosevelt also addressed the idea many Americans had that we were safe from

The first two documents were presented before we joined the war. In those documents Roosevelt mostly uses the fear appeal to “sell” the war. The language in the first documents was cold and harsh which matches the use of the fear appeal. He also said “we” often when referring to what must be done. Saying “we” and including himself with the American people is meant to show that he is no better than them and will be going through the same struggle. “An Economic Bill of Rights” was written during the war and Roosevelt mostly used the values and patriotism appeal. The language in this document was overall more uplifting. The appeals used combined with the language not only changed over time it also changed with the purpose of the document. Roosevelt uses more dominate language in this document. He refers to himself less as a part of the “we.” This is because during war the people look to the president for guidance and he must remain as a strong figure head even if the population isn’t. The beginning documents were used to try and enter the war compared to the later document that was written to support the country during the war. Overtime Roosevelt adjusted his political techniques to better fit what he was trying to accomplish as well as what the American public needed to