Freedom from Want

Freedom from Want — page 1 — INTRODUCTION I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies education and culture for their minds and dignity equality and freedom for their spirits Martin Luther King Jr The year was 1964 Dr Martin Luther King Jr won the Nobel Peace Prize This award is given once a year to people who do great work in the name of peace Dr King won because of his efforts to bring freedoms to African American people Dr King accepted the award in Oslo Norway There he gave a speech He said that he believed in a brighter tomorrow There would be a day he said when no one would have to go hungry People everywhere would be allowed to learn and enjoy life Dr King was talking about the freedom from want 4 The Meaning of Want

Freedom from Want — page 2 — Dr Martin Luther King Jr was a civil rights leader He gave a voice to African Americans who were fighting for their freedoms 5

Freedom from Want — page 3 — A Difficult Time A world free of want is an ideal place It is a goal that Dr King talked about in the 1960s Years earlier Franklin Delano Roosevelt talked about the same ideal or goal Roosevelt also called FDR was the U S president from 1933 to 1945 During FDR’s early years in office many people in America did not have jobs Some people were going hungry They worried about how they would feed their families Nations in Europe were at war with each other It was a difficult time for people around the world FDR spoke of Four Freedoms for all people in his January 6 1941 speech to Congress 6

Freedom from Want — page 4 — Giving Hope In January each president makes a speech to Congress Today it is called the State of the Union The president goes over last year’s events and sets goals for the year to come On January 6 1941 FDR gave his speech It was broadcast on the radio so his words were heard across the U S and around the world FDR knew that Americans feared going to war But he wanted everyone to know that he thought some things were worth a battle In his speech he spoke of four important freedoms Freedom of speech and expression Freedom from want Freedom from fear Freedom of worship This famous speech became known as the Four Freedoms speech It gave hope to millions of people Did You Know In 1941 FDR had been in office for eight years At the time many free nations in Europe were being taken over by Germany and Italy The German and Italian governments of that time did not allow freedoms for all 7

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