FDR's Four Freedoms

I may almost be done grading the question about "among" in the D of C and I'll comment on the responses at some point, but I though 2301s might be interested in FDR's proposal in his 1941 State of the Union address that people everywhere in the world ought to enjoy four freedoms:

Freedom of speech and expression
Freedom of worshipFreedom from want
Freedom from fear

Click here for audio of the speech.

The first two are familiar to us, but the other two are novel. What are we to make of them? They remind me of the Churchill quote we read where he stated the advantages of civilization. Perhaps they contain freedoms from want and fear. 

What is civilized society? “It means a society based on the opinions of civilians. It means that violence, the rule of warriors and despotic chiefs, the conditions of camps and warfare, of riot and tyranny, give place to parliaments where laws are made, and independent courts of justice in which over long periods those laws are maintained. That is civilization – and in its soil grow continually freedom, comfort and culture. When Civilization reigns in any country, a wider and less harassed life is afforded to the masses of the people.”

Scorpions

Another extra credit option. A book detailing the personalities FDR placed on the court. A review from Slate.

Spokes in the Wheel?

Commentators have been making preliminary comparisons between Obama and FDR. We have no idea how appropriate these comparisons will be, but in one area it seems to have merit. Roosevelt was known for surrounding himself the smartest people he could find -- the brain trust -- placing himself at the center of their deliberations, decide whose argument was most persuasive, and use that to establish policy. Obama seems to be doing the same.

From Slate's Today's Papers:

As part of Obama's effort to put together "the best minds in America" to deal with the current economic crisis, the president-elect appointed former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker as chairman of his new Economic Recovery Advisory Board. This means there will be five different Washington entities trying to come up with solutions to the crisis. It's already well-known that Obama likes to be surrounded by expert advisers, but in a front-page piece, the WP says that putting so many head-strong people together will test the president-elect's crisis-management skills. Obama has to make sure that "his surplus of smarts does not become too much of a good thing," as the Post puts it, because having too many people battling for a chance to get their views across to the president could create a management nightmare.