Day of Infamy Speech

FDR’s speech is short and direct, combining persuasive rhetoric, nationalist arguments, and emotional appeals to convince his audience that the time has come for the United States to declare war on Japan. Even though he hoped Congress would declare war on the other Axis powers as well, FDR restricted himself to Japan—the country that had actually attacked the US—for the sake of clarity and to maximize the perceived moral authority of his speech. In a speech that lasts less than 10 minutes, he constructs a rhetorical arc that begins with Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and concludes with a call for the United States to enter a long and costly international war with an uncertain outcome. He does this in part by framing that outcome as certain. Portraying the War as a Fight Between Good and Evil, FDR twice asserts that America’s ultimate victory, however much it costs in lives and dollars, is inevitable. Before formally asking Congress for a declaration of war, he concludes his speech on a prophetic note: “With confidence in our armed forces and with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph—so help us God” (Paragraph 11).