○  franklin d. roosevelt: the four freedoms  ○

franklin d. roosevelt: the four freedoms

mr. speaker, members of the 77^th congress:

i address you, the members of this new congress, at a moment unprecedented in the history of the union.  i use the word “unprecedented” because at no previous time has american security been as seriously threatened from without as it is today.

since the permanent formation of our government under the constitution in 1789, most of the periods of crisis in our history have related to our domestic affairs.  and, fortunately, only one of these—the four-year war between the states—ever threatened our national unity.  today, thank god, 130,000,000 americans in forty-eight states have forgotten points of the compass in our national unity.

it is true that prior to 1914 the united states often has been disturbed by events in other continents.  we have even engaged in two wars with european nations and in a number of undeclared wars in the west indies, in the mediterranean and in the pacific, for the maintenance of american rights and for the principles of peaceful commerce.  but in no case has a serious threat been raised

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