The Look of Freedom - Annotated Bibliography Example

The Look of Freedom Material for Presentation Internet Sources Roosevelt, Franklin D. The Four Freedoms: Delivered to the 77th Congress on January 6,1941. American Rhetoric, Top 100 Speeches. Web. March 3, 2012 As the world was engaged in the Second World War, Roosevelt’s speech to the 77th Congress on January 6, 1941 identified four essential human freedoms necessary for ensuring peace and security. The four fundamental human freedoms are: freedom of expression and speech, freedom of religion and conscience, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. According to Roosevelt, freedom is aligned with a global recognition of a universal standard of human rights. The US will continue to pledge its support for those who engender toward fighting for human rights everywhere and those who uphold human rights. Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms. The Saturday Evening Post. February 20 to March 13, 1943. Best Norma Rockwell Art. Web. March 30, 2012. Inspired by Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms Speech to the 77 Congress in 1941, Norman Rockwell created his own illustration of the four freedoms in a series of posters that first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post during the Second World War in 1943. Rockwell essentially painted illustrations of Roosevelt’s four freedoms. Each of the essays was accompanied by essays expressing thoughts that resonated with the images created by Rockwell. The four paintings were pictures of everyday Americans going about the business of exercising their four freedoms and were obviously intended to convey the message that the four freedoms are automatic in the US. Roosevelt responded to the four Rockwell paintings by sending Rockwell a letter in which he stated: I think you have done a superb job in bringing home to the plain, everyday citizen, the plain, everyday truths behind the Four Freedoms (Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms 2012) In other words, Rockwell gave expression to the fundamental human freedoms identified by Roosevelt in such a way that helped Americans appreciate how freedom enabled their everyday lives. Rockwell’s poster Freedom of Speech depicts an ordinary man standing at a podium obviously given a speech amidst other citizens who are respectfully listening. Rockwell’s Freedom of Worship depicts a family attending church. Freedom from Want depicts a family sitting down for meal. Freedom from Fear depicts parents standing over children who have been put to bed for the night. United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1948. Web. March 30, 2012. When the Second World War ended, the United Nations was formed and the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights was implemented in 1948. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights echoed the primary thoughts of Roosevelt’s four pillars of freedom as follows: Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people... (UN Declaration of Human Rights 1948) Thus, the covenants relative to the protection of human rights are prefaced by the Roosevelt’s four pillars of freedom. Lickerman, Alex. “Happiness in this World: Reflections of a Buddhist Physician.” Psychology Today. Web. March 30, 2012. Images of the American Flag symbolize freedom globally. America, thus, stands as a symbol of freedom of the press, religion, speech and so on. Americans have demonstrated a willingness to not only fight for the freedom of Americans, but also for others whose freedom is threatened or denied. Freedom, however, is not “absolute” (Lickerman 2012). Freedom to do as one wants is attached to caveats. The most important caveat is that freedom to do as one likes ends when it infringes upon the freedom of another. Thus, freedom is tempered by reference to the kind of order that is necessary for sustaining peace, security and the pursuit of happiness in a democratic society. American Bald Eagle Information. “The Bald Eagle – An American Emblem.” Web. March 30, 2012. Images of the bald eagle have become synonymous with freedom for Americans. Congress selected the bald eagle as a national emblem on June 20, 1782. The bald eagle has since appeared on gold coins, the silver dollar, the half dollar and the quarter with its wings splayed out in a symbolic gesture of freedom. The bald eagle was selected for its longevity, strength and “majestic looks” (American Bald Eagle Information 2012). The bald eagle was also chosen as a national emblem because it is an apt reflection of what freedom looks like. The eagle lives at the top of mountains “amid the solitary grandeur of nature” and has “unlimited freedom” in that the eagle “with strong pinions” soars above the valleys, or soars skyward “into boundless spaces beyond” (American Bald Eagle Information 2012). Redstone, Julie. “Message of the Statue of Liberty: The Promise of the Golden Door.” (n.d.). Web. March 30, 2012. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes both hope and freedom and was a gift to the US in 1886 by France in tribute to their shared friendship. However, the Statue of Liberty is said to be a beacon of light and freedom to the world. She stands facing the world, with a freedom torch burning a hope flame and, thus, holds promise for the future. The image portrayed by the Statue of Liberty is “strength, majesty and hope” all of which are “visible in her eternally raised right arm which carries the torch of freedom” (Redstone 2012). Key, Francis Scott. The Star Spangled Banner Lyrics. 1814. Web. March 30, 2012. Oh, say can you see by the dawns early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilights last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, Oer the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave Oer the land of the free and the home of the brave? On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foes haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, oer the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the mornings first beam, In full glory reflected now shines in the stream: Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave Oer the land of the free and the home of the brave! And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battles confusion, A home and a country should leave us no more! Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave Oer the land of the free and the home of the brave! Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved home and the wars desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heavn rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust." And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave Oer the land of the free and the home of the brave! Independence Hall. International Symbol of Freedom. National Park Service US Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Web. March 30, 2012. Independence Hall is a national symbol of freedom and democracy. Formerly the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, Independence Hall is the place where the founding fathers met and took a determined stand against restrictions on freedom. It is at the Independence Hall where the founding fathers provided the national framework for US freedom and democracy as reflected in their Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The influential words are as follows: We hold these truths to be self-evidence, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. (Independence Hall: International Symbol of Freedom n. d.) Literature Review Evans, Medford Stanton. The Theme is Freedom: Religion, Politics, and the American Tradition. