Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Second Bill of Rights" Message to Congress - Milestone Documents

Franklin D. Roosevelt: “Second Bill of Rights” Message to Congress

( 1944 ) Commentary by Mark R. Shulman, Pace University School of Law

Franklin D. Roosevelt regularly broadcast his speeches to the American public, explaining his ambitious plans and conveying his infectious optimism to a nation that needed both. His “Second Bill of Rights” Message to Congress was delivered in January of 1944, when the tide of World War II had begun to turn in favor of the Allies. In this speech, Roosevelt reprises the purpose of World War II and outlines the basis for for stability and prosperity in the postwar world: employment and a living wage,  housing, medical care, educational opportunities, “social security” in old age and times of illness and unemployment, and freedom from unfair competition and monopolies.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt (Library of Congress)

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