''A Day That Will Live in Infamy''

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Literary nonfiction dresses up fiction with elements of nonfiction.

Literary nonfiction includes the following.

• facts, either from the writer's life or from research
• explanations and opinions as to what those facts and experiences might mean
• the writer's own personal perspective, style, voice, and humor

Some examples of literary nonfiction are listed below.

• a biography or autobiography
• a personal journal or diary
• an essay
• a speech

In this lesson, you'll read and analyze a famous speech. First, get some background on the speech.

Before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Americans were divided on entering World War II. The U.S. government had put an embargo on Japan, trying to prevent them from expanding their empire in Asia.

Check out the map below to see how far Japan had expanded from its island home (the red areas).

There were negotiations between the U.S. and Japan, but they weren't going well.

The Japanese decided to take matters into their own hands and launched an attack on a U.S. Navy base. Pearl Harbor was a perfect target, with seven battleships sitting in a row in the harbor.

U.S. forces were caught off-guard because no one expected an attack, and it was a lazy Sunday morning.

Watch the following video to learn more.

In all, over 2400 Americans died in the attack, and all seven battleships were damaged or sunk.

After this devastation, there was no doubt that America would enter the war. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt took to the airwaves and gave his famous speech, calling the previous day a "day that would live in infamy."

Infamy refers to something famous, not for a good reason but for a bad one.

As you watch and listen to President Roosevelt's speech, follow along with the text using President Roosevelt's Day of Infamy Speech from the Downloadable Resources in the right-hand sidebar.

Watch the following.

• Ready to analyze this speech?

Move to the Got It? section now!