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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for December 7, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
December 7, 2017: President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech to Congress following the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor is one of history’s most memorable speeches.
However, his wife was actually the first administration spokesperson to address the nation and help prepare the American people for what was to come. At the time, Eleanor Roosevelt hosted a weekly radio show. She began the show that evening with a message about the attack, declaring, "We know what we have to face and we know that we are ready to face it."[1]
The first lady also noted that this was a fight that involved everyone at every level of society. The commitment was underscored by her announcement that "I have a boy at sea on a destroyer, for all I know he may be on his way to the Pacific. Two of my children are in coast cities on the Pacific." Despite the anxiety that this produced, she expressed confidence that "whatever is asked of us I am sure we can accomplish it. We are the free and unconquerable people of the United States of America."
The full text of Mrs. Roosevelt’s comments is provided below:
| “ | Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I am speaking to you tonight at a very serious moment in our history. The Cabinet is convening and the leaders in Congress are meeting with the President. The State Department and Army and Navy officials have been with the President all afternoon. In fact, the Japanese ambassador was talking to the president at the very time that Japan’s airships were bombing our citizens in Hawaii and the Philippines and sinking one of our transports loaded with lumber on its way to Hawaii.
By tomorrow morning the members of Congress will have a full report and be ready for action. In the meantime, we the people are already prepared for action. For months now the knowledge that something of this kind might happen has been hanging over our heads and yet it seemed impossible to believe, impossible to drop the everyday things of life and feel that there was only one thing which was important — preparation to meet an enemy no matter where he struck. That is all over now and there is no more uncertainty. We know what we have to face and we know that we are ready to face it. I should like to say just a word to the women in the country tonight. I have a boy at sea on a destroyer, for all I know he may be on his way to the Pacific. Two of my children are in coast cities on the Pacific. Many of you all over the country have boys in the services who will now be called upon to go into action. You have friends and families in what has suddenly become a danger zone. You cannot escape anxiety. You cannot escape a clutch of fear at your heart and yet I hope that the certainty of what we have to meet will make you rise above these fears. We must go about our daily business more determined than ever to do the ordinary things as well as we can and when we find a way to do anything more in our communities to help others, to build morale, to give a feeling of security, we must do it. Whatever is asked of us I am sure we can accomplish it. We are the free and unconquerable people of the United States of America. To the young people of the nation, I must speak a word tonight. You are going to have a great opportunity. There will be high moments in which your strength and your ability will be tested. I have faith in you. I feel as though I was standing upon a rock and that rock is my faith in my fellow citizens. Now we will go back to the program we had arranged……[2] |
” |
| —Eleanor Roosevelt, December 7, 1941 | ||
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- December 6, 2017 – 71 percent of Americans favor major changes to or repeal of Obamacare
- December 5, 2017 – 69 percent of children lived with two parents in 2016
- December 4, 2017 – 18 miles: median distance Americans live from Mom
- December 1, 2017 – 742 proposals to amend the U.S. Constitution since 1999
- November 30, 2017 – 55% of Americans favor death penalty for convicted murderers
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Time, "This Is What Eleanor Roosevelt Said to America's Women on the Day of Pearl Harbor," December 7, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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