FREE ESSAY ON FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT

FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is generally regarded as one of the United States' most
effective Presidents. Whether the accolades are entirely justified or Roosevelt's
effectiveness was simply a product of the time period in which he served as President
will always be debated. However, one thing that no one can deny is that Roosevelt took an
atypical route on his way to becoming President. Whether he was fighting an illness or
coping with the death of a loved one, Roosevelt always managed to keep himself on track
and to persist towards his goals and those of the country. People remember FDR for his
actions during the Great Depression and World War II, but those actions were preceded by
and intertwined with a tough, yet interesting, life that prepared him for his future
endeavors.
On January 30, 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, New York to Sara
Delano and James Roosevelt (whitehouse.gov). In 1886, at the age of four, Franklin and
his family permanently settled into a house in Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada, which
was previously a summer getaway (Conkin 34). Two years later, Roosevelt began his formal
education under a governess of Archibald and Edmund Rogers. It was here that Roosevelt
learned to speak German and received the opportunity to study abroad the next year. While
abroad, however, he contracted a mild case of typhoid fever, the first of a multitude of
illnesses that he would battle during his life. He returned to Hyde Park in 1890, and was
tutored by Miss Riensberg. On September 28 of the same year, Roosevelt began studies
under a Swiss governess, Jeanne Sardoz, which lasted for two years. Sardoz taught him
some of the ins and outs of the British lifestyle in addition to teaching him the French
language. (Conkin 35) In 1891, Roosevelt and his family traveled to Bad Nauheim, Germany,
where he studied at a German public school for a short time. Eventually, they returned to
the United States where Franklin received additional personal tutoring. For the most
part, Arthur Dumper was his main tutor. (Conkin 36) Clearly, Roosevelt's life did not
start out in typical fashion. While most children went to school to receive an education,
FDR learned from a wide variety of tutors coming from very diverse nationalities and
backgrounds. This diversity may have been part of the reason that Roosevelt was so
successful later in life when he became President.
Once he completed his years of tutoring, Roosevelt entered Groton school, where he
studied under headmaster, Endicott Peabody. While at Groton, he made his first ever
political speech on the topic of the Nicaragua Canal Bill. (Ginna 33) On January 17,
1898, Warren Delano II, Franklin's grandfather, passed away (Eisenhower 44). True to
form, Roosevelt pushed forward only two days later by delivering an address during a
debate at Groton. In April, Scarlet fever struck Roosevelt badly, forcing him to leave
Groton. Intent on finishing his education at the school, he returned to Groton, as soon
as he was physically able, for his final year. Finally, on June 25, 1900, Roosevelt
graduated from Groton and was awarded the Latin prize. (Eisenhower 45)
In September of 1900, Franklin Roosevelt entered Harvard University and tried out for the
football and crew teams. He did not make either team, but he was elected to be an editor
of Harvard's school newspaper Crimson. (Diggins 69) Unfortunately for FDR, his father
passed away on December 8 after battling a long-term illness and a heart condition
(Diggins 57). It seemed Roosevelt simply could not escape hardship, and this reality must
have prepared him emotionally for anything that could possibly happen.
A significant event happened in 1901. Theodore Roosevelt became President of the United
States following the assassination of William McKinley. From this point on, Roosevelt
attempted to model his career after his role model and fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt.
(Diggins 75) Now, FDR had someone to look up to, someone to provide something tangible
for him to strive for. After all, if a family member could become President of the United
States, why would FDR himself not be able to?
In 1903, Franklin Roosevelt began his senior year at Harvard and was elected president of
the Crimson. While attending Harvard, Roosevelt engaged Miss Eleanor Roosevelt, who was
Theodore Roosevelt's niece. Eleanor's father was actually one of Franklin's godparents.
