Rockwell's "Four Freedoms" on Wikipedia front page Sunday

[alp227]

This was the featured article of the day on Wikipedia on Sunday:

The Four Freedoms is a series of four 1943 oil paintings by the American artist Norman Rockwell. The paintings—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear—are each approximately 45.75 inches (116.2 cm) × 35.5 inches (90 cm),[1] and are now in the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The four freedoms refer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's January 1941 Four Freedoms State of the Union address in which he identified essential human rights that should be universally protected.[2][3] The theme was incorporated into the Atlantic Charter,[4][5] and became part of the charter of the United Nations.[6] The paintings were reproduced in The Saturday Evening Post over four consecutive weeks in 1943, alongside essays by prominent thinkers of the day. They became the highlight of a touring exhibition sponsored by The Post and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The exhibition and accompanying sales drives of war bonds raised over $132 million.[7]

[longship]

1. Not Rockwell's. It's FDR's.

Here (clips from the whole speech):

The Rockwell paintings were a commemoration of FDR's address.

However, well played.

Here is the relevant text in its entirety (emphasis mine):

[65] Certainly this is no time for any of us to stop thinking about the social and economic problems which are the root cause of the social revolution which is today a supreme factor in the world.

[66] For there is nothing mysterious about the foundations of a healthy and strong democracy. The basic things expected by our people of their political and economic systems are simple. They are:

[67] Equality of opportunity for youth and for others.

[68] Jobs for those who can work.

[69] Security for those who need it.

[70] The ending of special privilege for the few.

[71] The preservation of civil liberties for all.

[72] The enjoyment . . . the enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living.

[73] These are the simple, the basic things that must never be lost sight of in the turmoil and unbelievable complexity of our modern world. The inner and abiding strength of our economic and political systems is dependent upon the degree to which they fulfill these expectations.

[74] Many subjects connected with our social economy call for immediate improvement.

[75] As examples:

[76] We should bring more citizens under the coverage of old-age pensions and unemployment insurance.

[77] We should widen the opportunities for adequate medical care.

[78] We should plan a better system by which persons deserving or needing gainful employment may obtain it.

[79] I have called for personal sacrifice. And I am assured of the willingness of almost all Americans to respond to that call.

[80] A part of the sacrifice means the payment of more money in taxes. In my Budget Message I will recommend that a greater portion of this great defense program be paid for from taxation than we are paying for today. No person should try, or be allowed, to get rich out of the program; and the principle of tax payments in accordance with ability to pay should be constantly before our eyes to guide our legislation.

[81] If the Congress maintains these principles, the voters, putting patriotism ahead of pocketbooks, will give you their applause.

[82] In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.

[83] The first is freedom of speech and expression–everywhere in the world.

[84] The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way–everywhere in the world.

[85] The third is freedom from want–which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants-everywhere in the world.

86] The fourth is freedom from fear–which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor–anywhere in the world.

[87] That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.

[88] To that new order we oppose the greater conception–the moral order. A good society is able to face schemes of world domination and foreign revolutions alike without fear.

[89] Since the beginning of our American history, we have been engaged in change–in a perpetual peaceful revolution–a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly adjusting itself to changing conditions–without the concentration camp or the quick-lime in the ditch. The world order which we seek is the cooperation of free countries, working together in a friendly, civilized society.

[90] This nation has placed its destiny in the hands and heads and hearts of its millions of free men and women; and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God. Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights and keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose.

This is one of the greatest speeches by any US President at any time in our country's history.

Thanks for posting the OP.
R&

[Jackpine Radical]

2. You're both right.

The Four Freedoms speech was Roosevelt's, the series of Rockwell paintings inspired by that speech is also rightly referred to as the Four Freedoms series.

[longship]

3. Just wanted to correct OP title.

Plus add sufficient context and verbiage to Rockwell's incredible paintings on the subject.

FDR was a truly great US President. This was one of his high points.

[Jackpine Radical]

4. On re-reading the OP, I see why you did that.

[longship]

5. Knowing the speech, I couldn't not correct it.

However, the paintings themselves tell a story, albeit incomplete without reading or hearing FDR saying them. And vice-versa.

The one makes the other obligatory.

Thanks, friend.

[Jim Lane]

6. Wikipedia has two separate articles, cross-linked of course.

There's a Wikipedia article titled "Four Freedoms" about FDR's speech (including a link to the full written text here), and another article, titled "Four Freedoms (Norman Rockwell)" about the paintings. It's the latter that was the Wikipedia featured article, as the OP stated.

The main "Four Freedoms" article has a section about "Other notable paintings". Rockwell's set is so famous that I never knew about several other artists who had been inspired by Roosevelt.

[longship]

7. Thank you very much.

I always knew about Rockwell's. Always good to find new things.



Best regards,
LS