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FEATURE / ELEANOR ROOSEVELT 07 DEC 18
STORY: FEATURE / ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
TRT: 5:12
SOURCE: UNTV/UN PHOTO/OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS/US NATIONAL ARCHIVE/ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
DATELINE: FILE
FILE - UNTV
1. Wide Shot, Eleanor Roosevelt walks up to GA podium
2. Medium Shot, Eleanor Roosevelt speaks at podium
FILE – UNTV
3. Various World War II stock footage: Explosions, marching soldiers, wounded soldiers
FILE - US NATIONAL ARCHIVE
4. Planes drop bombs over cities
FILE – OHCHR
5. Michelle Bachelet on camera
FILE - ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
6. Photo of Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt
7. Photo of Eleanor Roosevelt
FILE – UNTV
8. Blanche Weisen Cook on camera
FILE – ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
9. Archive footage of Eleanor Roosevelt traveling in the Pacific, meeting with European children
FILE - US NATIONAL ARCHIVE
10. World War II era United Nations poster
11. Photo of Eleanor Roosevelt speaking in front of press mics
FILE – UNTV
12. Blanche Weisen Cook on camera
FILE – ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
13. Photo of Eleanor Roosevelt talking with two women
14. Photo of Harry Truman, Eleanor Roosevelt, and two young women holding a UN flag
15. Photo of Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt
FILE – UNTV
16. Archive footage of delegates arriving to first UN plenary
17. Archive footage of Eleanor Roosevelt arriving to first un plenary
18. Eleanor Roosevelt attending opening reception
FILE - ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
19. Various photos of Eleanor Roosevelt with her fellow US UN delegates
FILE – UNTV
20. Archive footage of Eleanor Roosevelt speaking at first UN GA debate
21. Archive footage of Eleanor Roosevelt speaking at UN committee meeting
FILE – OHCHR
22. Michelle Bachelet on camera
FILE – UNTV
23. Archive footage of Eleanor Roosevelt speaking at UN committee meeting
FILE - ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
24. Photo of UDHR drafting committee members
FILE – UNTV
25. Archive footage of Hansa Mehta speaking
FILE - ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
26. Photo of Hansa Mehta
27. Photo of Hansa Mehta and Eleanor Roosevelt together
FILE – UNTV
28. Blanche Weisen Cook on camera
FILE – OHCHR
29. Animation of Article 1 of the UDHR highlighting the text
FILE – UNTV
30. Blanche Weisen Cook on camera
FILE - ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
31. Photo of Eleanor Roosevelt meeting with UN women’s committee
FILE – OHCHR
32. Michelle Bachelet on camera
FILE - ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
33. Eleanor Roosevelt speaking to camera
34. Archive footage of crowd of people looking off into distance
35. Archive of UN flag waving in front of UN Headquarters
FILE – UN PHOTO
36. Various photos of Eleanor Roosevelt meeting with other Human Rights Commission members
FILE – UNTV
37. Archive footage of Eleanor Roosevelt speaking at GA debate
38. Archive footage of GA President speaking at GA debate, then Eleanor Roosevelt gets applause from the assembly
FILE – OHCHR
39. Animation of the UDHR document
FILE – UNTV
40. Then animation is superimposed over city skyline, text fades out leaving only NYC skyline with UNHQ at sunset
41. NYC skyline with UNHQ at sunset
FILE – OHCHR
42. Michelle Bachelet on camera
FILE - ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
43. Archive footage of Eleanor Roosevelt standing across from UNHQ
44. Eleanor Roosevelt speaking to camera
Eleanor Roosevelt: “This Universal Declaration of Human Rights may well become the international Magna Carta of all men everywhere.”
Beacon of Hope - Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
1945
After two devastating global wars, the world was looking for new ways to promote global peace and stability.
Michelle Bachelet: “After the second world war and the great economic depression, there was a spirit to think what can we do to ensure that this kind of situation will never happen again.”
Among those spearheading this goal: First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt
Blanche Weisen Cook, Eleanor Roosevelt Biographer
Blanche Wiesen Cook: “Because of her travels during the war, in England during the blitz, in the Pacific while the Pacific is being bombed, her connection to the people of the world is so complete.”
Blanche Wiesen Cook: “After FDR dies there are many efforts to get Eleanor Roosevelt to run for the Senate, and there is even some thought that maybe she should run for Vice President.”
Though she tried to stay out of public life, an offer came that Roosevelt could not refuse
Harry Truman, now President of the United States, was looking for ways to extend the legacy of his predecessor.
1946: Delegates arrive for the first UN General Assembly in London, England
Blanche Wiesen Cook: “The one position she is excited about, that she accepts, is when Harry Truman offers her a membership in the delegation, the US delegation to the United Nations.”
Including Eleanor Roosevelt, the lone woman in the US delegation.
Blanche Wiesen Cook: ““It was such an opportunity to build a movement for peace, and for human rights.”
While excited about the work, she became frustrated by the attitude of the other US delegates
Blanche Wiesen Cook: “She was very aware of being almost ostracized by the men, not part of their conversations and the irony is when she is asked to go into the committee that writes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they think that’s going to be a social committee of no interest. But it then becomes one of the most important committees.”
Eleanor Roosevelt was quickly elected chairperson of this committee.
Michelle Bachelet: “Eleanor Roosevelt, being a woman who was very strong with democratic ideas, she was really key on the draft of the Declaration of Human Rights.”
For 2 years the Human Rights Committee worked to draft the document that became the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
They hammered out differences that naturally came from a diverse group of committee members.
Charles Malik, Lebanon
P.C. Chung, China
René Casson, France
Hansa Mehta, India
Blanche Wiesen Cook: “One other person that was such a big influence on Eleanor Roosevelt was India’s Hansa Mehta. For the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it was Hansa Mehta who said, “Excuse me, Mrs. Roosevelt, if you say ‘all men are created free and equal around the world’ it will be all men, women not included.’ And so the words were changed to ‘all human beings’. That small change has had a tremendous impact. Women will be included, everywhere. All human beings: men and women and children have these rights.”
Michelle Bachelet: “It says that these rights of the people are not because you are from some geographical region, because you are from some culture, or some religion, it’s just because we are human beings, just because we exist, that we are entitled to those rights.
Eleanor Roosevelt: “The real change which must give to people throughout the world their human rights, must come about in the hearts of people.”
With Roosevelt using diplomacy to keep member states unified, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on December 10th, 1948.
Blanche Wiesen Cook: “Their ability to work together, to negotiate across all their differences, is really what made the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights possible.
Eleanor Roosevelt: “It is a declaration of basic principles of human rights and freedoms, and to serve as a common standard of achievement for all peoples of all nations.”
President of the General Assembly (1948): “It is particularly fitting that here tonight the person who has been the leader in this movement, assisted though she’s been by many others, I refer of course to Mrs. Roosevelt, the Delegate of the United States.
Blanche Wiesen Cook: “It’s one of the most significant moments in world history. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the beacon for the future.”
Michelle Bachelet: “We will ensure that this Universal Declaration will be the light that shines and will guide how we relate to each other.”
Michelle Bachelet: “We will ensure that this Universal Declaration will be the light that shines and will guide how we relate to each other.”
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