Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms address was more than a great speech. The way FDR framed what Americans fought for during World War II--specifically for freedom of speech, freedom from want, freedom of religion and freedom from fear--and the way our understanding of those freedoms has evolved over time, helped define how Americans conceived of themselves from the 1940s to our present day.

Introduction ; Ch 1 Freedom of Speech- Linda Eades, Southern Methodist University ; Ch 2 Freedom from Want- Matthew Jones, London School of Economics ; Ch 3 Freedom of Religion- Tisse Wenger, Yale University ; Ch 4 Freedom from Fear- Frank Costigliola, University of Connecticut ; Ch 5 The Afterlives of the Four Freedoms- William Hitchcock, University of Virginia ; Photo essay ; Bibliography ; Index

"As the first-class contributors of this volume argue, there is something even more genuinely American than the concept of freedom itself. That is the idea of the Four Freedoms, as president Franklin D. Roosevelt expounded it at the beginning of 1941....The book surely remains a milestone for those, students and scholars, who intend to dig deeper into FDR's rhetoric, political acumen, and complex worldview, but it also represents a good source for those who are interested in the origins and development of the American century, as well as in the rise and fall of the American empire."--Dario Fazzi, European Journal for American Studies "[I]lluminates Roosevelt's 'contribution' to the 'evolution and import of freedom as a concept and as an ideological tool' and examines how those ideas were contested, implemented, altered, limited, and abandoned in both the United States and across the world (p. 13)."--Richard F. Hamm, H-FedHist "The book is well conceived and should be of interest to academic specialists and accessible for advanced undergraduates .Contributors tackle their topics with depth and skill, making this book a welcome addition to the canon on FDR and his legacy."--Margaret C. Rung, History "This stellar collection demonstrates the centrality of FDR's Four Freedoms to America's domestic political regimes and its place in the international order from 1941 to the present day. The incisive essays examine how the meaning of these freedoms changed over time and which of Roosevelt's hopes were left unfulfilled. Indispensable to any serious student of modern America and any observer of contemporary politics."--Anthony J. Badger, author of FDR: The First Hundred Days "The concept of freedom is endemic to the American creed but its meaning has long been subject to interpretation. Jeffrey Engel's cogent and incisive The Four Freedoms examines the seminal importance of Franklin Roosevelt's expression of freedom as an American ideal--delivered at a crossroads in our history--and what it means to our nation and the world today."--Mark K. Updegrove, director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library "Four Freedoms recaptures the context and significance of Roosevelt's commitment to this iconic set of values. Offered during a time of international strife, the vision outlined by FDR transcended that immediate context. The authors of this volume illuminate how and why this moral vision and its universalistic language framed America's self-image long after the end of World War II."--Brian Balogh, author of The Associational State: American Governance in the Twentieth Century and co-host of Backstory with the American History Guys "Exemplary."--H-Net "[A] thoughtful book."--Foreign Affairs

Selling point: Includes seven essays by top scholars, including a photo essay on visual representations of the Four Freedoms Selling point: Explains how the quest for universal freedom has animated American actions overseas since 1941 while simultaneously inspiring much of the global opposition to American power by those with a vastly different sense of the kinds of freedom they desire Selling point: Argues that the freedom from want FDR aimed to provide for the American people was replaced over time by protection of freedom of the marketplace, which has helped produce today's income equality

Jeffrey A. Engel is founding director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. He has authored or edited nine books on American foreign policy, including Cold War at 30,000 Feet: The Anglo-American Fight for Aviation Supremacy, The China Diary of George H.W. Bush: The Making of a Global President, The Fall of the Berlin Wall: The Revolutionary Legacy of 1989, and Into the Desert: Reflections on the Gulf War.

Selling point: Includes seven essays by top scholars, including a photo essay on visual representations of the Four Freedoms Selling point: Explains how the quest for universal freedom has animated American actions overseas since 1941 while simultaneously inspiring much of the global opposition to American power by those with a vastly different sense of the kinds of freedom they desire Selling point: Argues that the freedom from want FDR aimed to provide for the American people was replaced over time by protection of freedom of the marketplace, which has helped produce today's income equality