Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941 ... It was "a date which will live in infamy". On a quiet Sunday morning in Hawaii, a swift and sudden attack by Imperial Japan devastated the American forces stationed at Pearl Harbor Naval Base. The attack killed over 2,000 American servicemen and pulled the United States into World War II. One day after the attack President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared before Congress and asked for a declaration of war. Within minutes, the U.S. was at war again. |
Even if you are familiar with FDR's address on Pearl Harbor, watch the brief clip at the right. Many now call this the "Date of Infamy" address. Minutes later the United States Congress voted to declare war. It remains the last time the U.S. has declared war. Sometimes propaganda is more than posters, music, and film. Word choice is very important in conveying thoughts and emotion. Follow the directions and complete the analysis worksheet to better understand the power of word choice. |
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Learning Indicators
Achievements and Crises (1900-1945)
15. The consequences of World War I and the worldwide depression set the stage for the Russian Revolution, the rise of totalitarianism, aggressive Axis expansion and the policy of appeasement, which in turn led to World War II.
17. World War II devastated most of Europe and Asia, led to the occupation of Eastern Europe and Japan, and began the atomic age.
From Isolation to World War (1930-1945)
16. During the 1930s, the U.S. government attempted to distance the country from earlier interventionist policies in the Western
Hemisphere as well as retain an isolationist approach to events in Europe and Asia until the beginning of WWII.
15. The consequences of World War I and the worldwide depression set the stage for the Russian Revolution, the rise of totalitarianism, aggressive Axis expansion and the policy of appeasement, which in turn led to World War II.
17. World War II devastated most of Europe and Asia, led to the occupation of Eastern Europe and Japan, and began the atomic age.
From Isolation to World War (1930-1945)
16. During the 1930s, the U.S. government attempted to distance the country from earlier interventionist policies in the Western
Hemisphere as well as retain an isolationist approach to events in Europe and Asia until the beginning of WWII.
Directions
Click on the buttons to the right to download the materials you need to complete the activity. The first button links to actual copies of FDR's original Pearl Harbor address - including his own handwritten edits!
Read his speech and ask yourself why he made the changes that he did. How did the meaning of the words change? How did the tone of his speech change? Would you have made any other changes? |
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Watch the video to the left. It has FDR's entire speech. Take yourself back to December 1941. You're a teenager living in rural Ohio. You've heard your parents talk about World War I. You're living in the Great Depression now. You've heard the news that America has been attacked half way around the globe.
What are you thinking? How does FDR's speech impact you? |