Franklin Roosevelt's War Message, December 8, 1941

Today is the anniversary of Franklin Roosevelt's War Message to Congress. The Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor the day before. Roosevelt did not need to persuade Congress to declare war; this was a given. He did, however, need to express outrage about the attack, to demonstrate the evil behind it, and to assure the nation of his resolve to pursue the war to victory.

FDR and his speechwriters put the speech through a series of drafts.

Draft of Pearl Harbor speech

A long speech was unnecessary, but a forceful speech was. It was as much an epideictic or ceremonial speech as a policy speech, and Roosevelt used the opportunity to criticize Japan and to emphasize the dastardly nature of the attack. It is not unusual for epideictic rhetoric to imply or advocate a policy. Aristotle said that the purpose of an epideictic speech is praise and blame. Praise is more common, of course, but this was a speech of blame. The phrase, "a day which will live in infamy," has become a national symbol.

 One common purpose of epideictic or ceremonial speeches is to give honor, but this speech was about dishonor. Japan's attack was, Roosevelt insisted, dishonorable: "The United States as at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific."

Sometimes a short speech is all that is necessary. The speech's brevity gave it its power: Roosevelt made a few quick points, and the speech was over. The vote for war was nearly unanimous.

World War II was a great horror. My uncle died in the war, and my father and father-in-law both served in the armed forces.  Hundreds of thousands of Americans, and tens of millions of people, died before the conflict came to a weary, uneasy end.

Image:U.S. National Archives and Records Administration) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons