The Four Freedoms Address

Special Holiday Broadcasts

English · Politics, History

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms Address is a landmark presidential speech outlining four freedoms he believed should be protected around the world: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Delivered to Congress, it presents these principles as a vision for a more secure and humane international order.

Rather than a dramatic radio story, this recording offers the direct experience of a public address: Roosevelt speaks to listeners in a measured, formal style, making the argument through clear statements and carefully framed ideals. The speech connects domestic concerns with the wider dangers facing the world at the time.

Its appeal lies in hearing the ideas in the speaker’s own voice and in their original historical setting. The address is concise, serious, and reflective, inviting listeners to consider how its four freedoms were defined and why they were presented as essential to lasting peace.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.