What is the Four Freedoms Award?
Q: What is the Four Freedoms Award?
A: The Four Freedoms Award is an annual award presented to people and organisations who have demonstrated the principles of the Four Freedoms outlined by US-president Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his State of the Union speech on 6 January 1941.
Q: What are the four freedoms described by President Roosevelt?
A: President Roosevelt described four human rights that he believed were necessary for democracy to survive and flourish, which included freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
Q: Where has the award been given since 1982?
A: Since 1982, the awards have been alternately given in both The United States and The Netherlands. In odd years they are presented to Americans by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, New York while even years see a ceremony held in Middelburg honouring non-Americans.
Q: Why was Middelburg chosen as a location for awarding non-Americans?
A: The choice for Middelburg was motivated by a suspected descendance of the family Roosevelt from Oud-Vossemeer village located in Zeeland province.
Q: Who presents these awards?
A: These awards are presented by either the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute or other special presenters depending on where it is being awarded.
Q: Are there any special awards given out occasionally?
A: Yes, occasionally special awards may be given out alongside regular ones during certain years.
Q: When did President Roosevelt first describe his Four Freedoms?
A: President Roosevelt first described his Four Freedoms during his State of Union speech on 6 January 1941.
