Freedom from Want

The Four Freedoms

Freedom From Want

Third in a series

When imagining an iconic Thanksgiving feast, many Americans picture either the Pilgrims in 1620 or Norman Rockwell’s illustration of “Freedom from Want.” Both images celebrate abundance. Rockwell’s painting was a reflection of one of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech of January 1941. In Rockwell’s painting, a woman places a large turkey on the table in front of her family. 

Roosevelt made his speech when many Americans feared being drawn into the war raging in Europe. His first freedom was Freedom of Speech, the second was Freedom of Worship. “The third is Freedom from Want — which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants-everywhere in the world.”

Less famous than Rockwell’s paintings are the essays which accompanied them. Carlos Bulosan, a Filipino novelist and labor organizer in the U.S., wrote the essay for “Freedom from Want.” He raised several questions for the nation. 

Bulosan wrote that the history of the United States was one of labor and freedom. He wrote that the “march toward security is the march of freedom,” and that everyone “should like to become a living part of it. It is the dignity of the individual to live in a society of free men, where the spirit of understanding and belief exist; of understanding that all men are equal; that all men, whatever their color, race, religion, or estate, should be given equal opportunity to serve themselves and each other according to their needs and abilities.” 

Freedom from want was out of reach for many: “It is only when we have plenty to eat — plenty of everything — that we begin to understand what freedom means.” When people are hungry, they cannot be healthy, creative, or useful. People in want are people living in fear. People living in fear are targets for “the powers of darkness.”

Bulosan wrote this essay while the darker powers of fascism and imperialism threatened the world. What powers of darkness threaten our world today? Are people still hungry? Are people still fearful? Are all people given equal opportunity? Is a spirit of understanding cultivated? Are all people awarded the dignity they deserve? If we want to secure freedom, can we deny any people, as Roosevelt stated, freedom from want? Can any nation be free when some are not?

The Pilgrims celebrated surviving a cruel winter of starvation and death. Rockwell’s Thanksgiving table shows a large turkey but spare offerings of side dishes and only water to drink. Each Thanksgiving was only a step away from want. 

Bulosan wrote, “It is a great honor to walk on the American earth… We are the living dream of dead men [the founders]. We are the living spirit of free men… We are the sufferers who suffer for natural love of man for another man, who commemorate the humanities of every man. We are the creators of abundance.” 

When we celebrate abundance, we must never forget our obligation to relieve the sufferings of others. 

(FDR’s full speech (voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu),Rockwell’s paintings, and Bulosan’s essay (www.saturdayeveningpost.com) are available online. I encourage you to find them.)

The Peace and the Promise

The Peace and the Promise

Every morning of my teaching career, our school day started with a moment of silence and the Pledge to the Flag — a moment of peace and a moment of promise. 

Getting a bunch of excited children settled for a busy day is a difficult task; getting them to stand silently for a long moment is doubly tough. At our first morning meeting, I’d ask my second graders to tell me about the moment of silence.

“It’s a time when we stand up without talking,” was the usual consensus. 

I asked them what they could do while standing and not talking. After a few suggestions about breathing, wiggling, or looking around, some student would always say, “We can think.”

“What can we think about?”

 Answers ran from favorite games to family pets to plans for the weekend. 

“Could we use the time to think about a goal we might have, something we were thankful for, or some way we could help someone?” 

Before I finished the question, hands were waving.

“I want to finish all my work on time,” said one.

“I can help my mom with my baby brother. He’s a mess,” said another.

“I am thankful for my best friend,” said a third.

One after another, the ideas flowed. So many wonderful plans for such a short moment of quiet: a time of reflection; a time of planning; a time of thanksgiving. 

After making a list of our great ideas, we’d talk about the Pledge to the Flag. I explained that a pledge is a promise. The flag is a symbol of our country — a country united by a mutual respect for its citizens’ right to freedom (liberty) and fairness (justice). Children understand promises — they know you have to keep them. They understand fairness — giving each person an equal share.

Liberty was discussed a length. What freedoms do we have in your family? What freedoms do you have in this class? In this school? In your community? In our country? Each question brought more questions, more answers, and more understanding. When we pledge together, we promise to stand up for one another with a common purpose.

Finally, we connected the moment of silence with our pledge. During our quiet moments, we can make plans; we can remember good times; we can be thankful. After we think about good things for ourselves, we pledge to make good things available to everyone — liberty and justice for all. Our moment of peace leads to our moment of promise.

While my students stood in peace and promised to stand for one another in purpose, I studied each little face wondering what they were thinking and where they would go. What great things would they do? Would they fulfill the promise of their lives? Would they help others?

It was a great way to start each day. It is what every child needs and every child deserves — peace and a promise.