Valley Ridge Academy PTO

When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, Rockwell wanted to help in the war effort. Remembering a speech President Franklin D. Roosevelt had made earlier in the year, Rockwell painted pictures to help people better understand the four basic freedoms the president thought everyone in the world should have: freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. It took Rockwell seven months to complete the four paintings. He painted Freedom of Speech and Freedom to Worship several times before he was satisfied with the results. In the middle of the night when pondering how to best depict freedom of speech, Rockwell was struck with what he called “the best idea I’d ever had.” He remembered a man who stood up at a town meeting and made a comment. Everyone disagreed with him but believed that he had the right to speak his mind. This, Rockwell thought, was what freedom of speech was all about.