Infamy Speech Before Pearl Harbor
On the early Sunday morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy Air Service commenced its preventative strike against the U.S. at the naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. 1 The battle, though only lasting approximately two hours, took the lives of 2,500 Americans and damaged all eight of the U.S. Naval ships. Shortly after on December 8, 1941 Congress declared war on Japan while President Roosevelt addressed the attack through the Day of Infamy Speech.2
After the attack many Americans grew hostile towards the Nisei or the second generation of Japanese immigrants and began to target them. In response, President Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942 creating internment camps for Japanese Americans.3 He also imposed
strict curfews and assigned FBI to raid many of their homes. Roosevelt wanted to make sure that none of the Nisei would betray or sabotage the war cause.
After the attack many Americans grew hostile towards the Nisei or the second generation of Japanese immigrants and began to target them. In response, President Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942 creating internment camps for Japanese Americans.3 He also imposed
strict curfews and assigned FBI to raid many of their homes. Roosevelt wanted to make sure that none of the Nisei would betray or sabotage the war cause.