(Excerpted from a message to Congress, January 6, 1941, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt) "We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way. The third is freedom from want. The fourth is freedom from fear."

Freedom And Fairness: Core Principles Of The Democratic Party

The mission of a democracy is the achievement of a society that is both free and fair. The Democratic Party historically has committed itself to the principles set out below, which, if pursued honestly, openly, and faithfully, will foster a just community of free men and women.

1. All people are entitled to live without fear for their own safety or the safety of their loved ones. That safety must be secured by both protection and prevention.
   
   
2. Each person is entitled to access to honest work providing a living wage conducted in a safe, healthy work environment.
   
   
3. Access to high quality public education must be available to all people regardless of sex, race, religion, national origin, financial status, or disability.
   
4. Each person is entitled to quality medical care at affordable cost.
   
   
5. Natural resources of our country and the world are held by individuals and institutions, public or private, in stewardship. As a democratic society, we must conserve and maintain the natural environment as a sacred trust owed to those now living and those to follow.
   
   
6. All citizens, corporate and individual, are stewards, as well, of the public good. Public policy must rest upon an ethic of mutual responsibility.
   
   
7. As citizens of the nation richest in natural and human capital, we must ensure that we share with the world’s less prosperous, so that all people can hold a vision of a brighter future.
   
   
8. Patriotism mandates that we act in accordance with our historical mission: to act as a responsible citizen-nation in the community of nations, adhering to our commitments; seeking peaceful resolution of international conflict; and fostering an atmosphere of global trust.
   
   
9. A just society ensures that the opportunities and benefits of that society are equally available and distributed; that human needs do not go unmet; and that the responsibility to fund that society is shared equitably.
   
   
10. Access to the benefits and opportunities provided by a democratic society may not be denied to any citizen on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.
    
    
11. The free and open exchange of ideas is the bedrock of democracy. Freedom of expression, even of unpopular opinion, and unfettered access to information must be preserved and protected.
    
    
12. Everyone must be free to worship according to his or her own conscience; but government must refrain from either fostering or frustrating the practice of religion.
    
    
13. All citizens are entitled to equal treatment under the law. Our civil and criminal justice systems must be kept free of all bias, social and financial.
    
    
14. A democratic government IS the people. It is our role, as government, to assure the pursuit of the principles set forth above by enhancing the community life of the citizen, while leaving sacrosanct the social, religious and personal life, fostering in each citizen a dedication to fruitful and rewarding service to self, family, community and nation.