Definition of "ethical commitments".?

Hey so I have to write an essay on a couple different topics and one of them is ethical commitments. The basis of the phrase is that in Franklin D. Roosevelt's final inaugural address in 1945, one of the goals that he asked of the nation was to uphold their ethical commitments. I know the core idea of what "ethical commitments" means, but it isn't anything solid that I can put in an essay or write on. Can anyone give me a solid definition of what "ethical commitments" means in this context?