The struggle for human rights

Eleanor Roosevelt, who served as the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, was not only a political activist but also an accomplished Human Rights ambassador. In her speech, "The Struggle for Human Rights," Roosevelt expressed her displeasure and disappointment with dictatorships and sought to eliminate issues related to freedom and tyranny on behalf of the United Nations members in France. Her impressive credentials, strategic location, powerful logic, and emotional appeal made her speech extremely effective.

Roosevelt's credibility and reputation as a speaker and ambassador made her argument about Human Rights strong and inspiring, ultimately bringing attention to the founders of Human Rights in San Francisco. To gain more trust and respect from her audience, she established a personal connection with them. She ensured that she and her audience shared the same beliefs about freedom and democracy and used words like "I" and "we" to connect with them emotionally. These words of connection helped her to fight against dictatorship.

Roosevelt's speech was detailed and well-organized to achieve her goal. She used her exceptional public speaking skills to engage her audience, and her speech successfully conveyed her message of human rights to a larger audience.

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Roosevelt had valid reasons for choosing to deliver her speech in France, at the Sorbonne, one of which was its historical significance as the place where the Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed. Her ultimate goal was to grant every human being their basic rights and freedoms, which could only be accomplished by ending dictatorship. To achieve this, she needed enough supporters who were willing to fight for the cause. France was extremely sensitive to human rights due to its history of revolution against monarchy, which resulted in both bloodshed and freedom for the common man.

Roosevelt recognized this in her speech and said, “It was here the Declaration of the Rights of Man was proclaimed, and the great slogans of the French Revolution – liberty, equality, fraternity – fired the imagination of men” (page 1). She explained, “I have chosen to discuss this issue in Europe because this has been the scene of the greatest historic battles between freedom and tyranny” (page 1). Roosevelt wisely chose to speak to French civilians because she knew they had reasons to support her cause to end dictatorships. She crafted her speech to appeal to her French audience.

Roosevelt informed her "free" French audience about what it would be like to live without freedom. She reminded them that freedom encompasses freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, freedom to petition, freedom from arbitrary arrest, and the ability to be safe in one's own home. This reminded her audience of all the rights they gained as a result of the French Revolution. That stirred the audience’s emotions and made the cause personal. Roosevelt claimed that every human being deserved these basic rights, yet not everyone had them. She felt entitled as a free individual to gain followers to help those who still do not have those basic rights.

Roosevelt understood the severe consequences and inequalities caused by the absence of freedom. To support her cause, she gave examples to help her audience envision the dangers of living in an authoritarian state. For instance, she cited the Commission on Human Rights' creation by the UN and the significant bylaws that many nations still follow today. One bylaw declared, "Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own."

To French citizens, travelling was a regular pastime, but the Soviets refused to agree to this bylaw until the words "in accordance with the procedure laid down in the laws of that country" were added. This example evoked an empathetic emotional response within her audience, making the lack of freedom for Russian citizens personal to the French citizens. This sense of guilt, sadness, and anger was intended to motivate her audience to change the situation of trapped Russian citizens. Roosevelt connects her audience to both the cause and the people at risk.

Roosevelt, while denouncing the Soviets' lack of Western freedoms, also acknowledges and supports Russian patriotism. She acknowledged that Russians had faithfully defended their country despite their situation and suffered greatly at the hands of outsiders and revolution. Roosevelt stated, "They have been through a period of revolution, as a result of which they were for a time cut off from outside contact."

She appealed to her audience's rationality by explaining why Russia acts mistrustfully of its citizens and the outside world. However, Roosevelt emphasized that this was not a sufficient reason to enslave Russian citizens. She believed that everyone should live by the "Golden Rule." Simply put, "We do not think others should treat us differently from the way they wish to be treated." The Russian civilians must be treated with the same respect they show their government. Roosevelt expressed her gratitude for her freedom and that of her free audience.

Roosevelt expressed a strong attachment to the United States, emphasizing its unique freedoms, opportunities, and prosperity. Her goal was to evoke in her French audience a similar appreciation for democracy and an aversion to dictatorship. She contrasted the benefits of freedom and democracy with the struggles of the oppressed citizens of Russia, arguing that non-free countries could not succeed without assistance from the West.

Roosevelt's speech was impressive, and her carefully chosen audience listened intently. She appealed to their sense of humanity, rationality, and character, avoiding appeals to arrogance, hate, and fear. Instead, she treated the Russians as fellow human beings, born into tragic circumstances rather than lacking in character. Her speech's power and success came from a combination of rationality, character, emotion, and logic.

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