Friday, December 28, 2012

How did Eisenhower's farewell speech relate to Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered what became known as the Four Freedoms Speech on January 6, 1941. It was officially his State of the Union address. In it, he delineated four freedoms that people everywhere had the right to enjoy. These included freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom from fear, and freedom from want. Roosevelt gave the speech less than a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II. His intention was to disengage the country from its isolationist policies and gather support for an effort to prepare to meet the imminent threat of foreign attack.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell speech on January 17, 1961. It relates to Roosevelt's speech in that it addresses threats to the nation in the aftermath of World War II. Roosevelt called for an increase in war preparations. Eisenhower, however, warned against the power of the military-industrial complex and its potential for excessive influence. He called for a return to balance in American life. Military spending had escalated radically during the Cold War with the development of new technologies to meet the Soviet threat. Eisenhower called for a balance of meeting military needs and civilian needs.
So, we can see that Roosevelt called for an escalation in military power and spending, while Eisenhower cautioned against continuing military escalation to the determent of individual liberties and other needs of American society. However, both speeches are concerned with freedoms that all people should have.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/franklin-d-roosevelt-speaks-of-four-freedoms

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/eisenhowers-farewell-speech-50-years-later-4356528/

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