Fundamental Freedoms: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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Surveying Eleanor Roosevelt’s early years and then concentrating on her life-long commitment as an activist, Fundamental Freedoms tells of Eleanor’s pivotal role in creating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust. As demonstrated throughout all four parts of this Facing History resource, Eleanor was no ordinary person: she redefined the role of a first lady as she established her own career as a nationally-syndicated journalist and continually spoke out on behalf of the underprivileged. In 1945 after the death of her husband, President Franklin Roosevelt, she participated in the birth of the United Nations and embraced a new role, advocating across the globe for the rights she fought for at home. This resource examines Eleanor’s development into a diplomat and renowned human rights leader of the twentieth century, and shows the challenges and determination required to realize the UDHR.

Features include:

•  Foreword by historian and Eleanor Roosevelt expert Allida M. Black of George Washington University
•  20 primary source documents including excerpts of speeches, historical documents and letters
•  Numerous photographs, maps and political cartoons from the time period
•  Connection questions for each document to stimulate classroom curiosity
•  Timeline (1884-1962) highlighting Eleanor’s biography and accomplishments
•  Index

Table of Contents:

• Part I: Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt?
  Document 1: Becoming Eleanor
  Document 2: Refusing to be “Frozen Out”
  Document 3: “The Basic Thing We Must Do Is to Stop Generalizing About People”
  Document 4: Marian Anderson and the Daughters of the American Revolution
  Document 5: Eleanor and the Jewish Refugee Crisis (1939)

• Part II: World War II and the Birth of the United Nations
  Document 1: “How Much Democracy Do We Want?”
  Document 2: The “Four Freedoms” Speech
  Document 3: Eleanor and Wartime Race Riots
  Document 4: The Atlantic Charter
  Document 5: The United Nations Charter
  Document 6: “Naturally They Want to Go to Palestine”
  Document 7: Eleanor’s Visits to the Displaced Persons Camps

• Part III: Negotiating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  Document 1: Documents Reviewed by the Drafting Committee
  Document 2: The Individual or Society: The Human Rights Commission Debates
  Document 3: Statement on Human Rights by the American Anthropological Association
  Document 4: The Human Rights Commission and Blacks in America
  Document 5: Social and Economic Rights: Eleanor’s Speech at the Sorbonne
  Document 6: Magna Carta for Mankind

• Part IV: The UDHR and Its Legacy
  Document 1: Drafting the Preamble
  Document 2: Reflections on Human Rights
  Document 3: Making History