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On January 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a
memorable speech that is known today as “The Four Freedoms.”
This enduring speech, given during turbulent times, still rings
true today. In fact, we are still struggling to fulfill these
suggestions from one of our country’s most experienced leaders.
This inspiring address was not only directed towards his fellow
Americans, but also our allies in World War II. The fight to
preserve liberty and democracy was injected with new spirit by
Roosevelt’s unflinching conviction in the moral necessity of
freedom for all people. This speech clarified and redefined what
people were really fighting for. No longer was it simply a fight
against fascism, it was something much larger than that. It was
a battle to preserve that which makes human life meaningful, the
will to be free.
The
first freedom mentioned is “freedom of speech and
expression--everywhere in the world.” Most Americans consider
freedom of speech to be their most sacred of freedoms. It is
passionately protected and stands as our first amendment right.
Out of the ‘four freedoms’, the freedom of speech stands as the
cornerstone of our society because it is precisely what makes us
truly democratic. In the United States, people are able to speak
their thoughts and openly express their ideas, regardless of how
extreme these thoughts and ideas may appear. Compared to
countries like China, where people have been sent to reeducation
camps for openly criticizing the government, America is tolerant
of different opinions. In fact, regardless of political
affiliation or ideology, all Americans agree that freedom of
speech is crucial for progress. America does not have a monopoly
on this concept, but without it we would not be what we are
today. Without freedom of speech our democracy stands naked,
void of dignity.
The
second freedom is “freedom of every person to worship God in his
own way--everywhere in the world.” America is a deeply religious
country. Since its founding, church pews have been full of
devout Christian worshippers of different denominations. But
recently, other religions have become more visible as well,
especially Islam. The freedom to worship openly and freely
ensures the freedom to express one of the most important aspects
of a person’s culture. After the tragedy of September eleventh,
America has become less open to the Muslim faith, and
unfortunately, American Muslims have faced many abuses. They
have become the subject of jokes, hurtful stereotypes, racial
profiling and violence. We still have a long way to go to ensure
that Muslims have the same rights as American Christians, Jews
and other faiths.
The
third freedom in Roosevelt’s speech is “freedom from
want--which, translated into world terms, means economic
understandings, which will secure to every nation a healthy
peacetime life for its inhabitants--everywhere in the world.”
The president knew all too well that economic equality would
lead to peace, while economic disparity would lead to war. In
this famous speech, he was trying to explain the concept of
equality in terms of freedom; for example, the freedom to live
and work without fear of being exploited in the market place.
Freedom is commonly misunderstood in America as the freedom of
unbridled economic pursuit, but here the president clearly
explains that ‘freedom’ does not include taking advantage of
your fellow citizens, and if peace is to be maintained, there
must be understanding between employee and employer, just as
there must be understanding between nations. The ‘freedom from
want’ means that no citizen should be hinged by economic woes.
Precarious economic and material conditions are the main causes
of war. Poverty is the exact opposite of freedom. In order to
let freedom thrive, economic conditions must be such that men
and women are not plagued by basic needs.
Poverty is still very much a contemporary problem. The real wage
of American workers has not increased since the 1970’s. If
Roosevelt were still alive today, he would be awfully ashamed at
how we have neglected such an important issue. Economic
inequality is the breeding ground for social instability.
Finally, the fourth freedom is “freedom from fear--which,
translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of
armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no
nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical
aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world.” When
governments go to war, they must first convince their citizens
that there is an enemy worth fearing. When citizens are fearful,
they are easily manipulated. More importantly, it is precisely
during time of war when citizens voluntarily give-up their
freedoms. Because of this reason, Roosevelt emphasizes that in
order for peace to be protected, the freedom from fear must be
the first line of defense. If countries reduce their arms, they
also reduce the potential for creating enemies. If citizens are
not easily inclined to fear potential attacks from their
neighbors, governments cannot easily drag their citizens
to war.
Historically, America has always had an enemy. At first, it was
the Native Americans, then the British, then the Mexicans, then
the Spanish, then the German Fascists, then the Russian
Communists and now it is the Islamic terrorists. Whether it is
the Russians, the terrorists or even a health pandemic like the
recent H1N1 scare, Americans have had times when they lived in
fear and have, at different moments, suspended their rights in
the name of defeating an enemy. Roosevelt is asking the world,
in the name of peace, to reduce not only the possibility of
violence but also the active promotion of fear, which
legitimizes violence. Obviously, you cannot create peace with
fear. In order to have peace, we cannot be afraid of our
neighbors.
This speech contains the four essential freedoms necessary to
ensure a peaceful democratic society. These four pillars help to
maintain our government and give authority to our basic ideals.
Indeed, the general idea of freedom rests on these four
clarifications. Roosevelt was not only speaking to fellow
Americans, but was also speaking as a citizen of the world,
conscious of the repercussions of American ideals on other
countries and fully committed to creating a lasting peace for
all nations. True freedom is simultaneously achieved and
maintained if it is genuinely sought for all, and not
just the few.
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