For generations, we as a society have evaluated what we call our freedoms, as they constantly continue to influence our quality of life. In the 1940s, President Franklin Roosevelt's Message to Congress promised the people of America Four Freedoms, or freedoms that are imperative to human life. These freedoms included freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Freedom of speech goes back to the first amendment where there is the liberty of expression. Freedom of worship allows people to practice any belief system they desire, as well as worship the God that they please. Freedom from want meant no citizen should have to yearn for the basic needs to survive, and should be provided with a standard living. Finally, freedom from fear meant for there to be no fear of having to use aggression against a neighbor, in addition to being granted peace and a sense of security. These were the guaranteed freedoms stated by the president for the future. However, as time progressed and certain events in history began occurring, these freedoms may have slipped from view and become less practiced. It is clear to see that the United States government did not effectively uphold these freedoms during, the time the U.S declared war against the Japanese, during the scare of Communism, and in the day to day life for citizens in minority groups. One of the instances in which we can notice this unsuccessful protection of freedoms is around 1941, when President
In Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Four Freedoms” speech he said, “We must especially beware of that group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American eagle in order to feather their own nests.” This is talking about FDR wanting to join the fight in World War II because if the Axis get to powerful then they were going to attack America and America could lose its freedom. In John F. Kennedy’s inauguration address he makes the claim, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. JFK is talking about the Soviets and if they were to attack us we will fight back to protect our freedom. This shows change from not knowing about freedom to now knowing the importance of freedom and wanting to protecting it. Not all of the change for more freedom is good because some government controlling what is and isn’t actually free, like mankind can’t really say everything or every opinion aloud. Like in “Censors” it talks of a man whose job is to censor letters being sending or received, which is controlling people’s freedom of speech without them knowing or caring. Since the government can get away with this it will only be the start and as time goes own things will become less free, In the present we treat
On June 6, 1941, United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made a speech that has since been known as “The Four Freedoms Speech.” In this speech, he outlines four freedoms he hopes every person in the world will obtain in the future. He identifies the four freedoms as the following: “...Freedom of speech and expression — everywhere in the world... freedom of every person to worship God in his own way — everywhere in the world… 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… 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 you ask people what freedom is they may respond that freedom is when you can do whatever you want to do at whatever time. Mostly this will be the response of kids and young adults. But this definition of freedom is incorrect. Freedom is when we are allowed to have power of right to act without violating other people's freedoms or rights. The most effective tools for establishing and preserving freedom are strong government and constitution. A quote that can help out the claim comes from the Declaration of independence “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
On January 6, 1941 President Roosevelt delivered his State of the Union Address before congress. He spoke eloquently of a future world founded on the essential human freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. (Foner 2014pg842). He used this speech as a rally cry to enter World War 2. (Foner 2014, 757) These four freedoms were meant to establish basic rights for all people in the United states and still today we hold true to these freedoms. (Foner 2014 pg842) Freedom of speech came to coincide with freedom and expression which would be the best defense against corruption of democracy. (Remembering the Four Freedoms 2016). Freedom of worship or religion would be our shield against the forces of bigotry, intolerance, and fanaticism, Freedom from want, a commitment to erasing hunger, poverty, and pestilence from the earth, brought hope for citizens as they fought the Great depression and Finally, freedom from fear, a freedom dependent on collective security, a concept carried forward with our leadership in the United Nations.(Remembering the Four Freedoms 2016) As America battled the great depression, Roosevelt was confident that the war would end the depression and cause the United States to thrive once again. (Foner2014, 843) Roosevelt declared on a radio address in 1942 that the “rights of men of every creed and every race, wherever they live” implying that the four freedoms made so prominent in this time era should be a
President Ronald Reagan said “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it down to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” As citizens of America, it is our responsibility to keep the freedoms we have thriving in our everyday lives. Among these are the initial rights given to Americans in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Of these five freedoms, three are constant in our everyday lives. The freedom of religion, the freedom of press, and the freedom of speech.
Over time the Supreme Court has decided that certain aspects of freedom of speech are more important than others. For example, if someone used their First Amendment rights to lie about things they knew were false, threatened to commit a crime, insult another person, or used overly explicit content, the courts have moral grounds to prosecute those persons. It makes sense that if someone’s freedom of speech lessened another person’s right to freedom of religion or freedom of opinion by instilling fear, that is an unfair use of the First Amendment. These parameters, although not specifically outlined in the Bill of Rights are very important to protect everyone’s right to feel safe believing the things that they do.
During the American Revolution, Congress wanted to have a government that was powerful enough to defeat Great Britain, so they put in place Articles of Confederation as a guide for the way the country would be run, but there were several problems with that, one of which was the government having too much control. On May 14, 1787 The Federal Convention had a meeting in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation. They met in secret, and only two of the 13 colonies showed up for the vote. They decided they would call it The Constitution of the United States, but still not everyone was satisfied.
When the Bill of Rights was established, it was to ensure civil freedoms to all. Little by little these days, all of these rights are now gaining more and more stipulations that are restricting our rights as Americans. Due to the unrest of the world from all of the terrorism, it appears that our right to freedom of speech (Amendment I) and the right of the people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures is diminishing rapidly.
In Franklin Roosevelt’s message to the Congress, he brought up many ideas to fix the issues going on in the world. He founded the four human freedoms. The first is “of speech and expression for everywhere in the world. Second is freedom of every person to worship god in his own way. Next is Freedom from want. It will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for
Freedom is something that every American citizen is entitled to. It is one of the attributes that our country was founded on. John F. Kennedy’s “Inaugural Address” and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech focuses around the concern of maintaining America’s freedom. However, while both speeches speak of making sure that America is still the free, safe nation is was meant to be, the two former presidents had different ideas on how to do so.
Despite the United States having great ideals of freedom and exemplifying this throughout history there have been moments where
Ever since the Bush Administration and the events of September 11, 2001, the American people have dealt with the government taking away bits and bits of their constitutional rights. Such rights like the freedom of association, speech, unreasonable searches and seizures, the right to legal representation, speedy and public trial, and the right to liberty. Any new law that infringes on these rights ands is created and passed is a bit of freedom being taken away. The government has limited individuals’ right to freedom of assembly by authorities seeking to repress the activities of those that are simply defending human rights. Censorship has also limited
The free exercise of religion, the freedom of speech, and the freedom of assembly are each absolutely essential for the health of our Republic. That is why the Founding Fathers enshrined them all in the First Amendment. While some people up hold the first amendment and respect its meaning. Unfortunately, these freedoms are currently under assault by the government, state officials and communities.
Let’s imagine, if a nation does not have government, what would things be like without law? Probably this question gives us pretty much idea for the reason why we need government and what it purpose is. For a nation to stabilize and develop in peace, government is necessary because existence of a nation base upon its government. The first purpose that government can give is freedom as Thomas Jefferson said, “We hold the these truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This tells that these are basic human rights; government maintains and protects the basic rights of human on freedom, equality,
A concept of freedom (or liberty) has been the foundation of the United States since its founding in 1776. After all, its Declaration of Independence states that every citizen deserves the rights to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. However, “Liberty” doesn’t just mean a literal freedom from captivity, or the right to live independently from the rule of a monarch. The Constitution preserves multiple different types of Liberty, including the freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and many more.