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Nancy Reiko Takei
The 32nd president of the United States, President Roosevelt served from 1933 until his death in 1945 and was president during World War II. Though FDR is generally considered a very popular past president, They Called Us Enemy makes the case that FDR’s legacy is mixed. As Daddy explains to George, FDR did amazing things to pull the country out of the Great Depression in the 1930s. But once World War II begins, Daddy and the Takei family’s relationship to FDR—as well as that of other Japanese Americans—sours. After Pearl Harbor, FDR signs Executive Order 9066, which creates the legal framework for the Japanese internment camps and also allows the government to seize assets and property from Japanese Americans. He also okays the infamous loyalty questionnaire and signs H.R. 4103 (which pressures Japanese Americans into giving up their citizenship). Though teenage George is unwilling to give FDR any credit, Daddy encourages him to understand that FDR is a person like any other. This means that he’s fallible and capable of making horrific mistakes, as he did with internment. In 2017, George gives a talk at the FDR museum about his experiences in the internment camp and narrates parts of the memoir from there.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes in They Called Us Enemy
The They Called Us Enemy quotes below are all either spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt or refer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
They Called Us Enemy
Quotes
“In the meantime, we, the people, are already prepared for action.”
That same day the president signed a proclamation declaring that every adult Japanese citizen inside the U.S. was now an “alien enemy” and must follow strict regulations.
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On February 19, 1942, seventy-four days after Pearl Harbor... he issued Executive Order 9066.
The order never used the words “Japanese” or “camps”—it authorized the military to declare areas “from which any or all persons may be excluded,” and to provide “transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations” from persons excluded from these areas.
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As a teenager, I had many after-dinner discussions with my father... discussing everything from the government’s forced incarcerations of Japanese Americans... to politics.
He taught me the power of American democracy—the people’s democracy.
“People can do great things, George. They can come up with noble, shining ideals.
“But people are also fallible human beings, and we know they made a terrible mistake.”
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It was a disastrous depression that Roosevelt pulled us out of.
It took that man, and his determination and creative energy...
To establish all those programs, and lift the fortunes of our great country.
But as we were driving here today, I thought, “I’m going to the home of the man who imprisoned me.”
And now I’m here in his home...
Only in America could that happen.
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Get the entire They Called Us Enemy LitChart as a printable PDF.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes in They Called Us Enemy
The They Called Us Enemy quotes below are all either spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt or refer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
They Called Us Enemy
Quotes
“In the meantime, we, the people, are already prepared for action.”
That same day the president signed a proclamation declaring that every adult Japanese citizen inside the U.S. was now an “alien enemy” and must follow strict regulations.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
On February 19, 1942, seventy-four days after Pearl Harbor... he issued Executive Order 9066.
The order never used the words “Japanese” or “camps”—it authorized the military to declare areas “from which any or all persons may be excluded,” and to provide “transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations” from persons excluded from these areas.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
As a teenager, I had many after-dinner discussions with my father... discussing everything from the government’s forced incarcerations of Japanese Americans... to politics.
He taught me the power of American democracy—the people’s democracy.
“People can do great things, George. They can come up with noble, shining ideals.
“But people are also fallible human beings, and we know they made a terrible mistake.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
It was a disastrous depression that Roosevelt pulled us out of.
It took that man, and his determination and creative energy...
To establish all those programs, and lift the fortunes of our great country.
But as we were driving here today, I thought, “I’m going to the home of the man who imprisoned me.”
And now I’m here in his home...
Only in America could that happen.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