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 1994. Print. Freedom is defined as “the absence of coercion” (Evans 1994, p. 23). Freedom, therefore, means freedom without coercion only insofar as the “absence of freedom” is “feasible in organized society”; individuals are able to act voluntarily as opposed to being “forced to do things” (Evans, 1994, p. 23). By analogy, an individual who acts of his own free will is free while someone who acts under threat of harm is not acting on his or her own free will. Freedom to act on one’s own free will however is limited to the extent that acting on one’s free will ends when the outcome is oppressive to another. Thus, freedom must be seen as a mutual and shared right. Hoekema, David. Rights and Wrongs: Coercion, Punishment, and the State. Cranbury, NJ: Associated Presses, 1986. Print. Freedom cannot be satisfactorily defined by reference to the individual’s own wishes or wants. Ultimately, individual’s wants and wishes will often be contradictory and can create tensions with others in the wider society. Freedom is best understood in terms of ability. An individual may be free to do or not to do certain things, but may be unable to do those things or refrain from doing those things. For instance, an individual may be free to play the piano, but is unable to do so. Thus, there are several components of freedom: free will, freedom to act, free spirit and so on. However, each of these freedoms is tempered by practicalities, abilities and the need to maintain order in society. Frederick, Denny. “The Limits to Individual Freedom: Why the Principle of Rights is Better than Those of Harm, Cost, Pareto or Coercion.” Philosophical Notes No. 44, 1997, p. 1-8. Print. Libertarians, the strongest advocates for individual freedoms, agree that individual freedom does not correspond with the freedom to do whatever one desires regardless of its impact on others. Thus, it is largely agreed that individual freedoms must have limits. Thus, freedom should be limited by three principles: the harm principle, the cost principle and the Pareto principle. The harm principle dictates that individual’s freedom should prevail unless and until that freedom harms others. The cost principle limits freedom so that freedom ends when it imposes a cost to others. The Pareto principle recognizes that freedom ends when it reducing the freedom of another. Sokol, Jan. “What Does Freedom Look Like?” Neurodocrinology Letters, Vol. 25(3), 2004, p. 159-163. Print. The best knowledge of what freedom is comes when freedom is lacking or missing altogether. Experiencing the removal of barriers to freedom and coercion is to experience freedom. Even so, freedom once experienced is the freedom to choose among several opportunities or possibilities. Thus, the mere fact that freedom involves the ability to choose from among several opportunities or possibilities means that freedom is limited. It forces the individual to weigh options and outcomes and indicates that the individual is not free to pursue every possibility. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing as the individual would be bereft of freedom if there were no choices. Having choices indicates only that the individual’s freedom is limited for practical purposes. Donohue, Kathleen. Freedom from Want: American Liberalism and the Idea of the Consumer. Baltimore, MD: The John Hopkins University Press, 2003. Print. Roosevelt’s 1941 identification of the four pillars of freedom was not a novel concept. During the 17th century, liberalist John Locke argued that individuals formed civil societies as a means for ensuring that they lived free of fear. In the 18th century, freedom of speech and religion was introduced into Western political ideology. Therefore, it was Roosevelt’s fourth freedom; namely, freedom from want that entered into the universal language of freedom. With the introduction of freedom from want, many classical libertarians questioned its utility and wondered whether or not it would deny others the inherent freedom to reap the fruits of their own labor. However, freedom from want was not a covenant imposed on the individual, but a state obligation to create political and social frameworks enabling individuals to work and those who could not work to obtain state support and aid. Annan, Koffi. “In Larger Freedom: Decision Time at the UN.” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 84(3), 2005, p. 63-74. Print. Freedom from fear looks different to people depending on perceived threats to safety and security reside. For instance, in New York, Ground Zero represents a threat to freedom from fear. To an orphan in Malawi, threats to freedom from fear is represented by the fact that the orphan’s parents were lost to AIDS. Still, an Indonesian’s freedom from fear is colored by losing his family and his village to a tsunami. For a Darfur resident, fear is represented by “murderous militias” and “bombing raids” (Annan 2005, p. 63). Thus, freedom from fear is not a universal ideology as different experiences shape perceptions of threats to freedom and colors what freedom from fear looks like to different people. Johnson, M. G. “The Contributions of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt to the Development of International Protection for Human Rights.” Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 9(1), 1987, p. 19-48. Print In Roosevelt’s State of the Union Message (1941), he spoke of freedom and aligned it with “the supremacy of human rights everywhere” (Johnson 1987, p. 19). Roosevelt’s freedom and human rights analysis had a moral dimension. According to Roosevelt, the US had placed its destiny in the hands and head of its millions of free men and women; and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God (Johnson 1987, p. 19). Thus, for Roosevelt, freedom was perceived as a shared responsibility among mankind and between governments. It was not about individual self-serving freedoms, but freedoms that respected and accepted the rights of others to be safe and happy. Kent, George. Freedom from Want: The Human Right to Adequate Food. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2005. Print. It is a clearly established universal human right that all individuals are entitled to freedom from want and as such have an intrinsic right to “adequate food” (Kent 2005, p. 15). Freedom from want which emanates from Roosevelt’s four freedoms, is deeply entrenched in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN’s International Covenant on Econoic, Social and Cultural Rights. World hunger will not be adequately resolved unless and until freedom from want is seriously adopted by all states and conditions enabling all mankind to have the facilities to provide food are created and maintained. Read More