America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens.  For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world.

One of the great American industrialists of our day—­a man who has rendered yeoman service to his country in this crisis—­recently emphasized the grave dangers of “rightist reaction” in this Nation.  All clear-thinking businessmen share his concern.  Indeed, if such reaction should develop—­if history were to repeat itself and we were to return to the so-called “normalcy” of the 1920’s—­then it is certain that even though we shall have conquered our enemies on the battlefields abroad, we shall have yielded to the spirit of Fascism here at home.

I ask the Congress to explore the means for implementing this economic bill of rights—­for it is definitely the responsibility of the Congress so to do.  Many of these problems are already before committees of the Congress in the form of proposed legislation.  I shall from time to time communicate with the Congress with respect to these and further proposals.  In the event that no adequate program of progress is evolved, I am certain that the Nation will be conscious of the fact.

Our fighting men abroad—­and their families at home—­expect such a program and have the right to insist upon it.  It is to their demands that this Government should pay heed rather than to the whining demands of selfish pressure groups who seek to feather their nests while young Americans are dying.

The foreign policy that we have been following—­the policy that guided us at Moscow, Cairo, and Teheran—­is based on the common sense principle which was best expressed by Benjamin Franklin on July 4, 1776:  “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

I have often said that there are no two fronts for America in this war.  There is only one front.  There is one line of unity which extends from the hearts of the people at home to the men of our attacking forces in our farthest outposts.  When we speak of our total effort, we speak of the factory and the field, and the mine as well as of the battleground—­we speak of the soldier and the civilian, the citizen and his Government.

Each and every one of us has a solemn obligation under God to serve this Nation in its most critical hour—­to keep this Nation great—­to make this Nation greater in a better world.

***

State of the Union Address
Franklin D. Roosevelt
January 6, 1945

To the Congress: 

In considering the State of the Union, the war and the peace that is to follow are naturally uppermost in the minds of all of us.

This war must be waged—­it is being waged—­with the greatest and most persistent intensity.  Everything we are and have is at stake.  Everything we are and have will be given.  American men, fighting far from home, have already won victories which the world will never forget.