One of my favorite museums, the NY Historical Society, is having an exceptional exhibit on FDR and the Four Freedoms and Norman Rockwell’s Paintings of them.  It is wonderful and you must see it.  You MUST!  The exhibit explores the evolution of Rockwell’s Four Freedoms from a series of illustrations into a national movement.  Rockwell’s iconic images remind us of his important role in inspiring Americans to embrace Roosevelt’s call to embrace freedom around the world.  Surely you’ve heard of the Four Freedoms—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Fear and Freedom from Want.  The paintings are magnificent and back in 1941 when Roosevelt first gave his speech , Rockwell and his work went a long way toward making Americans aware of what they might lose if Hitler won.   Today with the way the world and the U.S. is, the paintings and what they stand for, are as important as when they were first painted.

Miriam Silverberg is a freelance journalist and the owner of Miriam Silverberg Associates, a boutique publicity agency in Manhattan.  She may be reached at silverbergm@mindspring.com