How we cite our quotes: (Sentence)
Quote #4
It is not a government based upon the consent of the governed. It is not a union of ordinary, self-respecting men and women to protect themselves and their freedom and their dignity from oppression. It is an unholy alliance of power and pelf to dominate and to enslave the human race. (109-111)
Sidebar: pelf is a great word. It refers to money, typically earned in a less-than-honest way. We can all probably agree that FDR was no dummy in using that word to talk about the Axis. Honesty wasn't exactly high on their list of priorities, and they had zero interest in creating a government where the people had any real rights whatsoever. They wanted power, and FDR knew that as the leader of the free world, the U.S. couldn't just stand by and watch the bad guys win.
Quote #5
We must be the great arsenal of democracy. (173)
The U.S. started this whole crazy business of a government run "by the people, for the people," and therefore had a responsibility to stand up to blustery bullies who threatened it. In this case, FDR believed America's best weapon against the Axis wasn't manpower—at least not on the battlefield.
The United States' great arsenal was its industrial power, the ability to produce tanks and shells and bombs, and to do it quickly. That's how the country would contribute to preserving freedom and putting a stop to the madness.