Roosevelt Identifies the Four Freedoms - Essay Example

World War Two Roosevelt Identifies the ‘Four Freedoms’ at Stake in the War- 1941 The First essay to be analyzed is that of Roosevelt identifying the ‘four freedoms’ which were at stake in the Second World War in 1941. At first Roosevelt noted the expectations by the US people of both the economic and the political systems. The expectations included equal opportunities of work for the youth as well as others so long as the concerned could work, the termination of special treatments to the few, security for the deserving, civil liberty for the entire population and lastly, the equal distribution of the technological progress by way of improving standards of living. To ensure that there was improvement of the social economy of the US, there had to be personal sacrifice. The personal sacrifice would be realized through payment of higher taxes funds. Also for sustainable development, the globe should have been founded upon vital freedoms of humans. The first of the four freedoms was that of expression and speech, freedom of worship, freedom from fear and freedom from want. According to this essay, a society that is good should have been in a position to face global domination schemes as well as foreign revolutions with no fear portrayed. The order of the world being sought as per the essay is that of cooperation as far as free nations was concerned, working as a friendly unit and as a society displaying civilization. (The ordeal of world war II, pp 228-230) A Japanese American Recalls the Effect of Internment on Family Unity, 1942 The second essay is essay number five about a Japanese American reminiscing the impact of internment upon the unity of Family in 1942. As per the essay in 1942, the department of war took change of camps in entirety. Afterwards, machines of sewing were brought into the barracks and these barracks became transformed into a factory of clothing. Because of the bad conditions in the kitchens food got most of the soldiers sick with diseases like typhoid and other stomach ailments. The essay also says that the conditions of toilets were deplorable, that inside them, the floors were covered with human excrement and blocked bowls. All the toilet blocks were housed in similarly designed building blocks. Inside the toilet blocks, they were built in a similar type of design in ten camps. These camps ran from the California area all the way to Arkansas. Each block was a room that was totally open, built on a slab of concrete. Sinks were usually a metal trough that was long, put against a single wall and a spigots’ row with both hot as well as cold water. In the center of a room were a dozen toilet bowls arranged in pairs of six and these were characterized by back to back pairs without partitions. Since there were no partitions, the order of the day was big cartons being put by persons who wanted privacy in the toilets. This way of privacy was especially common in 1942. In the mess halls, dinner tables were large wooden tables that would sit a dozen or thirteen individuals. Later this would lead to people not eating as family-units. The recommendation for families to eat together later came and this was not liked by many since they had fallen into the habit of taking meals with friends. But it was in vain. Family units caved in. Most of these families did not come together again until subsequent to the war. (The ordeal of world war II, pp231-233) Firsthand Account of the War According to the notes written by an African American soldier, there was a “strange paradox” during the Second World War. These notes were as per 1944. He wrote that the goal of the United Nations in this clash was of the world to ensure a world free of aggression and tyranny, one which had its base on equality freedom as well as justice. These were to surpass color, race or creed and all persons would be entitled to honor, dignity and peace. However, America was spoilt in this war and instead the portrayal was paradoxical. The troops from the USA were to fight to achieve democracy over the entire globe. But this army was deep within itself showing a great deal of lack of democracy. The Negro soldiers received few opportunities and this was for instance 10% of the whole participation. The army of the US went against the stipulations by fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC). Negros were offered the lowest ranks in the army. On the base, it was quite evident that the Negro soldiers were segregated. For example, the facilities of housing for the Negros in the barracks were covered with tar papers which were black in color while their white counterparts had their base painted in a white color. Medical men from the Negros’ side were a mere 4% on the Negros’ section C and of these 50% were not to take part in the direct fighting. This Negro soldier was specifically calling for the allowance of negros in the battle field to be let to take part in every section upon the war base like fighting men unlike the then existing case where negros acted as house keepers in section C. Section C was a segregated section. This particular part was written by a Negro soldier as a letter addressed to the then president Franklin Roosevelt and his name was Charles Wilson. (Major Problems In American History, pp 234, 235) As per the firsthand account by a German soldier, from the year 1935 the German Armed Forces’ service was a compulsory issue. Most of the soldiers in the Second World War took part in the service as conscripts. Majority of those who enrolled in the army chose the navy or the air force. The preconditions of serving in the Armed Forces were that one had to be both mentally as well as physically fit coupled with the absence of a serious record of crime and the last requirement was that one had to be a German national. The society of Germany was highly militarized and thus joining the army was not seen as a way of civil liberties infringement. Military service was viewed by most Germans as a proud and honourable undertaking to the German state as well as its population. German soldiers were for example treated differently from civilians and they were ranked highly with regards to social esteem. This was because the state of Germany defined the service in the military formally as an honourable duty rather than an obligation. Few recruits into the armed forces volunteered for this service prior to their being called up. Due to the knowledge that they possessed some would volunteer due to patriotism reasons, peer or family pressure to play their role. Most of the men that were called for the military service would receive some training before joining the military training. May of these recruits had already gone through a six-month labor service term. (Hart, et al, 2000 pp7, 8) Also, there were firsthand reports of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings. This is as will be seen in his letter titled, “A Pageant of Clouds and Light.” It was about a man who found his friend alive on the August 7th night of 1945. As part of the letter, this friend was standing at Hatchobori while the author of the letter was just near Mukainada- walking to Hiroshima city. The morning was fine, sultry and calm just like Hiroshima area is always like. The sunlight of a midsummer morning was high in the sky. The air-raid alert had just been lifted in thirty minutes or one hour’s time and this man was walking lackadaisically along the pavement of the road that was now dusty. He was on the eastern side of the bridge of Shin’ozu. The man just stopped at the bridge and looked towards the sea. Through this, he saw some shimmering waves, he saw a big bluish white light flash just like it happens when a photographer lights a magnesium dish. The right-hand side of this man, over the city of Hiroshima the sky split open. He fell on his face and lay steady. (Ogura, 2001 p15) Work Cited: Hart, Stephen, Hart, Russell and Hughes, Matthew. The German soldier in World War II. Zenith Imprint. Edition illustrated., 2000. Ogura, Toyofumi. Letters from the End of the World: A Firsthand Account of the Bombing of Hiroshima. Kodansha International. Edition illustrated, 2001. Read More