Rhetorical Analysis Of The Four Freedoms

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On January 6th, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his eighth State of the Union address to Congress, known as the speech of the “Four Freedoms.” The purpose of this speech was to persuade Americans to shift their attention from the Axis threat to the British and allied troops in desperate need of support. During the time of this address, America was in a great state of isolationism. The majority of Americans sought to disassociate themselves from any foreign ties, including wars. “Policies to curb immigration quotas and increase tariffs on imported goods were implemented, and a series of Neutrality Acts passed in the 1930’s limited American arms and munitions assistance abroad” (“The Four Freedoms”1). However, President Roosevelt successfully delivered his message that every country is deserving of the four …show more content…

He requested that everyone support his “Lend-Lease” program, which granted Allies free access to United States munitions (“The Four Freedoms”1). Most importantly, he expressed his opinion of what the world should be like, “a world attainable in our own time and generation, and founded upon four essential human freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear” (“The Four Freedoms 1”). In addition, Roosevelt’s speech spread hope throughout the entire world during World War II. The “Four Freedoms” was the main reason why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was developed. “The Declaration was drafted over two years by the Commission on Human Rights, chaired by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.” (“The Four Freedoms” 1). It was adopted on December 10, 1948 and is known to be “one of the most widely translated documents in the world” (“The Four Freedoms” 1). This declaration insists that all rights be upheld by governments and people to secure basic human rights (“The Four Freedoms”

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