War has been apart of history since the beginning of our time. America won its independence from Great Britain to become a free nation. America has been participants in many foreign wars to help defend against who we thought were the enemy. Two such wars struck American soil and struck the American people. Both of these attacks were soon followed with a speech by the President reassuring his people that we were taking action to be victorious against the perpetrators. The “call to war”, as it is known, is the first official prelude to war.
Pearl Harbor was attacked December 7, 1941 by the Japanese Empire. It was a surprise attack that shocked Americans into disbelief and sadness. Parts of the world were already involved in World War II, but America wanted to stay neutral and out of the war. President Franklin Roosevelt, the following night, spoke to the American people. Right off the bat he stated, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941-a date which will live in infamy”(Roosevelt 449).
From this line the American people realized that we as a nation would not take this standing down and in fact that we were heading for war. On Tuesday September 11, 2001, New York City and Washington D.C. were attacked by terrorists from an unknown organization. Once again the surprise attacks shocked Americans into disbelief and sadness. At this time the world was in a relative state of peace. The untested President George W. Bush made his speech to the American people that same night. In President Bush’s speech he mentions, “None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.” Remembering this day also and defending our freedom through war.
The Essay on Cold War Or New War American Foreign Policy Since 9 11
The Cold War can be most aptly characterized as an ideological conflict between two superpowers which enveloped and polarized the world for fifty years. It was a conflict between communism and capitalism, the Soviet Union versus the United States. Both nations foreign policies were shaped in order to retain and increase the influence of their respective ideologies whilst restricting the spread of ...
In the Pearl Harbor Speech, President Roosevelt gives examples of why we mustn’t ponder the situation at had for very long. He says:
Yesterday, the Japanese government alsolaunched an attack against Malaya.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.(Roosevelt 450)
His purpose is to show that no time can be wasted and immediate action must be taken. President Bush’s address is different in the fact that we were not totally sure who had committed these crimes of terrorism. Also, at this time we were not dealing with a country but an organization. He lets the world know though, that there will be a war and it will be soon when he says, “Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared.”(Bush cnn.com)
The emotional state of Americans was very high during both of these times. The fact that we see ourselves as a friendly nation that tries to help rather than harm others, gives us the secure feeling that no one would want to harm us. But as President Bush said in his speech, “America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world.”(Bush cnn.com)
The fact that we were brought into these situations unknowingly and the way it demolished the ordinary lives that we lived proved how important it was for the president to instill the victory of war in our minds and that we would be a stronger nation for it. The two speeches that were discussed provided our nation, in a time of need, with the security and reassurance that we desperately needed.