(Ginna 66) In 1905, Franklin and Eleanor married and took a three month delayed honeymoon
for themselves in Europe that June. The next year, in May, the couple gave birth to their
first child, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. (Asbell 99) With such a marriage, one must believe
that Roosevelt dealt with a good deal of criticism. However, the couple had a very
successful marriage, and they were one of the most well known couples in the world for
the next 40 years.
In June of 1904, Roosevelt graduated from Harvard and immediately entered the Columbia
University School of Law. In 1907, Roosevelt passed the New York Bar Examination and
found employment as a junior clerk at a law firm on Wall Street in New York City named
Carter, Ledyard, and Milburn. Soon after, his first son, James, was born. The next year,
his second son, Franklin Delano, Jr., was born. However, the boy died the following year
marking yet another dramatic setback in Roosevelt's life. Two years later, they had
another son, Elliott, who was born on September 23, 1910, in New York City. On November
8, the Democrats nominated Roosevelt for State Senator for New York's 26th District.
After considerable work campaigning and marketing his name, Roosevelt was elected to the
New York State Senate by a wide margin. (Eisenhower 113) Even during a hectic time in his
life when he and Eleanor had three young children to care for, FDR continued to further
his career and keep himself in the public's eye.
In June of 1912, FDR played a minor role at the Democratic Convention in Baltimore,
supporting Woodrow Wilson's nomination for the presidency. In July, he organized The
Empire State Democracy with seventy other progressives to support Wilson's campaign and
to oppose Tammany's domination of the state ticket. (Eisenhower 111) On August 24,
Roosevelt was re-nominated for the state senate, but he could not campaign because he
contracted typhoid fever. Despite his illness and attacks from Tammany, he was re-elected
to the state senate on November 5. (Diggins 132) At this point, Roosevelt must have
seemed to be impervious to any obstacle. Without campaigning and battling an illness, he
still managed to return to the state senate for one more term.
On March 17, 1913, Roosevelt's career took another giant step forward when President
Wilson appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He served under Secretary Josephus
Daniels. Less than one month later, he made a speech before the Navy League in
Washington, D.C. that stressed the need for a larger navy. The next year, Franklin and
Eleanor had another son, and named him Franklin Delano, Jr., in memory of the son they
lost. Ironically, he was born at Compobello, the same place Roosevelt had frequented as a
young boy. Also that year, Roosevelt was defeated in the Democratic primary for the U.S.
Senate by James W. Gerard. The setback would not discourage Roosevelt from continuing to
pursue his ultimate goal of becoming President. In March of 1916, the Roosevelts had
their last child, John Aspinwall, who was born in Washington, D.C. (Diggins 135)
On February 3, 1917, Roosevelt received word from Secretary Daniels while he was in Santo
Domingo on business that he needed to return to Washington. Germany had announced its
intention to begin submarine warfare. On April 2, he listened to Wilson's war message and
learned that war against Germany was imminent. (Eisenhower 117) In November, Roosevelt's
had his plan for a North Sea mine barrage approved after a long dispute amongst Navy
officials.
Franklin Roosevelt left Brooklyn, New York, on a destroyer for an inspection trip in
Europe in July of 1918. He inspected installations in England, France, and Italy until
September. When he returned to New York, he once again became seriously ill with
influenza. Three months later, after overcoming the illness, Roosevelt sailed on the
George Washington with his wife. The boat was headed for Europe on a mission to dismantle
American Navy installations. On the way to Europe, they stopped in Boston and had a
luncheon meeting with Wilson. Wilson convinced Roosevelt that the United States had to
join the League of Nations. (Eisenhower 118) The influence of FDR is evident in the fact
that the President of the United States felt the need to acquire Roosevelt's approval
before making a decision of such magnitude.
A couple months later, The Republican senators made an attempt to involve FDR in a Navy
scandal at Newport, charging that he had authorized highly objectionable methods in
collecting evidence in homosexual cases. These charges were eventually dropped. However,
the situation is yet another example of Roosevelt's tough-mindedness (Conkin 130).
