In the excerpt the “four freedoms” speech, why does Roosevelt see the present threat to American security and safety as unprecedented

In this speech Roosevelt says that the threat is unprecedented because the United States have never before been threatened so gravely from the outside forces as it has been during the WWII. The treat was so grave that Roosevelt ended the American policy of non-interventionism as he pledged that the US would help its allies that are engaged in the war.

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holesstanham holesstanham · Answer 2 · 2018-12-11T03:32:25+01:00

The "Four Freedoms" Speech was the 1941 State of the Union address. The nickname comes from the four freedoms outlined by Franklin D. Roosevelt, which he argued all people deserved (speech, worship, want and fear).

The speech defended a policy of intervention in WWII, which was a significant break from previous foreign policy. He argued that the threat to America's security was unprecedented, and therefore, required strong action. He claimed that:

"It is true that prior to 1914 the United States often had been disturbed by events in other Continents. We had even engaged in two wars with European nations and in a number of undeclared wars in the West Indies, in the Mediterranean and in the Pacific for the maintenance of American rights and for the principles of peaceful commerce. But in no case had a serious threat been raised against our national safety or our continued independence."