FDR Pearl Harbor Speech

Samantha Phillips April 16, 2012 Professor Addy History 112

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The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, without any notice. Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a speech on December 8th, 1941, after the Japanese attack the naval/ military base in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii asking the Congress to declare war on Japan in response to this attack. In his speech he states that the United Sates was trying to maintain peace between the nations. An hour after the attack the Japanese ambassador to the United States delivered a message in reply to a recent message from the United States saying that it seemed useless to continue negotiations. It contained no threat or hint of war. He also said that it was obvious that the Japanese had been planning this attack for days or weeks and that the Japanese gave false hope for diplomatic negotiations. He stated that the attack had done great damage to naval and military forces. Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that Japan was torpedoing American ships on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu. He said that Japan had attacked Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, the Philippine Islands, and Midway Island. He asked Congress to declare war because of these unprovoked and dastardly attacks. Franklin D. Roosevelts Pearl Harbor speech was significant because it convinced Congress to declare war on Japan. Then, three days after the United States declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The war had a big impact on the United States. First, the economy improved greatly. After the Great Depression the economy did not return to its former glory. But after the war the economy was thriving. Second, great scientific developments, such as the atomic bomb, which helped end WWII. Third, the United States emerged as a political and economic world leader. Fourth, the huge increase of women in the work-force. They held jobs usually held by men. Fifth, the government started paying for college for veterans and other unprecedented benefits through the GI Bill. The declaration of war had a long-term lasting impact on the United States of America.

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In my opinion it seems that if you received a message saying that we dont want to continue maintaining peace with you, that you would perceive that as a threat. Or at least think that the country might be in danger. It seems to me that someone was keeping that final message from the President. This article made me more familiar with the attack on Pearl Harbor. I have seen movies about it but I never realized just how many people died or were injured on that day. I think that even though many people did not want to go to war that this declaration of war was necessary to protect the country. If we had not responded to the attack on Pearl Harbor it would make the United States weak. It would make it seem like it was ok to attack the United States because they wont retaliate. I think that Franklin D. Roosevelt made a good decision when he asked Congress to declare war on Japan.

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Bibliography Rose, Cynthia. "Franklin D. Roosevelt\'s Pearl Harbor Speech." American Decades Primary Sources. Vol 5:1940-1949, (2004): 213-215. Gale U.S. History in Context, Gale (Apr 11, 2012).