"Four Freedoms" by Franklin Roosevelt (1941): List 4

In January of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined the basic freedoms that, in his view, America represented. Almost a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR warned of the dangers from dictatorships and of the need for America to prepare to defend itself.

This list covers vocabulary in paragraphs 55-91 of the speech.
15 words 122 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. intimidated
    made scared or fearful as by threats
    In fulfillment of this purpose we will not be intimidated by the threats of dictators that they will regard as a breach of international law or as an act of war our aid to the democracies which dare to resist their aggression.
  2. breach
    act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
    In fulfillment of this purpose we will not be intimidated by the threats of dictators that they will regard as a breach of international law or as an act of war our aid to the democracies which dare to resist their aggression.
  3. unilaterally
    by means of one part or party
    Such aid is not an act of war, even if a dictator should unilaterally proclaim it so to be.
  4. proclaim
    be an indication of; make known or apparent
    Such aid is not an act of war, even if a dictator should unilaterally proclaim it so to be.
  5. mutuality
    a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities
    Their only interest is in a new one-way international law, which lacks mutuality in its observance, and, therefore, becomes an instrument of oppression.
  6. stamina
    enduring strength and energy
    Those who man our defenses and those behind them who build our defenses must have the stamina and the courage which come from unshakable belief in the manner of life which they are defending.
  7. fiber
    attributes that determine one's moral and ethical actions
    Those things have toughened the fiber of our people, have renewed their faith and strengthened their devotion to the institutions we make ready to protect.
  8. devotion
    commitment to some purpose
    Those things have toughened the fiber of our people, have renewed their faith and strengthened their devotion to the institutions we make ready to protect.
  9. civil
    of or relating to or befitting citizens as individuals
    The preservation of civil liberties for all.
  10. turmoil
    violent agitation
    These are the simple, the basic things that must never be lost sight of in the turmoil and unbelievable complexity of our modern world.
  11. accordance
    concurrence or agreement of opinion
    No person should try, or be allowed to get rich out of the program, and the principle of tax payments in accordance with ability to pay should be constantly before our eyes to guide our legislation.
  12. millennium
    a span of 1000 years
    That is no vision of a distant millennium.
  13. antithesis
    exact opposite
    That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so called “new order” of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.
  14. perpetual
    continuing forever or indefinitely
    Since the beginning of our American history we have been engaged in change, in a perpetual, peaceful revolution, a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly, adjusting itself to changing conditions without the concentration camp or the quicklime in the ditch.
  15. destiny
    the circumstances or condition to which someone is fated
    This nation has placed its destiny in the hands and heads and hearts of its millions of free men and women; and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God.
Created on Wed Jun 04 11:59:55 EDT 2025 (updated Wed Jun 04 12:29:57 EDT 2025)

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