"To the Best of My Ability"

The National WWII Museum
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"To the Best of My Ability" Podcast

Season 3 As the international situation deteriorates, FDR faces multiple challenges: readying the country for war across two oceans, facing down the threats from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, and attempting to rally political support at home. Americans are not convinced of the foreign threat. Many are still isolationists, seeking to let the world solve its own problems while America stands aloof. Public opinion seems to be changing, but it's a gradual process. Will FDR be able to master these multiple crises? Will the American people rally behind him? Will the nation prepare in time to face one of the gravest threats in its history—or will all of FDR's efforts be too late? Join The National WWII Museum for Season 3 of this limited series podcast as we explore America's road to Pearl Harbor as seen through the eyes of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    An Epidemic of World Lawlessness

    In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt inherits a nation amidst The Great Depression, but around the world, fascist powers gain footholds. FDR begins to shape foreign policy through a series of addresses that connect the American people to the president in an unprecedented way, threading the needle between readying the nation for war and appeasing isolationists. This week’s episode, hosted by Museum Historian Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz and produced by Digital Content Manager Bert Hidalgo, examines the lead-up to World War II through the lens of American policy as FDR attempts to prepare a nation for war. Referencing the dangers the Axis powers contained and threatened humanity as a whole, the title for this week’s episode comes from FDR’s 1937 speech following reports of brutality by Japanese troops in China.

    23 min
  2. A Day of Infamy

    EPISODE 2

    A Day of Infamy

    President Franklin D. Roosevelt wins his third term bid for president, but a foreign crisis brews in the Pacific. Contending with an isolationist movement in America, he maneuvers policies and naval fleets in preparation for war, all the while convincing the US public the importance of becoming the “arsenal of democracy.” This week’s episode, hosted by Museum Historian Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz and produced by Digital Content Manager Bert Hidalgo, follows up on Part 1 “An Epidemic of World Lawlessness” where tensions between The Empire of Japan and The United States come to a head. The title for this week’s episode comes from FDR’s famous speech to Congress in 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

    25 min
See All Season 3 (2)

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Season 3 As the international situation deteriorates, FDR faces multiple challenges: readying the country for war across two oceans, facing down the threats from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, and attempting to rally political support at home. Americans are not convinced of the foreign threat. Many are still isolationists, seeking to let the world solve its own problems while America stands aloof. Public opinion seems to be changing, but it's a gradual process. Will FDR be able to master these multiple crises? Will the American people rally behind him? Will the nation prepare in time to face one of the gravest threats in its history—or will all of FDR's efforts be too late? Join The National WWII Museum for Season 3 of this limited series podcast as we explore America's road to Pearl Harbor as seen through the eyes of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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