A Brief History
On January 6, 1941, much of the world was enmeshed in World War II, with only the United States among the great powers not yet at war. Many US citizens wanted to keep it that way, and sentiment was largely against any involvement in the affairs of Europe where Hitler and Nazi Germany along with Italy were at war with Western democracies such as France and Britain, and Asia where Japan was fighting in China.
Digging Deeper
US President Franklin Roosevelt publicly echoed the party line of non-involvement with the war, but he personally wanted to help the democracies resist totalitarian domination. In his 1941 State of the Union speech Roosevelt addressed the security of the United States by recognizing that for the US to enjoy freedoms the country must exist in a world where such freedoms existed.
The Freedom of Speech
The Freedom of Worship
The Freedom from Want
The Freedom from Fear
The speech about human rights and references to the US Constitution was a slap at the totalitarian dictatorships of the aggressive countries that had started World War II, the key instigators being Germany, Italy and Japan, along with our soon to be ally, the Soviet Union. The speech marked an end of official US isolationism and direct support of the Western allied democracies stopping short of committing military combat involvement. The speech was part of the introduction of the Lend-Lease program to provide war materiel to the Allies in exchange for the use of military bases and the transformation of the United States into “The Arsenal of Democracy,” a commitment to massive industrial mobilization to producing war weapons.
lthough a stirring and inspirational speech that echoed throughout World War II and beyond, there were still detractors. Many Americans were unconvinced to abandon their isolationism (until after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor) and the obvious disconnect with US mistreatment of African-Americans, Mexican-Americans and other minorities despite the avowed “rights of men of every creed and every race wherever they live,” just apparently not the US. The detention of Japanese-Americans comes to mind as well. Still, many consider this speech one of History’s greatest.
After the war, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took the Four Freedoms as her personal cause and advocated for human rights in the US and United Nations. Despite his call for a massive armaments build up, FDR also called for nations to disarm as a way of keeping world peace. The speech inspired painter Norman Rockwell to paint a set of 4 paintings depicting his vision of the Four Freedoms. Other artists also rendered their depictions of these freedoms in paintings and posters, and the Marvel Comic superhero group, The Fantastic Four, was headquartered in the fictional Four Freedoms Plaza 1986-1998) Postage stamps and other references to this speech have also appeared since, leaving a lasting legacy.
Question for students (and subscribers): Are these Four Freedoms enough? Should Roosevelt and others have added other planks to the platform? If so, what other Freedoms would you nominate to the list? Please share your ideas with us in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Engel, Jeffrey A. The Four Freedoms: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Evolution of an American Idea. Oxford University Press, 2015.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="12581 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=12581">28 Comments
I have read about the FDR’s four freedoms before; however, I have never realized the connection between these freedoms and the Fantastic Four. I also think the timing of this speech was prime in order to show the world how totalitarian dictatorships are a threat.
Seeing the fantastic four in recent years in movies and in comics I never put the two and two together that Roosevelt’s speech had a connection. Roosevelt needs to come alive again and make another great speech to try and aim for world peace.
Like Winston Churchill before him, Roosevelt was another one of those leaders that possessed a unique charisma and the ability to make their words resonate with people. This speech was to denounce autocratic regimes such as that of the Axis powers. I think he was really brave to speak on it as he did.
This is the exact type of rallying cry which I mentioned in the previous article. And for FDR it was even more important seeing as the country was split on what steps to take going forward.
After reading this article, it is new to me that there was a connection between the movie Fantastic Four and the four freedoms speech. It was smart of him, like Churchill did, to get the people involved and for them to realize that their leader truly cared for them and the cause at hand.
It was right of FDR to make his speech talking about the four freedoms. Even though Americans wanted to keep isolated from the Second World War FDR was right in saying we couldn’t enjoy these freedoms in a world where they do not exist. In order to have these freedoms in America we are responsible for upholding them around the world.
FDR gave an inspirational speech when the United States needed to hear from its leader. The United States people wanted to stay out of the conflict, which is what FDR professed in his speech. He listened to the American people and did what was best for the country. The Four Freedoms should be a lasting legacy of FDR.
