Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

Have you ever tried to convince someone to do something they don't want to do? Like, say, convince a cat that a bath is actually kind of a good idea considering it's covered in mud? Or reason with a two-year-old about why eating Play-Doh is actually not such a hot plan of action? Or get your mom to stop trying to rearrange your hair?

It's rough.

Now, imagine upgrading that scenario to a much bigger scale...a much, much bigger scale. Imagine being the president of the United States trying to convince the American people (all of them) to do something like pay more taxes or get involved in a world war—you know, presidential things. Big deal things.

Sounds daunting, right?

Well, if anyone knew how to be convincing, it was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was daunted by very little. Persuading people to tackle unpleasant tasks was something FDR successfully did again and again. The guy was president four times in a row, after all.

In his 1941 "Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union," otherwise known as the "Four Freedoms" speech, FDR expresses his concern for the future prosperity and safety of America.

Why? Well, it's kind of a funny story. (And by "funny story," we mean "terrifying moment in history.")

World War II was going full bore. Germany was sweeping across Europe and gobbling up as much of the continent as it could. On the other side of the world, Japan was making a mess in China, to say the very least.

Understandably, FDR was concerned that one of the aggressor countries—specifically Germany—would set its sights on taking down America. They probably wanted all those amber waves of grain for brewing beer.

Worried about a possible attack on the United States, FDR needed everyone to understand the seriousness of the situation. So, he took the opportunity to use his 1941 State of the Union address to persuade the American people and Congress that they, too, should be very concerned about this possibility—concerned enough to act.

Those Nazis Aren't Playing Around, Guys

In his speech, he argues that, as dictators waged war on democratic nations, they were waging war on the very nature of democracy itself. For FDR, an assault on democracy anywhere was an assault on democracy everywhere, including and especially America's democracy.

The purpose of FDR's speech is to urge the nation to come together and be prepared to fight for the future. He is urging the United States to prepare like never before for an invasion that might or might not be coming. However, in doing so, he is careful not to paint a picture of a scary war-torn world to come…because that might simply freak people out.

Instead, he leaves his audience with a description of the glorious global freedom that would result from America's righteous defense of itself and of democracy.

This future of liberty and justice would be based on a set of democratic principles that FDR articulates as the Four Freedoms:

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!

We told you he was convincing, didn't we?

World War II has come and gone, with victory for America and the Allies, but struggles for human rights grievously continue to this day. For many, FDR's four principles of democracy are more relevant than ever.

Now that's an important legacy for—or should we say "four"?—you. FDR FTW.

Fear Factor

This speech came out of the same mouth that gave us the immortal line "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

And we're not just lobbing that at you because we love FDR quotes (although we do), but because it seems like FDR loved fear. Maybe it's because he was so fearless himself. Maybe he just liked watching people squirm. Either way, he didn't shy away from using it as a great motivator.

Relying on his examination of trials and tribulations that quite literally span a couple of centuries, FDR gives his audience ample opportunity to imagine all the horrors of war that had happened, that were happening, and that could happen.

That's scarier than imagining Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers made a baby together and named it Jigsaw.

And, as a testament to the strength of his rhetorical skills and the lasting effects of World War II, we're still able to imagine situations that could have taken place…had the war unfolded differently.

The United States of Axis-erica? No, Thanks.

So, let's do it. Imagine what might have happened if the Axis had won.

First of all, the United States might be an isolated non-superpower split between Germany and Japan—carved up between them like a big ol' sheet cake. Not so bad, you say? You like apple strudel and wasabi-flavored Kit Kats, you say?

That's just the tip of the dystopian iceberg.

The impact of an Axis victory would have drastically changed the face of the globe and radically rerouted history. The Axis could have been the first to control and deploy atomic weapons—just imagine Hitler with his finger on the big red button. The same kind of genocide committed by Axis powers could have occurred in America. So could the same kind of suppression of rights. The list goes on…and it's truly wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-screaming frightening.

FDR pitches the American public on the importance of preparedness and vigilance. And, if he hadn't done such a good job of getting people mobilized, the United States might have been in a lot worse shape when war finally came a-knocking. For example, the blow of Japan's surprise strike on Pearl Harbor, an attack that dragged the United States fully into World War II, would have sunk more than a slew of ships.

Instead, the country was ready and raring to unleash the beast.

Ultimately, FDR's "Four Freedoms" speech was a wake-up call delivered close to home and one for which we can all, basically, be thankful.