Throughout history, there has been a tendency to view minorities differently, with politicians perhaps viewing these differences as a threat to territorial integrity or political unity. As such, most governments normally take swift action to eliminate any differences that might exist amongst any minorities and majorities. These differences usually come about due to objective markers of identity, such as language, religion, race or even socioeconomic status, as these may bring about distinctions between minorities and others (Wippmann 598).
In Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s radio address to Congress, we see the initial stages of an evolving quest to ensure the fulfillment of every American’s right to have freedom from want, as President Roosevelt identifies four essential human freedoms, with the right to be free from want . Partial fulfillment of these freedoms, it could be argued, are what normally lead to the rise of minorities and majorities. In the early 20th century, one of the most pressing issues was that of inequitable and unfair distribution of wealth, compounded by rogue banks and businesses. This therefore gave rise to a minority, which even though had greater numbers, lacked an avenue through which to direct policy, making them the minority (“Address of the President” n.p).
In order to safeguard the rights of a majority of Americans to own homes and acquire loans, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the closure of a number of banks, under the emergency act. This could be interpreted as a major step towards ensuring fairness in the banking industry, similar to other policies by President Theodore Roosevelt aimed at ensuring equality, with particular focus being on the rights of the majority poor or middle class. Even though a majority of Americans fell within these two classes, previous governments had treated them as the minority, and further policies aimed at reducing the tax burden on such individuals as well as at improving their purchasing power, showed a renewed sense of boldness when it came to defending the rights of the minorities by the government under President Theodore Roosevelt (“Congressional Record” n.p).
Works Cited
“Address of The President Delivered By Radio From The White House”. 7/11/2012. Web
Congressional Record, 87(1). Web
David Wippman, The Evolution and Implementation of Minority Rights, 66 Fordham L. Rev. 597 (1997).
