Terror. Anger. These are two words that describe the day of December 7, 1941. This day is better known as the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. The emotions of terror and anger, along with other emotions, continued throughout the nation for many years to follow. People were very upset by the surprise attacks and were confused as to whether to go to war or not. One person who had to deal with this conflict hands on was President F.D. Roosevelt. As president at the time, he needed to talk to Congress about going to the war or not. He presented a speech on December 8, 1941 to Congress asking them to go to war. Throughout his speech, he used different tactics to help persuade the Congress to declare war on Japan. The most effective tactics that he used to help his cause were heightened emotions, consistent emphasis on certain words pertaining to the attack itself, and by putting emphasis on certain words in order to make Americans want to be more patriotic and want to fight for their country, trying to prove that the nation was in a crisis and they need to stand up for themselves. To begin with, President Roosevelt used the high emotions of the time to help convey the urgency of needing to declare war to Congress. Roosevelt first said that, “always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.” To begin with, Roosevelt used inverted syntax here to emphasize the lasting impact that this tragic event would always have on history. Roosevelt also used this to help transmit the fact that getting attacked at Pearl Harbor was a serious event and that it would always be remembered by people. This would have put Congress into a perplexing situation. If they were to side with Roosevelt in wanting to go to war, some people... ... middle of paper ... ... Namely by using the tactics of appealing to the high emotions of the time, using emphasis on words and phrases that dealt with the attacks themselves, and using emphasis on patriotism and winning the war if it were to be declared, President Roosevelt convinced Congress to declare war on the Japanese Empire. With this declaration of war upon Japan, Germany also declared war on the United States because of the alliance Japan and Germany had. The war that continued from here became one of the worst wars there ever was killing many many innocent Jewish people along with armed forces. The war is also, the one which killed so many people, also known as World War II, will continue to live on in infamy. The generation of the men who courageously fought in battle are becoming fewer and fewer each day. Thanks to them we will always be the free country we know it as today.
The attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7th, 1941, was and still is an event that will forever be deep-rooted in the mind of every American. After the tragic surprise attack on American soil by the Japanese, Americans throughout the country were looking for a sense of unity. The President at the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, recited a moving and powerful speech the day after the attack. Although the speech was specifically targeted at the Members of Congress in an effort to persuade the declaration of war with Japan, the speech was also written to be televised to the entire country. When the attack comes to mind, the powerful speech that mustered the nation together slowly follows. Every famous speech uses specific rhetorical devices in order to persuade and convince the intended audience. FDR’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos, successfully triggered the emotions of all U.S citizens and effectively provoked the idea of America declaring war on the Empire of Japan.
The Battle of Pearl Harbor was one of the most atrocious events that happened in U.S. history. On December 7, 1941, Japan made a surprise aerial attack on the United States naval base and airfields at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than two thousand Americans died and a thousand two hundred were wounded. Eighteen ships were badly damaged, including five battleships. The next day, President Franklin Roosevelt with the support of the Congress, declared war on Japan. It led United States’ official involvement in World War II. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor because of a deteriorating relationship with the U. S. The “New World Order”, expansion and resources, and economic sanctions were factors that conducted to another disaster on the Second World War.
During the early days of World War II, the United States remained officially neutral. It was not until the attack on Pearl Harbor, by the Japanese, that the United States had no choice, but to declare war. At the beginning of the war Japan won most of the battles (Gailey). These defeats resulted in the morale being low among the American troops. President Theodore Roosevelt wanted to boost morale and push forward the Pacific front with a strike on the Japanese homeland to serve as a testament to American military prowess and retribution for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor (Shepherd).
The attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 were the first attacks ever to take place on American soil, the repercussions were devastating for the Japanese Empire; sadly, Pearl Harbor would not be the last threat America faced on her own land. On September 9th, 2011 (9/11) a radical Islāmic terrorist group known as Al-Qaeda attacked America. While America dealt with both of these attacks with unyielding resolve, executing that resolve was what is starkly different between the two tragedies. Pearl Harbor did have some quintessential similarities to 9/11; both attacks unprovoked by America, both provoked public support against aggressors by way of presidential speeches, both lacked prior intelligence on the attacks themselves, both sparked Within hours of the attack on Pearl Harbor, hundreds of Japanese-American leaders forced into high-security camps such as Sand Island at the mouth of Honolulu harbor and Kilauea Military Camp on the island of Hawaii where they were held without counsel or knowing what charges levied against them albeit the obvious bombing of the naval base 5. The day after the bombing on Pearl Harbor President Franklin Roosevelt delivered his famous Infamy Speech to a Joint Session of Congress, the speech called for a formal declaration of war on the Empire of Japan, congress granted it within hours of being requested 6.
World War II was an exceptional war for the United States. The United States emerged from the war as a world superpower and protector of all other nations. There were many reasons why the United States entered World War II, however President Franklin Roosevelt was in some way directly connected to every reason. Roosevelt wanted to enter World War II as soon as it started for political and economic needs. However, the American people did not want to enter in another war, such as World War I, that costs so many lives and money. Therefore, Roosevelt schemed a plan to enter the United States into World War II that would change the minds of the American people, including the direct aiding of Great Britain, the German bombing of a United States warship, and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.
