Four Freedoms Speech: Resources

Yeah, that's Dutch. Surprise, surprise! It means "the Four Freedoms of Franklin D. Roosevelt." The Roosevelt Foundation in Middelburg, Netherlands, presents an annual "Four Freedoms" award to people and organizations that demonstrate a dedication to FDR's principles. The Dutch are even more serious about human rights than they are about tulips.

As it turns out, supporting human rights is (tragically) a big job. Which is why the Roosevelt Foundation in Middelburg shares its responsibilities with the Roosevelt Institute in New York City. Two cool cities, one important vision.

Here is an exciting write-up about the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park by Guía de Nueva York. Be sure to check out the Four Freedoms at the end of the article, which have been translated into Spanish...en cualquier lugar del mundo.

Professor Harvey Kaye, of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, gives his take on the long-lasting importance of FDR's Four Freedoms in this interview with WNYC's "The Takeaway." He's really into the Big Four. He even wrote a book about them.

Seventy-five years later, FDR's democratic principles still ring true, especially for the oppressed. This article looks at the Four Freedoms at a time when the nation was on the verge of yet another historical transition.

From an international perspective, the Hague Institute for Global Justice offers yet another analysis of the Four Freedoms and their relevance three-quarters of a century later.

This is a two-and-a-half minute video edited from Paramount's archival film footage of FDR's "Four Freedoms" speech. Added bonus: it comes with an awesome summary of its influence on international human rights policy after World War II.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor directly led to U.S. involvement in World War II. Check out this newsreel from 1942 that documents the devastating aftereffects of the attack. Fair warning: it's not pretty.

Many reasons have been given for the decision to understate, if not hide, FDR's paralysis during his public appearances—all of which have been tested by time. As a result, media documentation of his disability is rare. In the early 2010s, a historian came upon film footage of a public appearance by FDR in which he is in his wheelchair. The clip is only eight seconds long, and regardless of how it's treated by the media, it's an important historical document.

What appears to be a riveting television series from the 1970s, Eleanor and Franklin chronicles the remarkably torrid personal lives of America's 32nd first family.

If you didn't get enough bitterness and resentment the first time around, the producers of Eleanor and Franklin graciously provided a sequel...Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years. Better dust off the VCR if you want to watch this one.

Got 30 minutes to kill? Then you're in luck because you can listen to the entirety of FDR's "Four Freedoms" speech…complete with the authentic popping and crackling sounds of early radio.

In this short but sweet audio clip, listen to FDR introduce the "great arsenal of democracy" and set the stage for the pro-interventionist policies he would promote a few weeks later during his 1941 State of the Union address.

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, FDR jumped back to the podium for yet another speech. The topic this time was a formal request of Congress to declare war on Japan, making this speech particularly infamous.

Franklin D. Roosevelt looked pretty much the same his entire life, even after four presidencies. Time magazine provides a short photographic tour of FDR looking fresh and dewy across the decades.

Don't think you'll make it to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park anytime soon? No problem, it has its own Instagram account. Look at all the smiling faces. Even Kanye likes it.

There's little doubt that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor changed the face of American history, but sometimes the events of World War II overshadow the changes that occurred on a more local level. Time scales down the focus of this tumultuous period to revisit the effects of the war and destruction on Hawaii.

Get into the nitty-gritty with a high-quality digital facsimile of FDR's reading copy of the "Four Freedoms" address. Notable details include stains, marginal notes, and scribbles that suggest last-minute edits. Also, the whole thing was written on a typewriter. No delete button there.