FOUR FREEDOMS
Four Freedoms, a formulation of American post-World
War
II hopes made by President Roosevelt in his State
of the
Union address of Jan. 6, 1941. Speaking eleven months
before the United States officially entered the
war,
Roosevelt set forth the Four Freedoms in these words:
"The first is freedom of speech and
expression--everywhere in the world. The second
is
freedom of every person to worship God in his own
way--everywhere in the world. The third 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 fourth is freedom from fear--which,
translated into world terms, means a worldwide 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."
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