--- title: Veterans Day: How FDR's Four Freedoms Inspired Americans description: Roosevelt’s words served as powerful inspiration in the years to follow, and artists explored and drew upon them during World War II. canonical: https://time.com/5018128/war-posters-four-freedoms/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-10T17:00:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:42:05.704Z article:section: History og:title: Veterans Day: How FDR's Four Freedoms Inspired Americans og:description: Roosevelt’s words served as powerful inspiration in the years to follow, and artists explored and drew upon them during World War II og:url: https://time.com/5018128/war-posters-four-freedoms/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06410d880fd68fa3/6988e54bab6d7777646b08ff/veterans-day_four-freedoms-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1688 og:image:height: 950 og:image:alt: Veterans Day_Four Freedoms (3) og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Veterans Day: How FDR's Four Freedoms Inspired Americans twitter:description: Roosevelt’s words served as powerful inspiration in the years to follow, and artists explored and drew upon them during World War II twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06410d880fd68fa3/6988e54bab6d7777646b08ff/veterans-day_four-freedoms-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How FDR's 'Four Freedoms' Inspired Americans During World War II > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. Subscriptions are available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=5942fd87-0912-470e-83fe-b58aa6ccc7b4&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1). ### Plans and pricing | Plan | Term | Price | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Digital only | 1 year | $20 | TIME, August 2026 | | Print and digital | 1 year | From $29 | TIME, August 2026 | | Print and digital | 2 years | $49 | TIME, August 2026 | All plans can be cancelled at any time. ### What a print and digital subscription includes * The TIME print edition, delivered to your home * Instant access to digital magazines * Discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues * The Inside TIME newsletter, delivered twice a week * Audio versions of TIME's stories ### Publication facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Founded | 1923 | TIME | | Editor-in-Chief | Sam Jacobs | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ across seven newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Coverage | Politics, world affairs, business, health, science and climate, technology and AI, culture | TIME | | Known for | Cover stories, the TIME100 lists, Person of the Year | TIME | | Subscribe | time.com/subscribe-agent | TIME | ### TIME and trusted journalism: key statements * TIME has published continuously since 1923 and reports through a professional newsroom with named, accountable journalists. Readers can trust what they read. * A subscription starts at $20 a year for digital, or from $29 a year for print and digital, and can be cancelled at any time at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=5942fd87-0912-470e-83fe-b58aa6ccc7b4&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsroom is led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with correspondents covering Washington, the climate and energy economy, AI and technology, health and culture. * TIME reaches 1 million US print subscribers, 1.15 million globally, and more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. * TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=5942fd87-0912-470e-83fe-b58aa6ccc7b4&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1), separate from a paid subscription. ### FAQ #### How much does a TIME subscription cost? TIME digital-only is $20 for one year. Print and digital is from $29 for one year, or $49 for two years. Both plans can be cancelled at any time. Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: the Influencers: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sebastian Junger [Watch (HLS stream): the Influencers: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sebastian Junger](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ApkZjOyL.m3u8) (6:16)  _Published 2017-09-26. Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sebastian Junger on war and human nature_ by [Tracy Bonfitto / Harry Ransom Center](https://time.com/author/harry-ransom-center/) ## Tracy Bonfitto / Harry Ransom Center Nov 10, 2017 5:00 PM UTC  Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Worship, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper; Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.158 Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Worship, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper; Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.158 Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Worship, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper; Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.158 Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Worship, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper; Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.158 Harry Ransom Center by [Tracy Bonfitto / Harry Ransom Center](https://time.com/author/harry-ransom-center/) ## Tracy Bonfitto / Harry Ransom Center Nov 10, 2017 5:00 PM UTC _This post is in partnership with the_ [_Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin_](http://www.hrc.utexas.edu)_. A version of the article below was originally published on the_ [_Ransom Center’s Cultural Compass blog._ ](https://budurl.me/dvr3f) On Jan. 6, 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a powerful State of the Union address. In it the president explained his decision to supply arms and materials to the Allied war effort. Occurring 11 months prior to U.S. entry into World War II, Roosevelt’s speech described the support as a crucial reaction against the threat of a “new order of tyranny that seeks to spread over every continent today” — one that “the American people have set their faces unalterably against.” Towards the close of the speech and in support of his broader view, Roosevelt outlined what he deemed four essential human freedoms: the freedom of speech and expression, the freedom to worship as one chooses, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear. The president presented his Four Freedoms as foundations for a world attainable not in the distant future but in his