Roosevelt's four freedoms and the American civil rights movement

U.S. AS THE DEFENDER OF FREEDOM, EQUALITY, AND DEMOCRACY

AS THE DEFENDER OF FREEDOM, EQUALITY, AND DEMOCRACY

People lived in poor conditions during the World War two due to the policies that did not observe fair treatment of all people. Race was a common factor in the biases that were prevalent. Many people championed the change through movements that resulted in the abolishment of the policies and the enactment of new laws that ensured justice and equity. The political movements that took place in the United States during and after the World War II played an important role in the establishment of freedom, democracy and equality.

Individuals should live without the obstructions to their expression and with feelings of safety and achievement of their wants. During the Second World War, President Roosevelt advocated for 'the four freedoms'. These included the freedoms to speech and worship and from want and fear. They were fundamental observations that brought the freedom to people in all America and the world, especially due the influence of the United Nations (Kaye, 2014, p. 12). From the provision by the four freedoms, people live with freedom to do what they want and in an environment that elicits no feelings of fear or want.

The civil rights movement served as the liberation for the blacks all over America. The most affected region was southern America, which did not observe the freedom rights to all (Kaye, 2014, p. 216). The African-Americans living in the region suffered from multiple inequality factors. These included discrimination in federal employment, voting, and serving in the military among others. The blacks had enough of the construed civil rights and they began movements that resulted in their freedoms ("Outline of American History - Chapter 11: Postwar America," n.d.).

Their struggle was aimed at the elimination of the segregation that was prevalent due to racial and religious grounds. The blacks had limited opportunities to serve in the military, federal positions, and also had restricted access to education. The latter made the blacks start several movements that fought for equality in the education provision. They included the student nonviolent coordinating committee, the national association for the advancement of the colored people and the congress of racial equity (Adamson, 2009, p. 32). The role of these organizations in ensuring fairness in access to education, however, faced profound challenges. The members involved in the protests had to deal with the police force often. The police were hostile, indifferent and employed brutal violence when dealing with them, which even cost their lives. The movement was, therefore, characterized by intensive lynching of the mob to maintain order.

President Truman was a pivotal person in the achievements that are associated with the civil rights movements as he had the final say on it. Despite it having been a difficult and controversial matter to issue the final statement on, he showed leadership as it ought to be, impartial and liberal. In the year 1948, President Truman through an executive order, brought an end to the discriminations that had been prevalent in the liberal job issuance and the service in the military. It elicited various reactions from politicians in different regions, with the south being the most affected by the issue (Adamson, 2009, p. 28). The role of Harry Truman in the support of the civil rights movements was significant in its achievements.