Drafting History: The Roosevelts Respond to Pearl Harbor
Lesson Plan
Grade Level:
9-12
Duration:
60 Minutes
Audience:
Students, Educators
Leaders
Strategy & Leadership
Pearl Harbor
Teks
- United States since 1877: US.7A
- Grade 8 Social Studies: 8.29A, 8.29B
Materials
- Early draft of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Infamy Speech (Included in PDF)
- Final version of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Infamy Speech (Included in PDF)
- Early draft of Eleanor Roosevelt's December 7th Radio Address (Included in PDF)
- Final draft of Eleanor Roosevelt's December 7th Radio Address (Included in PDF)
- Student Comparison Worksheet (Included in PDF)
- Writing Utensil
National Standards
- D2.His.: 12.9-12
Drafting History: The Roosevelts Respond to Pearl Harbor
How do leaders choose their words during a moment of national crisis? In this primary source lesson, students compare draft and final versions of speeches delivered by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt following the attack on Pearl Harbor. By examining revisions, additions, and omissions, students investigate how audience, purpose, and word choice shaped each message. Students practice close reading, sourcing, historical contextualization, and argumentation while considering how the two Roosevelts addressed the nation in very different roles. Includes primary sources, a student analysis worksheet, discussion questions, and an extension activity
Downloadable Resources
Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan PDF
Students compare Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s draft and final speeches to explore how language, audience, and purpose shaped responses to Pearl Harbor.
Download
Similar Resources
Browse More Resources
Preserving a Legacy: The Papers of USS Arizona Officer Thomas Raymond Jones
Discover a collection from the Center for Pacific War Studies that holds the story of a young Naval officer who was killed aboard the USS Arizona during the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
History
Center for Pacific War Studies
Pearl Harbor
The Epic Ambush: The Attack on Oahu Airfields | Gary Laine
Gary B. Laine DDS discusses the happenings of Oahu on the morning of December 7, 1941.
Pearl Harbor
Enduring The Unendurable: Admiral Nimitz 1945 | Jon Parshall
Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz was confronted with strong commanding personalities leading up to the signing of the surrender on the USS Missouri. Historian Jon Parshall describes the trials and tribulations of Admiral Nimitz during the last year of the Pacific War, from 1944-1945.
Guest Speakers
Leaders
Nimitz
Japanese Surrender