Has The Idea Of Freedom From Fear Changed Over Time

Convincing an audience of 133.4 million is a daunting task, especially when they must be convinced to join a war less than thirty years after World War I. On January 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the State of the Union Address that began his third term as president. This speech, broadcast across the United States on the radio, sparked the idea to join World War II even before Pearl Harbor was attacked. In this speech, he fully supports the English against the attack of the dictators trying to extinguish democracy across the world. He proposes the four freedoms that America is invested in protecting around the world: freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship God in any way, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. In his speech, “The Four Freedoms,” Franklin Delano Roosevelt inspires nationalism and creates fear in his audience to convince them to join the war ravaging through Europe through many forms of metaphor and repetition.

Today in this world, though it may not seem like it all of us have more freedom than we did only a couple years ago. One of the reasons is that our military has gotten better and stronger. Some of the ways our military has gotten better is that they are getting better training because the things we know now that we did not know in World War 1. Also our military has gotten better technology that was not around in the times of the World Wars or the Revolutionary War.

Freedom of religion and freedom of Speech were some of the major values that drove the pilgrims to start their own community in America. We started in thirteen colonies which have evolved into the fifty states that are our country today. Our newly established democracy offered rights that our old society didn?t bring to the table. Currently, the United States is the most or one of the most privileged nations and is very pleasant to live in compared to some foreign nations that may come to mind. However, we, as citizens, have come to abuse our rights and privileges given to us.

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.”

"If the fires of freedom and civil liberties burn low in other lands, they must be made brighter in our own. If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free. If in other lands the eternal truths of the past are threatened by intolerance, we must provide a safe place for their perpetuation." Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1938 (Isaacs 66)

All of these freedoms emphasizes everyone's human rights. Giving the people what they want without threatening the country’s safety and status. Yet he goes on the mention that, “We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American eagle in order to feather their own nests” (Roosevelt 21). The purpose and meaning of freedom in this speech was that it provides people the opportunity given to exercise one's rights, powers, and

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.

Freedom is defined as the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement. It is the power to determine action without restraint and the exemption from external control, interference, and regulation. Americans, these days, commonly regard their society as the freest and the best in the world. Their understanding of freedom has been shaped and based upon the founding fathers’ belief that all people are equal and that the role of the government is to protect each person’s basic “inalienable” rights. The United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights assures individual rights including freedom of speech, press, and religion. America has changed dramatically from the country our founding fathers discovered. Some could even argue that

American beliefs and opinions give a great understanding of what an American values. The want and need for freedom is described in many different ways based on origin or social beliefs. The main backbone of America today is freedom. Through the building of an American empire everyone can’t come to an understanding of what it is to be equally free. By comparing and contrasting the perspectives of Patrick Henry’s speech to the “Virginia Convention,” to take up arms and fight for our freedom. Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” who feels it’s time to end slavery. It is clear that the struggles of the American story are still prevalent and America has not yet found a way for freedom for all.

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

Since the creation of the United States, the meaning of freedom has changed to meet changing attitudes. Throughout our nation’s history, there have been significant periods of racial, economic and civil rights inequalities. There are different meanings for freedoms that have been established throughout the historical period of the United States. During this modern era, the US had certain periods of time that lived up to the ideals of freedom such as the Gilded Age. In opposition, the US has also had periods of time where our ideals of freedom failed to meet the requirements of our nation, a prime example being the late 1940s when the US entered the Cold War and led to the anti-communism period of McCarthyism which ultimately restricted

In the article, fear was portrayed through the protests in Charlottesville. White supremacists violently attack those who opposed their views. Facts were obtained in the news conference held on Tuesday by president Donald Trump. The groups that this article is intended for, are those who were protesting (both sides) and those who have kept themselves informed on the topic for the past weeks. The fear in this article is similar to the fear displayed in my article, in the way that people dealing with the situation face to face are being exposed to a deal of injustice. However, this article is solely based on the protesters of Charlottesville, whereas the other concentrates on those being detained, facing deportation. The topic of fear was illuminated through stating information that was said from presidents in the past, yet can be seen relevant in today’s society because of the unjust actions that occur.

The first essential freedom that Roosevelt discussed was the right to freedom of speech. This freedom gave people the right to express themselves while omitting any caution. This freedom crosses into gray matter where the internet is concerned because of how information on the Internet is monitored and removed if necessary. The freedom of speech also included the freedom of information, where citizens are allowed to seek knowledge through any platform with any limits (64).

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.