Seventy years ago, on January 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a State of the Union address in which he described the United States’ commitment to four universal freedoms. At a time when Western Europe lay under Nazi domination, Roosevelt presented a vision in which the American ideals of individual liberties were extended throughout the world. Alerting Congress and the nation to the necessity of war, Roosevelt articulated the ideological aims of the conflict. Eloquently, he appealed to Americans’ most profound beliefs about freedom. On the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum Web site, you can view the evolution of Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech in draft, read the full text of the speech and hear the recorded speech, including the “Four Freedoms” quote.
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Plus: The speech so inspired illustrator Norman Rockwell that he created a series of paintings on the “Four Freedoms” theme. In the series, he translated abstract concepts of freedom into four scenes of everyday American life. View high-resolution images of Rockwell’s posters on this site.
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This information is provided as a courtesy for BISD teachers and inclusion here does not indicate an endorsement by the district. It is important to thoroughly evaluate a website before using it with students. For help with this please contact the Learning Technologies Coach for your campus.