At the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco on July 6, 1920, Roosevelt was
nominated for Vice President to run with Governor James M. Cox of Ohio, and he
immediately began to campaign in Chicago. One month later, he resigned his post as
Assistant Secretary of the Navy in order to better concentrate on this position. (Ginna
164) Unfortunately, Roosevelt and Cox lost by a landslide in this election on November 2
to Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge (nscds.pvt.k12.il.us). Roosevelt felt that his
time would come, and he still did not see anything blocking his path to the presidency.
Upon losing the election, Roosevelt returned to law practice with a firm called Emmet,
Marvin and Roosevelt. At this time, he was also named vice president of the Fidelity and
Deposit Company of Maryland, in charge of the New York office. Later in 1921, Roosevelt
contracted infantile paralyses, also known as poliomyelitis, or polio for short. He was
taken to Presbyterian Hospital in New York City when the condition worsened, and he was
treated for one month. After, he went home and was basically bed-ridden until he was
fitted with steel leg braces that helped him walk. (Diggins 177) Of all the illnesses
Roosevelt was stricken with in his life, polio had to be the most serious. However, most
people will agree that the most successful part of his career did not occur until after
this major setback. Leave it to Roosevelt to accomplish something that improbable.
Through all of this hardship, Roosevelt still managed to become president of the American
Construction Council for six years. He also became the presidential campaign manager for
Alfred E. Smith. On June 26, 1924, FDR delivered the nominating speech for Smith in
Madison Square Garden on crutches. He called Smith the "Happy Warrior" of the political
battlefield, a name that stuck with Smith throughout his career. Toward the end of that
year, Roosevelt ended his law partnership with Marvin and Emmet, citing old-fashioned
styles that were not conducive with his own beliefs as the reason. He entered into a new
partnership with D. Basil O'Connor. (Conkin 159)
In 1926, FDR published his first book titled, Whither Bound. The next year, he founded
the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation for the treatment of polio victims. Another book, The
Happy Warrior, Alfred E. Smith, is published later in 1927. (nscds.pvt.k12.il.us) A
nomination for Roosevelt came in 1928 by Alfred Smith for the governorship of New York.
He won the election, and in 1929, F.D.R. was inaugurated governor. He changed everything
Governor Smith had set up by replacing Secretary of the State Robert Moses with Edward J.
Flynn, Industrial Commissioner Dr. James A. Hamilton with Miss Frances Perkins, and
decided not to reappoint Belle Moskowitz as his secretary. His first year in office was
an extremely successful one. For this reason, he was re-elected on November 4 of the
following year. In the next two years, Roosevelt called for a banking reform to protect
depositors, approved bill regulating hours of labor for women and children in New York
State, and gave the address at the opening of the Empire State Building, among other
beneficial decisions. (Asbell 212) It would seem that this position was a major
stepping-stone for Roosevelt in his quest to become President. Not only was he given a
chance to implement some of his own ideas, but he was also re-acclimated to the political
environment. This would prove beneficial in the coming years.
FDR's Government - Not Politics was published in 1932, and it may have helped him move
closer towards his goal of becoming President (nscds.pvt.k12.il.us). On July 1, 1932,
Roosevelt was nominated for President of the United States on the fourth ballot. He won
the election on November 8, and in 1933, FDR was inaugurated. During his first "Hundred
Days," as the first three months have come to be known, many important events occurred
under Roosevelt's leadership. (Conkin 215) One act of extreme importance was the
Emergency Banking Relief Act. This movement placed banks under federal control and
provided for their re-opening. Also, the Economy Act was signed, which saved about $243
million. During this time, Roosevelt signed a bill establishing the Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC) to create employment for young men and to aid in reforestation work. Another
extremely important decision was his request that Congress create a Tennessee Valley
Authority, which proved to be very useful. During the "Hundred Days," Roosevelt signed
the Johnson-O'Malley Act, which provided federal aid to states for Indian welfare. The
United States also eliminated the gold standard, hence raising domestic prices. He signed
the Federal Securities Act, which provided regulations to require full disclosure to
investors on new securities. Lastly, he signed the National Industrial Recovery Act
(NIRA), which created today's National Recovery Administration (NRA). This supervised
industry's attempt at self-regulation by establishing fair trade in competition. (Conkin
220) FDR also published another book in 1934 entitled, On the Way (nscds.pvt.k12.il.us).