World War II was a war that proved to the world the awesome power of the United States. Many events led up to the U.S. involvement in the war, topped off by the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor. Many great people contributed to leading the United State to victory in the war. They include General Douglas MacArthur, General Dwight Eisenhower, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. World War II also consisted of many major events including Operation Overlord and the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Overall the United States played a major role in World War II and displayed their power through strong generals and their initiative and strong leadership in major events.
Part I: Reasoning in the Inaugural Address. President Roosevelt in his inaugural speech first realized the importance of his presidency, the speech and the US. He mentioned that the thing the US nation needs to fear is the fear itself. He further mentioned it as unreasoning, nameless and unjustified terror which constraints and paralyzes the efforts needed to make a retreat (Davis, 2014).
Rhetorical Analysis of Woodrow Wilson's War Address to Congress. With the status of the country’s belligerency heavily in question, an. apprehensive President Woodrow Wilson prepared to request from an unmotivated and unprepared country, a declaration of war against Germany. After exerting every attempt possible to retain the peace and honor of the United States, the President was finally forced to choose between the two. in which he opted for the latter (Seymour 26).
...war would only endanger the United States more than it already was. On the following day Roosevelt argued that the attack “had given us an opportunity”. Congress approved the declaration of war with only one opposing voice. America’s most vital interest, defense of American soil, had been challenged. At last America had to go to war and eventually bring an end to the rule of Nazi Germany. Hitler had convinced himself that America had declined in the 1930’s because of social crisis. This misconception also led Japan to confront the United States in 1941.
World War II was a time of heightened tension. The entire world watched as fascism and dictatorships battled against democracy and freedom in the European theater. The United States looked on, wishing to remain neutral and distant from the war. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, officially drawing the U.S. into the war. Thousands of young sailors died in the attack and several U.S. Navy vessels were sunk. The attack marked the beginning of the United States’ involvement in World War II as well as the beginning of the persecution of Japanese Americans in the U.S. Hysteria and outrage increased across the country and largely contributed to the authority’s decision to act against the Japanese. On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, allowing the military to place anyone of Japanese lineage in restri...
"Franklin D. Roosevelt's Pearl Harbor Speech." American Decades Primary Sources. Ed. Cynthia Rose. Vol. 5: 1940-1949. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 213-215. Biography in Context. Web. 10 Jan. 2014. Article.
December 17th, 1941 was a day that will forever “live in infamy”, as it was the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a US naval base in Hawaii. After two waves of attacks on Pearl Harbor, more than two thousand American soldiers and sailors, and another one thousand were wounded. The Japanese destroyed about twenty American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. It has commonly been wondered whether this attack could’ve been prevented, and after much examination, it is clear that this attack could’ve never occurred. In his “Day of Infamy speech”, Roosevelt himself said, “It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago.” There were many causes for the attack on Pearl Harbor, stemming from bad relations between Japan and the United States. Prior to the attack, the United States treated Japan disrespectfully in many ways, creating tension and discomfort between the two countries. Countless warnings and clues were interpreted of an upcoming attack, but were not taken as serious of a threat as they were, and weren’t sent to any naval bases. On the day of the assault, no one was prepared to defend themselves or fight. There were many events that provoked Japan to attack Pearl Harbor, and the whole event could have been prevented, if it hadn’t been for many actions of the US.
It is very tempting as human beings to put blame on someone else. Especially during a time of tragedy. Besides the attack of 9/11, Pearl Harbor is one of the most surprising attacks the United States of America has ever faced. The attack on December seventh, 1941 is what brought America into World War Two. The nation proceeded to declare war on Japan. Then, because of the alliance between Germany and Japan, Germany declared war on the U.S. At the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was president. From the beginning of his presidency and the start of the war, he had wanted to get involved with the war. Historians have debated for many years who is at fault for the attack on Pearl Harbor and causing the deaths of two thousand Americans. He believed that without the United States aid, Russia and England would collapse, and the United States government had broken a diplomatic code and intercepted a message from Japan threatening war. Roosevelt missed many opportunities to prevent the bombing. This bomb attack brought our nation into war and caused the deaths of over a thousand American citizens.
We Shall Overcome Rhetorical Analyses Throughout the history of the United States, racial discrimination has always been around our society. Many civil rights movements and laws have helped to minimize the amount of discrimination towards every single citizen, but discrimination is something that will not ever disappear. On March 15, 1965, Lyndon Baines Johnson gave a speech that pointed out the racial injustice and human rights problems of America in Washington D.C. He wanted every citizen of the United States to support his ideas to overcome and solve the racial injustice problems as a nation. Throughout the speech, Lyndon Johnson used several rhetorical concepts to persuade the audience.
Therefore, when Pearl Harbor was bombed war was justified due to the aggressors. The United States then declared war on Japan and Germany declared war on the United States. Roosevelt’s job was done; “by initiating hostilities, the Axis powers had solved Roosevelt’s lingering dilemma about how to move the American peo