The Four Freedoms ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

" The Four Freedoms"

Can be clicked on to enlarge

The "Four Freedoms" series, was painted by Norman Rockwell in 1942, after he was inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt's speech of the same name. They are seen above in clockwise order as Freedom Of Speech, Freedom Of Worship, Freedom From Want, Freedom From Fear.
Rockwell intended to donate the paintings to the War Department, but after receiving no response, the painter offered them to the Saturday Evening Post, where they were first published on February 20, 1943. Popular reaction was overwhelming, and eventually the United States government used them as inspiration to promote these values at a time when it was most needed.

"In the future days which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.

The first is freedom of speech and expression -- everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -- everywhere in the world.

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.

The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor -- anywhere in the world.

That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation...."

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, excerpted from the Annual Message to the Congress,January 6, 1941

A recorded excerpt of this speech given by President Roosevelt can be heard at this National Archives link.

As our nation celebrates the Thanksgiving holiday, I believe the desire that these four freedoms can be one day be achieved throughout the world is still what our Nation strives for.
Perhaps thoughts of these four freedoms would also be good to be remembered and included in our prayers today when we say grace with our families before our Thanksgiving dinner? God bless the brave men and women of our armed forces who continue to keep us free, please also keep them in your prayers today, especially those far from home.

"For each new morning with its light.

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.....

Father in heaven, we thank Thee!"

~Ralph Waldo Emerson



Some fun number facts about Thanksgiving:

5

- the number of deer brought to the first Thanksgiving by Massasoit and his tribe (Pilgrim hunters bagged four fowl)

53

- Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans attending the dinner we call the "first" Thanksgiving

41

- Pilgrims signing the Mayflower Compact while docked in Provincetown Harbor (Nov. 11, 1620)

102

- the amount of passengers of the Mayflower --plus 20 to 30 crew members, and two dogs.

3,000

-estimated length in miles of all cranberries grown in the U.S. last year if stretched end to end

675,000,000
- pounds of turkey enjoyed each Thanksgiving in the United States

source

Blessing, and glory, and wisdom,

and thanksgiving,

and honor, and power,

and might, be unto our God,

for ever and ever. Amen

Revelation 7:12

A quick reminder:

If you haven't already left a comment on my give away post there are still a few more days that you can do so. I am so thrilled with the response! Thank you so much! I have been trying to visit every one who commented, although I apologize that it has taken be longer than I intended to do that, as I have had a few family functions to attend in the past few days and we also celebrated our daughter's birthday, all of which have kept me away from my computer.

I am tallying everyone's entry amounts and the draw will take place the evening of December first and I will announce the winner on my blog on December 2. It has been wonderful to find many of your blogs through this give away, and I'll be very excited to see who wins!

Wishing Everyone a Very Happy Thanksgiving!