Franklin Delano Roosevelt Essay Research Paper In

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Essay, Research Paper

In what ways can Franklin Delano Roosevelt lay claim to the title: The Greatest President of the 20th Century.

In the 20th century, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the president of the United States that shaped the American Empire. He was a charismatic optimist whose confidence helped sustain the nation during crisis like the Great Depression and World War II. He received overwhelming support from his citizens throughout his four terms in office. President Roosevelt began a new era in American history. Despite an attack of poliomyelitis, which paralyzed his legs in 1921, he established social reforms that gave people a new perspective on government. Government was not only expected to protect the people from foreign invaders, but to protect against poverty and unemployment. Roosevelt had also shown his military and diplomatic skill as the Commander in Chief during World War II. Born in 1882 in Hide Park N.Y, he was raised in a high class family, graduated from Harvard University and received his law degree from Columbia Law School. At age 23 he married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, niece of President Theodore Roosevelt. Even though coming from a privileged childhood, Roosevelt was close to the simple citizen s aspirations. His New Deal program gave jobs for the workers and his wartime policies protected democracy.

In 1932, F.D.R took the Democratic presidential nomination on the fourth ballot with John Nance Garner of Texas as his Vice Presidential running mate. Although there was rough competition during the choosing process, most party leaders were happy with the Roosevelt choice. It would help pull votes from the urban-Eastern region of the country. During the November campaign against Hoover, Roosevelt suggested a few parts of the “New Deal”. He spoke of relief and public works money. He wanted to develop a plan to cut agricultural overproduction. He was for public power, conservation and unemployment insurance. The repeal of prohibition and stock exchange regulation were also big items on his platform. But he mentioned little about his plans for industrial recovery or labor laws. As much foreign policy experience as he had, he talked very little of it during the campaign. When it came to election day, Roosevelt was the only viable alternative to Hoover, who many blamed for the Great Depression, although critics argue that it was the presidents preceding the Hoover administration. Roosevelt’s second election was in 1936. As expected, Roosevelt won by a landslide. This reflected the nation’s confidence in the man and his leadership ability. However, the nation still had a long way to go. After another over-all successful term, Roosevelt ran again in 1940. The Republicans based their campaign on the tradition that no President had ever gone for a third term in succession. To counter this, Roosevelt put the spotlight on his administration’s achievements. Because of the risky situation abroad, many felt that Roosevelt’s expertise was needed if war occurred. The election results against Wendell Willkie were closer than the previous two times. Much of this feeling was based on the idea that it would be a bad thing for the country to change leadership in the middle of the war. Many of the president’s advisors felt he would not live through a fourth term, considering his hypertension, and cardiac failure. Because of his condition, the Vice President nomination for the 1944 election was of utmost importance. Roosevelt was persuaded to drop Henry Wallace, whom many regarded as too liberal and emotionally unsuited to be president. Harry Truman of Missouri was chosen to fill the spot. Again, the Republicans argument was term length. No President should serve for 16 years, they declared. The opposing argument by the Democrats was that no country should “change horses in mid-stream”. The election outcome was even slimmer this time, but Roosevelt still captured a hearty vote.

By the time Roosevelt was inaugurated on March 4, 1933, the economic situation was desperate. Between 13 and 15 million Americans were unemployed. Of these, between 1 and 2 million people were wandering about the country looking for jobs. Thousands lived in cardboard shacks called “hoovervilles”. Panic-stricken people hoping to rescue their deposits had forced 38 states to close their banks. The Depression hit all levels of the social scale, heads of corporations and Wall Street bankers were left begging on the street. Roosevelt’s action would be two parted: restore confidence and rebuild the economic and social structure. In one of his addresses, he pushed confidence with his statement, “the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself” . One of his first steps was to take action upon the bank problem. Because of the Depression, people rushed to the banks to pull their deposits out in return for paper cash and gold. On March 6, 1933, Roosevelt declared a bank holiday that lasted four days. All banks in the nation were closed until the Department of Treasury could examine each one’s fiscal situation. Those that were determined to correct their financial condition were allowed to reopen and those who had been badly operated were not allowed. During the Great Depression, 5,504 banks had closed and deposits of nearly $3.5 billion dollars were lost.

Shortly after the President restored confidence in the banks, what is now known as the “100 days” began