30 points from President Truman's First Address to Congress
April 16, 1945
Tragic fate has thrust upon us grave responsibilities. We must carry on. Our departed leader never looked backward. He looked forward and
moved forward. That is what he would want us to do. That is what America will do. So much blood has already been shed for the ideals which we
cherish, and for which Franklin Delano Roosevelt lived and died, that we dare not permit even a momentary pause in the hard fight for victory.
Today, the entire world is looking to America for enlightened leadership to peace and progress. Such a leadership requires vision, courage and
tolerance. It can be provided only by a united nation deeply devoted to the highest ideals. With great humility I call upon all Americans to help me
keep our nation united in defense of those ideals which have been so eloquently proclaimed by Franklin Roosevelt. I want in turn to assure my fellow
Americans and all of those who love peace and liberty throughout the world that I will support and defend those ideals with all my strength and all
my heart. That is my duty and I shall not shirk it.
So that there can be no possible misunderstanding, both Germany and Japan can be certain, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that America will
continue the fight for freedom until no vestige of resistance remains! We are deeply conscious of the fact that much hard fighting is still ahead of us.
Having to pay such a heavy price to make complete victory certain, America will never become a party to any plan for partial victory! To settle for
merely another temporary respite would surely jeopardize the future security of all the world. Our demand has been, and it remains-Unconditional
Surrender!
We will not traffic with the breakers of the peace on the terms of the peace. The responsibility for making of the peace-and it is a very grave
responsibility-must rest with the defenders of the peace. We are not unconscious of the dictates of humanity. We do not wish to see unnecessary
or unjustified suffering. But the laws of God and of man have been violated and the guilty must not go unpunished. Nothing shall shake our
determination to punish the war criminals even though we must pursue them to the ends of the earth. Lasting peace can never be secured if we
permit our dangerous opponents to plot future wars with impunity at any mountain retreat-however distant. In this shrinking world, it is futile to
seek safety behind geographical barriers. Real security will be found only in law and in justice.
Drag the tiles to the boxes to form correct pairs.
What is the author's purpose of each paragraph in the address? Match the purpose to the correct paragraph number.
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 1
Purpose
Paragraph
to clarify that an end to the present world conflict can only come with complete
allied victory
to promise uninterrupted continuation of the previous administration's duties
and struggles
to warn that only the victors can dictate how peace is established and how
justice is carried out
to remind all Americans to stay engaged in the effort to secure peace and liberty
worldwide