FDR delivered his State of the Union address on the eve of his third inauguration as president. World War II was underway in both Europe and Asia, but the United States hadn't yet entered into its dark, swirling vortex.

Still entrenched in isolationist policies and sentiment, FDR worried that the United States would be unprepared for an attack by Germany or Japan. The threat of military aggression by the Axis powers loomed on the horizon, and America's valued democratic way of life was in danger.

So he took the opportunity during his address to scare the bejeezus out of people.

He warned that, should the Axis powers gain the upper hand in political and military control at the global level, individual freedoms would inevitably be lost worldwide.

These freedoms weren't just things like eating breakfast for dinner or wearing stripes and plaid. They were fundamental freedoms that form the basis of democracy and a way of life that was in peril.

This address is commonly known as the "Four Freedoms" speech (check out our "Four Freedoms Speech" guide to get the nitty-gritty) because FDR distilled his ideas on democratic freedom into four main points:

1. Freedom of speech and expression...everywhere!
2. Freedom of religion...everywhere!
3. Freedom from want (which means freedom from suffering for lack of things like food, shelter, clothing, security, and other basic quality of life things)...everywhere!
4. Freedom from fear (by which FDR specifically means fear of military aggression from other nations)...everywhere!

Thanks to FDR's expert rhetoric, the United States battened down its hatches and prepared for an oncoming war to protect its democracy and itself.