Our nation and the world face great challenges, from the decline of democracy to the threat of global climate change, but only if we face them with confidence will we have the capacity to solve them. America has often fallen far short of Roosevelt’s ideals; even his own administration fell short, through the internment of Japanese Americans and the continued segregation of the armed forces during World War II. But that doesn’t diminish the values that FDR fought for, ones we should take on as our own. It only strengthens our resolve to fight for the future, without fear of the future. Because a world without fear is a world worth fighting for.
Read MorePresident Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses a joint session of Congress on January 6, 1941. Speaker Sam Rayburn, left, and Vice President John N. Garner, right, are listening behind him. AP File.