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FDR’s Second Bill of Rights | Primary Source Essentials
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In this episode of Primary Source Essentials, examine Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1944 State of the Union Address, commonly known as the "Second Bill of Rights" speech, and explore how it redefined the relationship between individual rights and the role of the federal government. Delivered during the final years of World War II, Roosevelt argued that political freedoms alone were no longer enough and proposed a new set of economic rights intended to provide greater security and opportunity for all Americans.
This episode explores the historical context behind Roosevelt's proposal, including the legacy of the New Deal and the nation's transition toward the end of World War II. It contrasts Roosevelt's vision of economic rights, including employment, housing, medical care, and economic security, with the Founders' understanding of natural rights as protections from government interference. The episode also examines how Roosevelt's ideas continue to shape debates over constitutional rights and the proper role of government.
Have you ever wanted to quickly grasp the most important aspects of Primary Sources? BRI's new 'Primary Source Essentials' series provides swift, 2-3 minute looks at the vital parts of key Primary Sources from American history! ‘Primary Source Essentials ’are the perfect introduction to large, daunting documents and sources and can easily be supplemented by BRI’s various 'Close Read' and 'Homework Help' videos.
Use BRI's Documents of Freedom Lesson on FDR's Second Bill of Rights in your classroom: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/activities/second-bill-of-rights-annotated/
Learn more about the New Deal: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/lessons/rights-and-the-new-deal/
00:00 Introduction to FDR's Second Bill of Rights
00:15 The Historical Context Behind the Speech
00:53 Roosevelt's Vision for Economic Rights
01:37 Negative Rights vs. Positive Rights
02:02 The Lasting Legacy of the Second Bill of Rights
0:00 Welcome to Primary Source Essentials.
0:02 In this episode, we are going to briefly examine Alexander Stephens
0:06 Cornerstone speech and the Confederacy’s rejection of the principle
0:10 that all men are created equal in the Declaration of Independence.
0:16 When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860,
0:19 South Carolina and six other states refused to accept the election
0:23 results and passed secession ordinances.
0:27 The Confederate States of America formed
0:30 in February 1861 and elected Jefferson Davis
0:34 as its president, and then Alexander Stephens, vice president.
0:38 Stephens was a former representative in Congress from Georgia
0:42 and a Unionist until he joined the Confederacy in March 1861.
0:47 He delivered his famous Cornerstone Speech, which laid out the rationale
0:52 for secession and the doctrines of the Confederacy.
0:56 One of them, the cornerstone, he thought,
1:00 was the in equality of the races.
1:03 In this speech, Stephens provided
1:05 an extended commentary on the Declaration of Independence.
1:10 Stephens admitted that Thomas Jefferson and the other founders believed
1:14 that all men are created equal, apply
1:17 to everyone as a universal principle.
1:21 They believe that slavery was a violation of the laws of nature, he said.
1:26 But slavery was an evil.
1:29 They knew not well how to deal with, so it endured.
1:34 Stephens said that those ideas were based upon the equality of the races
1:38 and were therefore fundamentally wrong.
1:43 The Confederacy, he states, was founded upon exactly the opposite idea.
1:48 Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests upon the great truth
1:54 that the Negro is not equal to the white man, that slavery
1:58 subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition.
2:04 This, our new government, is the first in the history of the world
2:08 based upon this great physical, philosophical and moral truth.
2:14 Over the next four years, the Civil War
2:16 was fought over the question of slavery and natural equality.
2:20 It resulted in the deaths of more than 700,000 American soldiers.
2:25 The Union would triumph, and with it the principles of freedom
2:28 and equality in the Declaration of Independence.
2:32 These principles shaped the Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment,
2:37 which put an end to the evils of slavery and advanced the true ideals
2:42 of the Declaration of Independence.
2:44 Thanks for watching and check out the other videos in Primary Source Essentials.
Standards
Related Resources
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. James Madison wrote the amendments, which list specific prohibitions on governmental power, in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties.
Primary sources, videos, essays, lessons, and more about the Bill of Rights and the first ten amendments.
In this lesson, students will learn about the actions of President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the development of the Atlantic Charter. They will learn from Roosevelt’s example of how they can be responsible in their own lives.