第二权利法案

第二次世界大战前夕，美国因为1929年华尔街股灾而进入经济大萧条。小罗斯福通过承诺推动“新政”（New Deal）进行社会经济改革，在1932年底成功当选总统。他最先承诺要让政府保障社会和经济权利的表述来自于1932年9月23日在联邦俱乐部上的一番竞选讲话。这片演讲由哥伦比亚大学公司法教授阿道夫·柏利（Adolf A. Berle）执稿，其中提到：

依我来看，政府与商界关系相关的职责是协助发展一个经济权利宣言、一个经济宪法秩序。这是政治家和商人的共同职责。是一个更永久安全的秩序的最低要求。

在罗斯福的总统生涯中，他坚持将这种理念贯通在新政的推行中。在他任下，美国还通过1941年的大西洋宪章和租借法案向同盟国施以援手，最终借着珍珠港事件彻底结束了坚持已久的不干预主义。在二战结束后，美国通过自身的经济增长和参战获得的外交影响力，成功建立起一个新的国际秩序，第二权利法案和世界人权宣言中倡导的国际人权标准借势被提出。入江昭曾表述美国按照自身的形象和标准转变战后的太平洋地区的意图，是美国例外论的一种代表[6]。弗朗西斯·福山在《历史的终结及最后之人》一书中也透露过美国扩大民主化和社会改革的效果[7]。

罗斯福在致国会的第11次国情咨文中讲述的原文如下[8]：

It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.

This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.

We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. "Necessitous men are not free men."[9] People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

• The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
• The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
• The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
• The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
• The right of every family to a decent home;
• The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
• The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
• The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for all our citizens. For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world.

罗斯福1944年1月11日的炉边谈话[10]

罗斯福以在白宫炉边谈话的形式通过电台广播向美国大众发表了国情咨文演说。在发表这段演说前，罗斯福要求新闻影片记者进入的书房将整段有关第二权利法案的讲话录像拍摄：

今天我按照宪法要求把年度咨文发给了国会。我以往的习俗是亲自发表这些年度咨文并广播给全国，我今年本意也是遵循同一传统。但和其他许多人一样，我得了“流感”，而且虽然我实际上康复了，我的医生根本不让我离开白宫去国会山。美国只有几家报纸能打印整篇咨文，所以我担心美国人民能否有机会在这个我们历史上至关重要的一年听到我对国会建议了什么——以及这些建议的起因。这就是我所说的……[10]

罗斯福炉边谈话的这段视频在后来60多年销声匿迹，直到2008年美国著名左派制片人迈克尔·摩尔（Michael Moore）为了拍摄文献片《资本主义：一个爱情故事》收集素材，才在南卡罗来纳州的一个档案馆中找到[11]。摩尔后来在他文献电影的末尾将罗斯福的第二法案演说完整播出[12][13]。

• 美国权利法案
• 权利法案社会主义
• 四大自由
• 美国社会安全保险
• 充分就业
• 全民医疗
• 免费教育
• 最低所得保障
• 住房权

• AA Berle, 'Property, Production and Revolution' (1965) 65 Columbia Law Review 1 （页面存档备份，存于）
• CR Sunstein, The Second Bill of Rights: FDR's Unfinished Revolution--And Why We Need It More Than Ever (2004)

• FDR Second Bill of Rights Speech Footage （页面存档备份，存于） - YouTube
• Audio recording of the speech on Youtube （页面存档备份，存于）
• FDR's Unfinished "Second Bill of Rights" – and Why We Need it Now