President Roosevelt’s “date that will live in infamy” speech is short, clear, and powerful, conveying a giant turn of historical events in a text every student should engage. Using the question of what FDR chose to say and not say in his address to Congress, this module engages the full run-up to U.S. involvement in World War II.
Students do a close reading of the speech itself and then consider short overviews of events in Asia and Europe, reports that the administration had early warning of a Japanese attack, and debates within the administration about what should and should not be included in the speech. The instruction is organized for students to discover for themselves how FDR’s speech reflects strategic choices.
This module is designed for a deep dive into a seminal text and the origins of the largest global conflict in history, organized to take roughly seven hours or eight fifty-minute periods. It was created in the Summer 2013 Social Studies Design Jam, and is shared with special thanks to the Kentucky Education Association for the use of their Lexington facilities.
