Franklin Roosevelt with Ruthie Bie
and dog, Fala, at Hyde Park, 1941 |
“Freedom from want” was inherently an appeal for the right to the goods and services that people need for their very survival: food, shelter, clothing and health care. FDR had learned that “A necessitous man is not a free man.” He knew that if freedom and equality were to flourish throughout the world, people must have a right to the goods that free them from “want.”
To promote this freedom from want, the list of rights in the UDHR goes beyond even the protections and rights offered in the US Constitution and legal system, which do not include these “socioeconomic” rights. But something very close to socioeconomic rights was part of FDR’s New Deal.
“Freedom from fear” was another appeal that went beyond what was (or even could be) guaranteed by domestic laws and institutions. Freedom, FDR thought, could only be enjoyed if states coexist peacefully without the constant threat of war. Only if all states of the world are equally free can humanity have “freedom from fear”. This was another idea driving the movement for internationalization of human rights. |
