Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkiewas an American lawyer, corporate executive, and the 1940 Republican candidate for president. Willkie appealed to many convention delegates as the Republican field's only interventionist: although the U.S. remained neutral prior to Pearl Harbor, he favored greater U.S. involvement in World War II to support Britain and other Allies. His Democratic opponent, incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt, won the 1940 election with roughly 55% of the popular vote to Willkie's roughly 45% of the popular vote. Willkie lost...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth18 February 1892
CityElwood, IN
CountryUnited States of America
Tolerance is the assumption of superiority
But it required a disastrous, internecine war to bring this question of human freedom to a crisis, and the process of striking the shackles from the slave was accomplished in a single hour.
The defense of our democracy against the forces that threaten it from without has made some of its failures to function at home glaringly apparent.
It has been a long while since the United States had any imperialistic designs toward the outside world. But we have practised within our own boundaries something that amounts to race imperialism.
For now more than ever, we must keep in the forefront of our minds the fact that whenever we take away the liberties of those we hate, we are opening the way to loss of liberty for those we love.
In addition, as citizens, we must fight in their incipient stages all movements by government or party or pressure groups that seek to limit the legitimate liberties of any of our fellow citizens.
I have noticed, with much distress, the excessive wartime activity of the investigating bureaus of Congress and the administration, with their impertinent and indecent searching out of the private lives and the past political beliefs of individuals.
We cannot, with good conscience, expect the British to set up an orderly schedule for the liberation of India before we have decided for ourselves to make all who live in America free.
Be honorable yourself if you wish to associate with honorable people.
Free men are the strongest men.
Only the strong can be free. And only the productive can be strong.
If the British Fleet were lost or captured, the Atlantic might be dominated by Germany, a power hostile to our way of life, controlling in that event most of the ships and shipbuilding facilities of Europe.
I believe the moral losses of expediency always far outweigh the temporary gains.
We must honestly face our relationship with Great Britain.