The Port Huron Statement: A Significant Turning Point In American Society

Ronald Reagan’s Fortieth Anniversary of D-Day Speech became known as the “Boys of Pointe Du Hoc Speech” written by Peggy Noonan. The speech was delivered on June 6, 1984 in Normandy, France: the site where the Allied forces invaded the cliffs just forty years before Reagan had delivered this memorable speech (Stepman). The forum itself was an important aspect of the speech. The delivery of the speech there, on the windy shore cliffs of northern France, enhanced the visualization as well as the nostalgia for the Veteran audience as a backdrop for some of the many examples Reagan had used in his speech. The purpose of this speech was to not only commemorate the American Ranger Veterans for their valiant efforts in taking this Nazi stronghold, but to also address the world, and the Soviets, that conquest and tyranny will not stand in the way of peace and liberty. Through the use of effective rhetorical devices, Ronald Reagan encompassed his theme that there is something worth fighting for when someone uses “force for conquest” rather than “the use of force for liberation” (12). With his examples of the brave soldiers forty years before, he discussed how their efforts back then affected the world at the time.

America is one of the best and the strongest nations in the world today. A nation is only fully complete when its collective welfare, education; health; security, are all completely available to all the citizens in that country. President Truman, is the 33rd President of the United States of America, believes that a nation’s collective welfare is based on the ideals of the American democracy. President Truman tries to wheedle the Congress that democracy is the key to a nation to have a completed collective welfare; Truman does this during a speech at the State of Union.

1. What features of American society seem most to trouble the authors of the Port Huron Statement?

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941’” began President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the day following Japan’s fateful attack on Pearl Harbor, resulting in the in the tragic loss of nearly two and a half thousand American lives. A date so famously proclaimed to ‘forever live in infamy,’ and so it has. This inspiring speech to Congress and the American people employed appeals and other techniques in it’s mission to touch America’s heart, both with sympathy and indignation. President Roosevelt’s use of rhetoric is extremely effective in rallying the American people to the cause of entering a war so many were reluctant to support.

“December 7th 1941- A date that will live in infamy.” This opening statement is the first powerful line said by President Roosevelt to the American people after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This greatness of this opening line will be forever be ingrained in the minds of every American citizen, especially the people who lived during the most significant war of the 20th century. The bombing of Pearl Harbor is an event that can never be forgotten, and President Roosevelt’s speech in response to this appalling attack is just as significant. The objective of this speech was to urge Congress to declare war on Japan. Roosevelt’s speech after Pearl Harbor is one of the more recognizable and important speeches in all of American history. His speech incorporates bountiful instances of rhetorical devices, such as logos, pathos, and ethos. By analyzing these rhetorical devices, one is able to see Roosevelt’s vigorous use of emotion, his strength in addressing his character and reputation rather than focusing too heavily upon appeals to logic and reason, ultimately to get the result he wants from his audience. The profound power of this speech resonates with all who read and hear it.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) is one of the most influential presidents in history of the United States. In FDR’s 1941 speech, “On the War with Japan,” he discusses the necessity of going to war in Europe and what it means for America’s future. His leadership skills in combination with his speech causes society to go from an isolationist policy to being motivated to enter and win the war. Through the use of rhetoric, FDR is able to captivate the listeners and encourage them to actively participate in the war. Not only does he play on the emotions of the audience, he also appeals to their sense of patriotism and logic in order to persuade them to get involved in World War II.

1.The term "Three Fires" refers to the dominant tribes in Michigan during the early 1600s. The three tribes were:

In his book The Best War Ever: America and World War II, Michael Adams tries to dissolve the many misconceptions of World War II. As the title of the book implies, The United States left the war with a great optimistic view of the these “glorious” five years. The United States as a population had been tricked into believing in the, at times, fabricated conditions of its history that had been presented to people as some beautiful stories and myths where nations are viewed as being first-rate in union and morality. These so-called myths were created out of several factors. Because of Hollywood, the vast amounts of government propaganda, and far-reaching economic prosperity, Americans were, for the most part, hidden from the real truth of The Second World War. In this period of time, even, the generation of the Second World War is seen as being top-notch in morality and unity. There was a popular misconception held that there were no problems in terms of ethnicity or gender; it seemed that families were living contented lives and children excelled in school and read all kinds of books (115).

In his book The Gathering Storm, the Western democracies “need only to repeat the same well-meaning, short-sighted behavior towards the new problems which in singular resemblance confront us today to bring about a third convulsion from which none may live to tell the tale” (https://www.historyonthenet.com/winston-churchills-iron-curtain-speech-predicting-the-cold-war/). people were unsure if the United States would continue to play the part of the land of the free world or if it would become allies with Britain and other Western European nations against the Soviet Union. After the United States victory over Japan, Churchill knew the U.S. was looking forward to peace. Using this to his advantage, Churchill knew his speech would give the nation a warning. Although some people understood the intentions of the Soviet Union, many Americans still saw the Communist dictator as their ally. This was a difficult transition for the Americans to go from believing the Soviet Union was an ally to a very dangerous

However, the problems resolved were very different. The Democratic party’s first problem that they resolved was where the American Democracy needed to place their trust, “Resolved, That the American Democracy place their trust in the intelligence, the patriotism, and the discriminating justice of the American people”. It is saying it is important that we as American people trust one another. Whereas the Republicans party first problem they resolved included the Declaration of Independence, “That the maintenance of the principles promulgated in the Declaration of Independence, and embodied in the Federal Constitution are essential to the preservation of our Republican institutions, and that the Federal Constitution, the rights of the States, and the union of the States, must and shall be preserved”. They wanted to make sure that the people took pride in the Declaration and made it widely known what it stood for and what it said.

Students in Port Huron, Michigan came together to write and discuss a document in association with the Students for a Democratic Society. The students called it a “dialogue with society,” in which they explained their concerns with American politics and economics, and provided possible solutions to these pressing issues. The statement is meant to inform society, and create an ongoing discussion between citizens, students, and elite members to construct a free and equal democracy. The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) acknowledges that the world is ever changing by including that the statement is “a living document open to change.” Similar to the SDS, the United Students Against Sweatshops aims to improve quality of life, and try to provide aid to the underprivileged. The group, made up of entirely youth and students, envisions a world free from oppression, where minorities are not taken advantage of for profits. Another organization, Jobs with Justice, intends to improve working conditions among labor jobs in America. They strive to support the unionization and bargaining of workers to create a higher quality of living and pay.

To understand and to explain the decision for America to enter World War II in 1941 is to take a few steps back to when the war

Was World War II the people’s war, or the manufacturer's? That’s the question Zinn bases this chapter on. Bringing in facts about the U.S entering multiple countries and intervening before the U.S declared war, he challenges the motivation behind U.S involvement in the war. One of these intervening being Vladivostok, Russia, with seven thousand troops, “offsetting the effects of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia” as told by the U.S state department. Zinn conveys it as we didn’t enter the war as a concern for the people fighting it or being hurt by the Nazi party, any more than how we didn’t enter the Civil War off the number of enslaved blacks. Rather, we entered because of the Japanese bombing and Roosevelt lied about it being the right cause. Challenging the reader, Zinn makes him or her ask themselves if we really are such a self-centered country and leaves it to them to find the answer that

At the end of World War 2, America faced an even greater dilemma than whether or not

The essay is being presented on March 3rd. 2013 to Marek McKenna for G380/AMH3304 Section 01 Visions of America Since 1945