Four Freedoms

Four Freedoms. by Norman Rockwell. , Freedom of Speech . Freedom of Worship , Freedom from Want . Freedom from Fear, This park, "Freedom Park" embodies the spirit of "Four Freedoms" by Norman Rockwell. Elements of the park were designed to reflect each of the Freedoms. The stage and amphitheater represent "Freedom of Speech," the church to the East of the park reflects "Freedom of Worship" and the "Freedom from Want" is represented by the Farmer's Market which takes place on the west side of the park. "Freedom from Fear" is symbolized across Main Street in "Veterans Memorial Plaza" where branches of military service are recognized and our Veterans are honored. These representations serve as a reminder to all that we are a community thankful for these four essential human freedoms and thankful for those who have served to protect their endurance. , "In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms., The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world., The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world., The third is freedom from want - which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants - everywhere in the world., The fourth freedom is freedom from fear-which translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor - anywhere in the world." , President Franklin D. Roosevelt, January 6, 1941, After President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his State of the Union Address on January 6, 1941, all Americans knew our country was gearing up to assist our allies in Europe to thwart Hitler in his march across Europe. Roosevelt wanted Americans to understand this aggression would not stop on the shores of our allies. He asked for everyone to understand sacrifices would be called for from Congress, industry and all citizens. Part of that speech helped give Americans a simple but powerful understanding of principles he believed all human beings - here and across the world should have., Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) was an American artist who had enjoyed world-wide success and in the spring of 1942, he felt compelled to do his part for the war effort. He decided he wanted to interpret the "Four Freedoms" with his paintings. "It was so darned high-blown" Rockwell said, "Somehow I just couldn't get my mind around it.", He prepared rough sketches using his own hometown experiences with every day simple scenes, such as his own town meetings to give perspective to the President's words. He took off to Washington, to meet with the Ordnance Department to pitch his poster idea. He had just completed a commission for the Department and was hoping they would fund this work. The timing was off; they were out of money., On the way home to Vermont, Rockwell made a stop at Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of The Saturday Evening Post, and showed his sketches to editor Ben Hibbs. The editor immediately made plans for the use of the illustrations in The Saturday Evening Post., Delays occurred in their completion due to Rockwell's stage fright. "It was a job that should have been tackled by Michelangelo," he said in a New Yorker interview three years later. , The paintings made an instant connection with Americans and people across the world. After the Post publication, requests for reprints topped 25,000. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Post announced a joint campaign to sell war bonds and stamps. An exhibition of the paintings and other cartoons and paintings by other artists traveled to sixteen cities and was visited by more than a million people resulting in 133 million dollars in war bonds and stamps. The Office of War Information also printed four million sets of the posters of the "Four Freedoms" paintings imprinted with the words "Buy War Bonds." These were distributed in the schools and institutions' across the United States and across the world. , President Roosevelt's speech and the interpretation by Norman Rockwell's "Four Freedoms" inspired our countrymen, gave our soldiers a focus and have remained a strong symbol of the values Americans and peace-loving people across the world strive to accomplish., The "Four Freedoms" are now part of the permanent collection at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.