Commemorative Speech Outline

INTRODUCTION

I. (Attention Grabber) "Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 Ð'- a date which will live in infamy Ð'- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." This was a speech that President Roosevelt delivered to the nation the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

II. (Central Idea) The surprise nature of the attack, the viciousness of its execution and the searing death toll that mounted in a matter of hours, was certainly a hateful act.

III. (Credibility) I have visited Pearl Harbor multiple times and I think it is a powerful part of history and a memorable tribute to those who died.

IV. (Preview) Tonight, I would like to honor Pearl Harbor by remembering its events and what it symbolizes.

Connective: It is a true day that shall never be forgotten.

BODY

I. (Main Point) There are thousands of documents, books, hearings, and periodicals that explain the events of that day, but despite this level of investigation and the details of eyewitness accounts, there are still holes in the jigsaw puzzle of what exactly happened that morning.

A. (Sub-Point) Perhaps it was the confusion that reigned down from the sky, as the waves of Japanese fighters, torpedo and dive-bombers appeared that Sunday.

1. (Support) In the book Pearl Harbor by H.P. Wilmott, survivors have told their stories and hundreds of photographs have been published showing columns of thick black oily smoke spiraling from the battleships as they lay stricken, helpless, and tied up at anchor.

2. (Support) Around them were the poundings taken by planes that were stuck on the airfields, parked up wing tip to wing tip.

Transition: Above all, there was the pure disbelief of an attack that no one anticipated, expected, or even thought could happen.

II. (Main Point) Yes, it is true to say that relations between Japan and the United States had been at odds for a decade.

A. (Sub-point) According to the History Place website, updated in 2005 stated that the "Japanese intentions in the Pacific were based on the acquisition of territory."

1. (Support)

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