Less than a month after FDR gave his "Great Arsenal of Democracy" speech, he stood in front of Congress and spoke of the four fundamental freedoms everyone deserved to have, no matter what. They were freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

You tell 'em, FDR.

Just like his discussion on America acting as the arsenal of democracy, FDR's State of the Union address in 1941 was all about U.S. defense, and the very real threat to democracy and freedom with the Axis running amok in Europe and Asia. It also served as FDR officially putting the kibosh on isolationism, as he outlined what the U.S. was going to do to help the Allies win the war.

This speech is called "Four Freedoms" because it spoke of the importance of fighting the bad guys with ideas, not just with weapons. Freedom of speech and freedom of worship are protected by the U.S. Constitution, the cornerstone of democracy, which lists the basic rights guaranteed to all Americans.

Democracy does lots of good for lots of people, but FDR went a step further to include freedom from want and freedom from fear. You won't find those freedoms in the Constitution, but FDR believed they should be a small part of the basic rights guaranteed to all people, no matter their government. As the U.S. already had some experience in fighting for freedom, FDR wanted the American people to be aware they had a role to play in this conflict, too—be it with industrial power or military force.

Aw, shucks. Now we're all fired up.