With every article it becomes clear that every action during wartime is extremely important to the overall outcome of the war. This speech was a hit at the Axis power as well as a show of support for the Allies. It is impressive that FDR gave this speech stopping any show of neutralism by the US, even though involvement was extremely unpopular to the American people.
The Four Freedoms is one of FDR’s many legacies that still live on strong today. He was able to show he supported both the American people and the war cause. He reflected both global and national interests. That is something very crucial in a leader, especially during this uncertain time.
It is sketchy that FDR and the US Constitution supported these similar freedoms considering our countries past with the mistreatment of minorities. I can see why his speech convinced many Americans to agree with his decision because he showed how his decision went along with America’s core values.
FDR makes a good point in saying to enjoy freedoms we must exist in a world where they exist. Although the U.S. did not want to get involved in World War II, stopping totalitarianism was necessary. Had the United States not led a helping hand in the war who knows where we would be today.
Roosevelt was a great leader and I am sure his speech kept many people motivated. Speeches that talk about peace especially when chaos and war are around always resonates with people. I think he freedoms Roosevelt introduced were and still are highly appreciated by Americans.
FDR knew that if we lived in a society that wanted these freedoms, we had to live in a world with others who upheld these freedoms as well. I think it was relatively easy for us to stay out of the war for so long because we were an ocean away. The battle had not been brought to our own soil.
I never knew there was a connection between the Fantastic Four and the four freedoms from Roosevelt’s speech. Roosevelt made a great point when saying, “that for the US to enjoy freedoms the country must exist in a world where such freedoms existed.” The United States needed an inspiring speech, such as Roosevelt’s, during this time.
That’s awesome that the Fantastic Four is in reference to the Four Freedoms. What confuses me about these listed freedoms is the difference between “freedom of” and “freedom from.” “Freedom from want,” is this in reference to the concept of America where if you want something you have the ability to go out and get it? Freedom from want.
FDR knew that the world was a dangerous place, and he had to do everything in his power to unite the nation behind his words. Still, it wasn’t until after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor that the US decided that war was the only way to defend these freedoms.
FDR was a tremendous leader and those four speeches were inspirational to the US. Honestly the most interesting part was finding out that the speeches are connected with the movie Fantastic Four, I never would have guessed that.
I never knew that the Fantastic Four is a reference to the Four Freedoms. I never knew about these speeches that FDR gave but he stepped in and gave them at the right time. His speech went along with America’s core values which helped him receive support from Americans.
The Fantastic Four reference is shocking! FDR gave an important speech at an important time to raise morale. This made entering the war easier later on.
The four freedoms were extremely relevant to the issues that were happening at the time. They were inspired by the kind of hate that was a source of WW II. It was a good move on FDRs behalf to give the speeches in the middle of all the mess.
Like many, I also was unaware of the link between the fantastic four and the four freedoms. I think FDR’s speech was much needed at the time. The four freedoms he pointed out were enough to incorporate most things and can expand upon each.
The four freedoms was a powerful speech delivered by FDR which rallied support for all people not just Americans. It stated that enemies don’t only exist on our shores but abroad.
My first time hearing the Fantastic Four reference, very interesting. FDR was impressive on how he was able to boost morale.
By giving the freedom speech and disarming the nations, Roosevelt’s goal was peace. The Four Freedoms made a significant impact on this day in history.
These freedoms are ones that people should always have. The freedom of speech, fear, worship and want are all a part of being human. We all have fears and wants in our lives. At the same time we should be able to speak what is in our mind and worship whatever we want to worship.
We need more goals like this, PEACE!
FDR hit it spot on with these freedoms. These four freedoms should be granted to all people. The best one is freedom from fear. This is so often taken for granted that we are lucky enough to live in a country where we do not have to wake up afraid every day.
Japan learned the hard way not to poke the bear. If Pearl Harbor was never attacked, how would the outcome of the war change?