In January 1941 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered his annual State of the Union Address World War
was raging in Europe, but America was not yet involved in
this excerpt from his speech Roosevelt presents the
reasons why he believes America should enter the war.
Review the first three paragraphs of the passage,
which begin on page 1 and end on page 2. How
are these paragraphs connected to the idea of
the "four essential human freedoms' on
pages 3-4?
From "Four Freedoms"
by Franklin Delano Roosevelt
They introduce a problem facing the world, and the
four freedoms present a long-term solution
... Every realist knows that the democratic
way of life is at this moment being directly
assailed in every part of the world-assailed
either by arms, or by secret spreading of
poisonous propaganda by those who seek to
destroy unity and promote discord in nations
that are still at peace.
They suggest one possible course of action for the
United States, while the four freedoms offer an
alternative
They define the United States' role in the world, and
the four freedoms describe the nation's ideals.
2 3 4 5 6
They list the steps of a dictator's rise to power,
while the four freedoms show the path to
democracy