The second bill of rights was voted in by congress on July 22nd 1946. The purpose of the bill was to increase the rights of citizens in America, as well as improve the quality of life. It did so by guaranteeing every family a suitable home, a job, and equal education for everyone. The bill also guarantees protection from corporate monopolies and adequate medical care, and social security. These were made part of the bill because FDR and whoever helped him think of the bill thought that these would benefit America greatly. The goal main goals were to improve the average life of all American citizens. This was done by offering equal chances for essentially everyone. It will give everyone a house, so that they won't have to live on the street and have a bad life. It will also offer jobs to everyone, and with equal education, those who work to these jobs will have the qualifications to get them. There will be more people working, which will stimulate the economy, but it will also mean that there will be more injuries while working. This was thought of, so that the people working will have some form of health care, this will also make people more eager to work. Overall the goal of the bill is to stimulate the economy, and better the country.
The bill was received very well when it was approved by congress. To the left is a news article from the day after the approval. It talks about how the bill should be good for the country, and an overview of what the bill will do. Only a picture of the first part of the article can be seen to the left. In order to view the whole article click the image.
Click the image to be taken to the full excerpt script
To the left is the script from an excerpt of an interview with Roosevelt that has been mentioned previously on this website. The interview was recorded on January 2nd 1945, just a few months before Roosevelt passed away. Before the exempt shown, Roosevelt asked the interviewer to wait at least 10 years before releasing the footage or script. In the interview Roosevelt explains why the second bill of rights was able to come into play. During the speech where the bill was announced, Roosevelt said that he would start working on the bill after the war was over. This was clearly not the case, because he passed away a few months before the war ended, but the bill was still passed and became a huge success. This excerpt of the interview shows how this was possible, and the thought process that Roosevelt had when making this bill.
1: Roosevelt, Franklin D. "1944 State of the Union Adress." FDRs Second Bill of Rights or Economic Bill of Rights Speech. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/stateoftheunion.html>.