President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered this speech during a period of great uncertainty and global upheaval. The United Kingdom was engaged in World War II, fighting the forces of Nazi Germany, who had already invaded France, Denmark, Norway, and Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile, Japan, who had formed the Axis alliance with Germany and the fascist regime of Italy, had invaded French Indochina. The United States had not yet entered the war, but Roosevelt recognized the threat the advancing Axis alliance posed to the principles of democracy and freedom. The president understood the need to rally the nation and its allies against these forces of tyranny.

Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms Speech” must be analyzed within the historical context of the early stages of World War II. At the time, the US was grappling with the complex decision of whether to enter the war or maintain a stance of neutrality. The speech was a crucial turning point in shaping public opinion and mobilizing the nation for potential military involvement.

Roosevelt’s emphasis on the Four Freedoms—freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—spoke directly to the four underlying values of American democracy.