Franklin D. Roosevelt's Speech To Congress After The Attack On Pearl Harbor

1. It comes with no surprise that as leaders of a nation, presidents are expected to be charismatic, and rather captivating when publicly speaking. With this being said, it is generally distasteful for a leader to thoughtlessly slanders others. In Roosevelt's speech to Congress after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt effectively portrayed the Japanese as deceitful, scheming liars (of course, he states this in a more professional manner). This was in response to the fact that the Japanese were clearly lying about their hopes for peace to remain between the two nations, and their following decision to bomb Pearl Harbor. When the president describes the attack, he states that the U.S. was “suddenly and deliberately attacked.” He continues
to describe the attack, as it has completely blindsided the nation. By stating that the Japanese were “unprovoked and dastardly,” Roosevelt dramatically awakens the passions of U.S. citizens against the Japanese. In addition to this, the way he words the list of who they attacked over less than 48 hours emphasizes the magnitude of destruction they are causing. This only further evokes passions of hate against the Japanese. As he repeatedly uses the word “deliberately,” as the Japanese have intentionally planned the attack on the U.S., he also calls it a “premeditated invasion.” These phrases describe to the public that their attack was not a last minute, reckless decision. With all this being said, I feel as though it is important to note that he does not propose any possible motive for the attack. Is there a deeper reason behind this, such as the slightest feeling of guilt? Can one truly assume that they are safe in the midst of a war after making a joint statement of aims with one powerful nation actively involved in the war (i.e. Great Britain)?

2.
It is apparent from Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech to Congress after the attack on Pearl Harbor that he wants to place the entire blame on the Japanese. He does not want to believe that the United States was a threat to them in any way. In his eyes, there was no just reason for the Japanese to bomb Pearl Harbor (yet at the end of the day, I don't think it is ever clear what one can consider “just” and “unjust” when it comes to war). According to Roosevelt, the Japanese must take full responsibility for the dissemination of the war. Although I believe it was completely wrong for the Japanese to senselessly bomb Pearl Harbor and clearly go against their peace promises, I cannot say that I don't think Roosevelt put his nation in a risky situation after forming a partnership with one of Japan's most powerful opponents (Great Britain). In his heart of hearts, I think that Roosevelt should have expected high tensions between the U.S. and the Japanese after this partnership. Japan was planning military actions against Great Britain, and knew that the U.S. had the ability to hinder their success. Therefore, in hopes to erase this factor, they decided to attack them. With this being said, there is no doubt that the Japanese played an integral role in propagating the
war.