1941 State of the Union Address

{{Short description|State of the Union speech}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox event | title = 1941 State of the Union Address | date = {{start date|1941|01|06}} | venue = House Chamber, United States Capitol | location = Washington, D.C. | type = State of the Union Address | participants = Franklin D. Roosevelt
John Nance Garner
Sam Rayburn | blank1_label = Previous | blank1_data = 1940 State of the Union Address | blank2_label = Next | blank2_data = 1942 State of the Union Address }}

The 1941 State of the Union address was delivered by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, on January 6, 1941. Roosevelt warned of unprecedented global threats from Axis powers during World War II and introduced his vision of the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.{{cite web |title=Franklin D. Roosevelt - State of the Union Address |url=https://www.infoplease.com/primary-sources/government/presidential-speeches/franklin-d-roosevelt-january-6-1941 |website=The American Presidency Project |access-date=24 November 2024}}

Roosevelt called for expanded defense production and Lend-Lease aid to nations resisting aggression, asserting the U.S. role as the "arsenal of democracy." Domestically, he advocated for increased taxation to fund defense, unemployment insurance, and economic reforms.{{cite web |title=FDR's Arsenal of Democracy |url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/lend-lease |website=Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State |access-date=24 November 2024}}

The address became a defining moment in U.S. foreign policy, reinforcing the nation's commitment to democracy and influencing postwar frameworks like the Atlantic Charter.