President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) called together members of his administration so they could aid him in preparation for his January 6, 1941 annual address to Congress. Those relied upon by FDR were Harry Hopkins, Robert Sherwood, and Sam Rosenman all men were stalwarts of the New Deal era. Since 1933, Roosevelt invested millions of dollars, spoken immeasurable words, and instituted numerous economic initiatives all in an effort to end the Great Depression. Now, a mere eight years FDR would be forced to undertake an effort to defeat European tyranny and aid Great Britain the last bastion of democracy on the European continent. FDR prepared a speech in which he would attempt to rally the nation and instill in their collective conscience the possibility that the European war could find its way to the Western Hemisphere. Referred to as the “Four Freedoms speech”, FDR had the difficult task of asking Americans to increase military production in order to aid Great Britain and convince global leaders and American non-interventionists that he was not a merchant of war, but …show more content…
He endorsed and encouraged an American effort to promote and preserve democracy. In an endeavor to end isolationism FDR contended, “the historic truth is that the United States… has at all times maintain clear, definite opposition to any attempt to lock us behind an ancient Chinese wall why the procession of civilization went past.” FDR went on to speak about World War I. He advised that during that struggle there was only a small threat of danger to America’s future. However, he maintained that as the struggle of World War I continued the American people rationalized that the downfall of democratic nations could potentially lead to the downfall of their own democracy. Roosevelt went on to describe the current war in Europe as a battle for