Compare And Contrast Four Freedom And Kennedy's Inaugural Address

Many things can change in twenty years, there is evidence of this idea throughout our entire history, especially during the time when Franklin D. Roosevelt was President in 1941 as well as the time when John F. Kennedy was President in 1961. Both Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech and Kennedy’s Inaugural Address discussed the concept of freedom. However Roosevelt’s speech approached the concept of freedom by wanting Americans to support the allies in the war that was about to start whereas Kennedy’s speech approached the concept of freedom by making peace with others.
Times were very different for America in 1941, especially since Americas security was in serious danger, a danger America has never experienced before (Roosevelt, 269). It had

been twenty-two years since World War I and two years since World War II had begun, so America had several disturbed events with several different countries by this time (Ends and ends, 2018). By the time World War II approached Roosevelt gave a speech to try to get the American people to support allies in the war. This way, the overall outcome of America’s security could be improved for the time being, as well as the future too. On the other hand, times were much different twenty years later for President Kennedy.
As I had mentioned before, times were very different in 1941.

They were also very different in 1961 when John F. Kennedy was president. During this time there were people riding buses down into the South to end segregation, the first man landed on the moon, the Bay of Pigs invasion occured and Kennedy also sent troops into Vietnam (Taylor, 2018). So at this time during Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, there had been a history of wars and battles before and during his time as President. This gave Kennedy much reason to give a speech to assure America that we as a nation will possess freedom by making peace with others, instead of participating in more conflicts. Kennedy had his own meaning behind his reasons for giving this speech to America at that time, in contrast Roosevelt also had his own meaning behind his reasons for giving his “Four Freedoms” Speech to America as

well.
The meaning of freedom in Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech was that America was in a place where it was very dangerous. Roosevelt knew he needed to take action and speak to America, so he convinced America to support allies in World War II that was approaching. For example, Roosevelt mentioned in his speech, “Therefore as your President, performing my constitutional duty to ‘give to the Congress information of the State of the Union,’ I find it, unhappily, necessary to report that the future and the safety of our country and of our democracy are overwhelmingly involved in events far beyond our borders,” by this he is assuring America that no conflicts in our nation will be involved with our allies. On the contrary, Kennedy had no interest in America fighting anymore wars or battles so his meaning behind his “Inaugural Address” speech was much different than Roosevelt’s.
The meaning of freedom in Kennedy’s Inaugural Address speech was addressing global peace and trying to find the easiest and most peaceful way to achieve it.

For example, Kennedy mentioned in paragraph eleven, “To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support---to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective---to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak---and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run,” by saying this he was assuring America that peace with other countries is the answer to the problems occuring throughout the nation during that

time.
In conclusion, both Roosevelt Four Freedoms Speech and Kennedy's Inaugural Address both discussed the concept of freedom throughout their speeches. However, Roosevelt's speech discussed the concept of freedom in a different way than Kennedy did in his Inaugural address due to the fact that the times were very different in both speeches. Although both Presidents were looking out for what was best for America during those specific times, they both had very different meanings and ways of doing so. For example Roosevelt wanted America to support all of the allies in World War II at the time whereas Kennedy wanted America to support the idea of making peace with everyone and not taking part in anymore wars or battles. In other words, both President Kennedy and President Roosevelt used their voices to speak to America in very different ways, all to better the nation. As Malala Yousafzai once said, “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”