Liberation Route Marker 499: The Four Freedoms

The Four Freedoms
On 6 January 1941,President Franklin Delano Roosevelt articulated the Four Freedoms in the State of the Union. In this Four Freedoms Speech, he unfolded the fundamental freedoms that people "everywhere in the world" should enjoy; freedom of speech, freedom of religion and belief, freedom from fear and freedom from want and distress.

With the end of the Battle of the Scheldt and the opening of the ports of Antwerp, the end of the war in Western Europe was in sight, Roosevelt was able to launch his plans for the creation of the United Nations (UN) at Yalta in January 1945.After his death, the Four Freedoms became part of his widow Eleanor Roosevelt's personal mission. They formed the basis for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN in 1948.

Oud-Vossemeer enjoys fame because probably the president's ancestors came from this place.


Liberation Route Europe is a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. With hundreds of sites and stories in nine European countries, the route links the main regions along the advance of the Allied Forces in 1943-1945.
The entire route consists of themed routes that can be travelled by by hiking, walking, cycling and car. These routes pass numerous historical and interesting sites and tell stories from a multitude of perspectives that were important in the final phase of World War II.
Many routes feature listening spots, offering the opportunity to listen to a historical story at a location. In addition, many ‘Vectors of Memory’ have been placed, indicating that the passer-by is on one of the Liberation Routes.
The routes can be found on the Liberation Route Europe website or in the app through which many stories can also be listened to.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Liberation Route Europe
• Photos: Arjan Vrieze