Primary
University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Human Rights Library: "The Four Freedoms"

For Students 9th - 10th
In his pivotal inaugural address in January 1941, FDR readies the nations for what he sees as our inevitable involvement in WWII. Read the full text of this infamous speech to understand the nation's mindset at this point in history.
Primary
American Rhetoric

American Rhetoric: Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "The Four Freedoms"

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the text and audio of President Franklin Roosevelt's speech to the 77th Congress entitled "The Four Freedoms" on January 6, 1941.
Primary
Teaching American History

Teaching American History: The Four Freedoms

For Students 9th - 10th
A transcribed portion of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to Congress on January 6, 1941.
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Freedom of Speech and Automatic Language

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Contains plans for four lessons that use the "Pledge of Allegiance" to discuss the concepts of freedom of speech and automatic language. Ties in well with novels that deal with First Amendment rights such as Laurie Halse Anderson's...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Arsenal of Democracy

For Students 5th - 8th
Although Americans remained isolationist in their thinking, President Roosevelt understood that the European allies needed help against the Germans. Read about the incremental ways America became involved in World War II in Europe...
Website
University of Virginia

Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: Franklin Delano Roosevelt

For Students 9th - 10th
Miller Center's American President project offers an exhaustive look at Franklin Delano Roosevelt the man, the politician, and national icon who guided the United States through the dark times of the Depression and World War II. Find his...
Activity
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Picturing America: Rockwell: Freedom of Speech [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Information about and analysis of a characteristic work by Norman Rockwell inspired by Franklin's state-of-the-union address delivered in 1941.
Unknown Type
University of Florida

Freedom of Speech: The First Amendment and the u.s. Constitution

For Students 9th - 10th
Interactive site outlines thoughts on the First Amendment from four founding fathers. Click on their faces to find an index reflecting their thoughts. From a student project at University of Florida.
Lesson Plan
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: America in Class: Expansion of Democracy During the Jacksonian Era

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Lesson where students explore the emergence of the American system of democracy and political parties between 1820 and 1850. Using paintings by George Caleb Bingham and Richard Caton Woodville, and a political cartoon depicting the...