In the January 1941 State of the Union Address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt identified "Four Freedoms," essential human rights that should be universally protected: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. American artist Norman Rockwell later illustrated these rights as aspects of daily American life. Rockwell's paintings were mass-produced on magazine covers and propaganda posters to promote the war effort.
The Museum has partnered with the Spring 2023 Introduction to Museum Studies class to create this exhibit. The Four Freedoms: Real and Imagined explores and contextualizes the Four Freedoms by comparing the ideals depicted by Rockwell with the people's experiences in the United States during WWII.
“Leave the past to history especially as I propose to write that history myself.”
