How did FDR's Four Freedoms speech influence U.S. foreign policy?

FDR's Four Freedoms speech had a significant impact on U.S. foreign policy by justifying military aid to Britain, among others. In this speech, delivered in January 1941, Roosevelt articulated four fundamental freedoms that he believed should be universally guaranteed: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. By framing these freedoms within the context of the growing global conflict, Roosevelt positioned the United States as a defender of democracy and human rights, which made the case for supporting nations that were threatened by totalitarian regimes.

This shift in rhetoric helped to sway public opinion in favor of providing aid to allies like Britain, who were engaged in fighting against Nazi Germany. The Lend-Lease Act, which passed shortly after the speech, allowed the U.S. to supply military equipment and support to Britain and other allied nations without directly entering the war, thus reflecting the principles laid out in the Four Freedoms. The speech acted as a moral compass that guided American policies toward active support for democracies in peril, rather than the isolationist stance that had dominated American foreign policy in the interwar years.