State Historical Society of Iowa

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" Speech, December 8, 1941

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Courtesy of National Archives, Roosevelt, Franklin D., "Day of Infamy Speech," 8 December 1941

Description

On December 8, at 12:30 p.m., President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed a joint session of U.S. Congress, and via radio, the nation, regarding the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii the day before. The U.S. Senate responded with a unanimous vote in support of war, with only Representative Jeanette Rankin from Montana (a pacifist) dissenting.  

Transcript of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" Speech

Source-Dependent Questions

  • How did President Franklin Delano Roosevelt characterize the actions undertaken by Japan? What evidence did he use to support this characterization?
  • Consider Roosevelt's call for absolute victory against Japan. How would that influence the way the war was fought?

Citation Information 

Roosevelt, Franklin D., "Day of Infamy Speech," 8 December 1941. Courtesy of National Archives