Roosevelt's Arsenal of Democracy Analysis
Roosevelt’s Arsenal of Democracy Analysis Throughout American history we have seen many great presidents as well as many bad presidents ingress the White House. All of our great presidents have revealed good moral values as well as a respectable system of beliefs. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established his American ethos heavily during his terms in office, particularly during World War II when he addressed the nation on the impending issue of national security in his speech entitled “The Great Arsenal of Democracy.” By weaving American ideals as well as the ideals put forth in the Declaration of Independence into his speech, Roosevelt establishes his credibility as a man of righteousness and honesty and emphasizes on his good character as well. The right to free trade with other nations is one of the greatest of the Declaration ideals emphasized in Roosevelt’s Great Arsenal of Democracy address. Roosevelt’s speech is centered solely on national security, a liberty guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence itself. It also is based on numerous other points in the Declaration. “The people of Europe who are defending themselves do not ask us to do their fighting. They ask us for the implements of war, the planes, the tanks, the guns, the freighters which will enable them to fight for their liberty and for our security” (Roosevelt 438). Roosevelt explains in his speech that America cannot just turn their heads and ignore what is happening in the east because it will eventually affect us directly here at home. He emphasizes that America needs to exercise their right to free trade with other nations by sending our allies on the offense war supplies, so we can indirectly aid those fighting for democracy, essentially creating an “arsenal of democracy.” Another point in the Declaration Roosevelt refers to is the right to protection from foreign mercenaries. At the time of this address, Nazi Germany had taken over numerous autonomous countries and had even
Cited: Roosevelt, Franklin Delano. “The Great Arsenal of Democracy.” Language Matters. Third ed. Southlake, Texas: Fountainhead, 2010. 433-42. Print.