Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes
December 7, 1941. A date which will live in infamy.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. The Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Vol. 10, Harper & Brothers, 1950, p. 514.
After his secretary, Grace Tully, had typed his hand-written version of the speech, he crossed out “world history” and replaced it with “infamy” producing what had become the most famous phrase in political rhetoric.
The initial reaction was to prevent Japanese from leaving the area, being out at night, or spending their assets. Incredibly, Japanese-American citizens who had their own hard earned money in a bank were not allowed to withdraw and spend their own funds. Her family had owned a farm on prime land. Soon, whites looking to get the land owned by Japanese Americans lobbied to have the Japanese removed. They lost their livelihood, would default on their mortgages, and much land fell into the hands of whites. Gruenwald’s family did not lose their farm thanks to the local sheriff who had agreed to supervise the farm and split the profits. Not all West Coast Americans approved of the treatment of their Japanese fellow citizens and many helped protect some from the greed and racism of other Americans. See {624010}.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. A member of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20th century. Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. As a dominant leader of his party, he built the New Deal Coalition, which defined modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office.
