In Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s famous “Infamy Speech” he takes great pains to express to the American public what has happened in Hawaii. He seems very concerned with expressing to them who attacked them (Japan), what measures were being taken by the American government during the time, and to make sure that they understand what other attacks of aggression were played out by the Japanese against other nations, concluding that, “Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area.
The facts of yesterday speak for themselves”. Roosevelt wanted the American public to know all of the facts so that they, too, could understand what had occurred and how it would affect them. It seems that Roosevelt was extremely effective in rallying the support of the Congress because by the time of this speech, he is claiming that he “interprets the will of the Congress” when he vows that Americans will defend themselves militarily and declares that “a state of war has existed” between Japan and the United States since the Pearl Harbor attack.
From this speech there does not seem to be any opponents to the war. Roosevelt makes it sound as if everyone was on the same page with him, saying, “The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation. ” To a modern American, this speech is extremely powerful in that it represents a moment in history when everything changed.
Just as 9/11 changed Americans and the course of our nation today, the attack on Pearl Harbor changed everything for Americans in the 1940’s. It threw the United States into the greatest war of all time, but also brought the idea of attacks on our own shores (in this case Hawaii) to the forefront of their minds. This speech is significant because it marks a moment in America that changed the course of history.