During World War II, Rockwell was inspired by the effort by FDR and others in defining and promoting American Values as a way to mobilize people in the fight against anti-democratic forces winning territory in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific. He took what he saw as abstract ideas in FDR's famous "Four Freedoms" speech and translated them into real-life contexts that regular people could relate to. These values were clearly meaningful to Rockwell in a way that lasted well beyond the end of the war, as something he passionately believed America would want to aspire to.
