Similarities Between Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Speech And The Bill Of Rights

Before the Four Freedoms Speech and the Bill of Rights were published, not only
Americans, but people from all over the world lived without any established rights. In Franklin
Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Speech he states that he looks forward to, “a world founded upon
four essential human freedoms.” Though the Bill of Rights had already been adopted, there were
still other countries that still did not grant their people civil rights.
The Bill of Rights was published December 15th, 1791 and granted civil rights to all
people, and protected individuals rights. Before the Bill of Rights was released Federalist argued
that it was not needed in the constitution. Once the Bill of Rights was ratified it became very
important for people, due to the Constitution

not providing many rights for individuals. The Bill
of Rights was not only beneficial to the people, but it also inspired many thinkers such as
Franklin Roosevelt.
150 years after the Bill of Rights was published Roosevelt released his speech, “Four
Freedoms” in this speech the four freedoms he lists are similar to the amendments we see in the
Bill of Rights. His first request is, “The first is freedom of speech and expression —everywhere
in the world.” This freedom is a restatement of the first amendment granting religious freedom,
as well as freedom of speech. The third freedom he states has a close relation to the eighth
amendment. In his third freedom he states, “The third is freedom from want—which, translated
into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy
peacetime life for its inhabitants— everywhere in the world.” This amendment states that bails
and fines will be given according to the crime, and not as punishment. The fourth freedom is,
“freedom from fear” which correlates to the rest of the amendments listed in the Bill of Rights.
Both writers of these documents knew that there needed to be a change in society, and
that individuals rights needed to be protected. Both of these documents helped form America,
and influenced other nations. The writers of these documents knew that Americans needed their
rights to be protected, and made local and global changes that still affect the world today.