Across the nation, news of the attack spread by radio and word of mouth, and Americans began thinking about what life in a nation at war was going to be like. Security was increased around the White House, and plans for a bomb shelter for the President underneath the nearby Treasury Department building were under way. ![]() installations, ships, and planes in Hawaii. 1įor the rest of that afternoon, sixty years ago, Roosevelt and his advisers were busy at the White House receiving fragmentary reports about the damage to U.S. At the very time they were discussing peace in the Pacific, they were plotting to overthrow it," he said. "It was just the kind of unexpected thing the Japanese would do. Harry Hopkins, a top aide who was with Roosevelt at the time, could not believe the report. Hawaii time, Secretary Knox told the President. The Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, just before 8 a.m. The White House operator announced that Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox was on the line and insisted on talking with him. Roosevelt was just finishing lunch in his oval study on the second floor of the White House, preparing to work on his stamp album, when his telephone rang. In the early afternoon of December 7, 1941, Franklin D. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit to choose our better history to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.The USS Arizona seen burning after the attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the morning of December 7, 1941. But in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many-and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. ![]() The new president called for an end to the divisive spirit of recent politics: "On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics." Obama called on Americans to unite and look toward their common national heritage as a guide for facing the challenges of the future, declaring, "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit to choose our better history to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." A full transcript is available. Obama delivered his inaugural address on January 20, 2009, to the largest crowd ever assembled for a presidential inauguration. The election of the first black president was a sign of hope for many that change was on its way. The nation was strained by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the impact of a deepening financial crisis and recession. The inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States in 2009 was a historic moment not only because Obama was the first African American ever sworn into executive office but also because he entered the presidency at a time of incredible adversity.
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