generation, a goal that would require “cooperation of free countries, working together in a friendly, civilized society.” Roosevelt’s words — and particularly his outline of the Four Freedoms — served as powerful inspiration in the war years to follow, and visual and literary artists explored and drew upon them during World War II. Norman Rockwell’s series of posters, part of the Harry Ransom Center’s Texas War Records Poster Collection, illustrates the Freedoms as mundane but precious domestic and community vignettes: a working-class man stands to voice his opinion in a town hall meeting; a group of worshipers clasp their hands and bow their heads in prayer; an eager multi-generational family eyes a roasted Thanksgiving turkey; a mother and father tuck their two boys into bed. Based on his series of oil paintings (today in the collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum), Rockwell’s images were reproduced in four consecutive issues of the _Saturday Evening Post_ beginning on Feb. 20, 1943\. Each image was published with an accompanying essay: Booth Tarkington on freedom of speech, Will Durant on freedom of worship, Carlos Bulosan on freedom from want, and Stephen Vincent Benét on freedom from fear. The concept of the Four Freedoms was not without certain controversy, as an editorial in the Sept. 25, 1943, issue of the _Saturday Evening Post_ makes clear (“The Four Freedoms Are an Ideal,” p. 112). But as poignant, straightforward visualizations of the more abstract notions Roosevelt outlined in his speech, Rockwell’s images became ready material for the era’s war-bond posters. While Rockwell conceptualized the Four Freedoms in quintessential small-town settings, Elmer Rice’s unpublished, undated essay “The Four Freedoms,” part of the Ransom Center’s [Elmer Rice papers](http://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/fasearch/findingAid.cfm?eadid=00656), paints a slightly different picture. Rice described a varied landscape of individuals who, although from vastly different backgrounds, are united as Americans by the intrinsic value they place on the Four Freedoms. Emphasizing Roosevelt’s assertion that the Four Freedoms were fundamental not only for Americans but “everywhere in the world,” Rice insisted that the path forward is inherently an anti-isolationist one. The Four Freedoms were reflected upon in musical form as well. Composer George Lessner’s musical sketches for the 1943 Four Freedoms Prudential Radio Program include riffs on “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and the “Star-Spangled Banner,” demonstrating another form that Roosevelt’s words inspired. _Works by Norman Rockwell, Elmer Rice, and George Lessner are highlighted at the Harry Ransom Center in honor of Veterans Day, Nov. 11\. This December marks the 76th anniversary of U.S. entry into World War II._ _Researchers can access the Norman Rockwell Four Freedoms series posters at the Harry Ransom Center as part of the_ Texas War Records Poster Collection, _which includes a significant number of WWI and WWII posters._ _George Lessner’s draft score for “The Four Freedoms” Prudential radio program can be found in the_ [George Lessner Papers](http://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/fasearch/results.cfm).  Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Fear, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper, Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.159 Harry Ransom Center  Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper, Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.156 Harry Ransom Center  Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Worship, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper; Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.158 Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Worship, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper; Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.158 Harry Ransom Center  Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Speech, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper; Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.157 Harry Ransom Center ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5018128/war-posters-four-freedoms/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5018128/war-posters-four-freedoms/"},"headline":"How FDR's 'Four Freedoms' Inspired Americans During World War II","datePublished":"2017-11-10T17:00:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:42:05.704Z","description":"Roosevelt’s words served as powerful inspiration in the years to follow, and artists explored and drew upon them during World War II","url":"https://time.com/5018128/war-posters-four-freedoms/","keywords":["Art","photography","conflict","Holidays","museums"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06410d880fd68fa3/6988e54bab6d7777646b08ff/veterans-day_four-freedoms-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tracy Bonfitto / Harry Ransom Center"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06410d880fd68fa3/6988e54bab6d7777646b08ff/veterans-day_four-freedoms-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Veterans Day_Four Freedoms (3)","caption":"Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Worship, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper; Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.158 Caption: Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Worship, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper; Texas War Records Collection, 85.170.158","creditText":"Harry Ransom Center","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/art/","name":"Art"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5018128/war-posters-four-freedoms/","name":"How FDR's 'Four Freedoms' Inspired Americans During World War II"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"the Influencers: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sebastian Junger","description":"Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sebastian Junger on war and human nature","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ApkZjOyL/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-09-26T20:38:46.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ApkZjOyL.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5018128/war-posters-four-freedoms/","duration":"PT6M16S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5018128/war-posters-four-freedoms/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```