Comparing Roosevelt's Four Freedoms And Bill Of Rights
In his "Four Freedoms" speech, President Franklin Roosevelt cited four different rights that he considered to be freedoms that every human has: the freedom of speech, the freedom of religious worship, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear. Although he did not take these freedoms directly from the Bill of Rights, there are several similarities between the rights listed by Roosevelt and the rights listed in the U.S. Constitution. First of all, the first freedom presented by the president, the freedom of speech, resembles the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, which states that "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right...to assemble, and to petition the Government." Both inherently convey the idea that every human has the right to say and express anything they want. Likewise, both Roosevelt's second freedom and
…show more content…
While the U.S. Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," President Roosevelt asserts that "every person" has the freedom "to worship God in his own way." Although there is a slight difference in wording (which will be discussed later), both sources primarily pose the same concept of religious freedom to all. Lastly, the speech's fourth freedom is partially similar to the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which claims that all have the right to be protected from "cruel and unusual punishment," which would be considered a form of the aggression mentioned in the fourth freedom of the president's speech.
Besides the above similarities given, Roosevelt's speech and the Bill of Rights have multiple differences. Firstly, the main discrepancy between the speech and the Constitution is the fact that Roosevelt speaks of his four freedoms as the rights of all people everywhere, whereas the Bill of Rights implies that rights listed apply only to American citizens (as it is a
While the U.S. Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," President Roosevelt asserts that "every person" has the freedom "to worship God in his own way." Although there is a slight difference in wording (which will be discussed later), both sources primarily pose the same concept of religious freedom to all. Lastly, the speech's fourth freedom is partially similar to the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which claims that all have the right to be protected from "cruel and unusual punishment," which would be considered a form of the aggression mentioned in the fourth freedom of the president's speech.
Besides the above similarities given, Roosevelt's speech and the Bill of Rights have multiple differences. Firstly, the main discrepancy between the speech and the Constitution is the fact that Roosevelt speaks of his four freedoms as the rights of all people everywhere, whereas the Bill of Rights implies that rights listed apply only to American citizens (as it is a