Roosevelt's first term was very successful as he finally got a chance to implement his
own ideas, and the people began to have faith in his decisions. Proof is in the fact that
many people attributed the end of the Great Depression directly to Roosevelt. It is
possible that because he was President when the Depression ended, some saw him as almost
superhuman, and they would support any decision he made.
In 1936, Roosevelt was re-elected, and on January 20, 1937, he was inaugurated once
again. On March 1, he signed the Retirement Act, which removed income tax hardships from
justices who retired at 70. On May 1, he signed the Neutrality Act, which gave him much
power. On August 26, he signed the Revenue Act of 1937, which tried to help income taxes.
Then, on December 12, Japanese planes sunk the United States gunboat, Panay on the
Yangtze River. Roosevelt forced Japan to apologize and pay $2 million in reparations.
(Eisenhower 200) It is almost as if everything Roosevelt tried to do, he did. He had
power like no other President in the United States' history.
On January 20, 1941, Roosevelt became the first President of the United States to be
inaugurated for the third straight term (nscds.pvt.k12.il.us). Throughout this term, the
United States was involved in World War II. Roosevelt's reputation as one of our greatest
Presidents was taken to a new level during these years, probably due to the success that
the United States had in the war, both on the European front and the Pacific front.
Furthermore, the fact that life on the mainland carried on as smoothly as it did is often
attributed directly to Roosevelt's leadership.
On January 20, 1945, Roosevelt was inaugurated for his unprecedented fourth and final
term (nscds.pvt.k12.il.us). The fact that this term would be so short was obviously
unknown at the time, but Roosevelt was intent on completing the war and restoring peace
among the involved countries. From February 4 -11, he attended the Yalta Conference along
with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Russia's Premier Joseph Stalin, among
others. Most decisions from this meeting were not released until after the war, but the
future implementation of some of these decisions can undoubtedly be directly linked to
Roosevelt. (Diggins 226) Unfortunately, Roosevelt could not complete even the first year
of his final term. On April 12, 1945, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs,
Georgia, and passed away. He was buried in the Rose Garden at Hyde Park on April 15.
(Eisenhower 227) The end of the war later that year was a bittersweet victory for the
U.S. Sure, the nation had defeated the extremely powerful Adolph Hitler and Germany, but
it had also lost one of the greatest leaders in the nation's history during that same
year.
Without question, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is seen as a superior leader and President of
the United States. Many Americans, past and present, remember him as the man who saved
their jobs, their homes, their farms, and their way of life when America stood at the
brink of disaster during the Depression. Some even attributed the end of World War II
solely to FDR. Both are statements of debate. However, what cannot be debated and must be
commended is the path that Roosevelt took in becoming President and in carrying out his
duties. Many hardships served as obstacles between Roosevelt and his goals. However, it
seems that none of these barriers ever hindered Roosevelt from accomplishing what he
wanted to accomplish. Only death could remove him from office. Likewise, only death could
bring a halt to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's success.
Bibliography
Asbell, Bernard. The FDR Memoirs. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc.,
1974.
Conkin, Paul K. FDR and the Origins of the Welfare State. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell
Company, 1967.
Diggins, John P. The Proud Decades. New York: W and W Norton and Company, 1988.
Eisenhower, Milton S. The President Is Calling. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and
Company, Inc., 1974.
Ginna, Robert and Robert Graff. FDR. New York: Harper and Bow Publishers, 1963.
Internet. 17 March 2000. Available WWW:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presidents/html/fr32.html/
Internet. 25 March 2000. Available WWW:
http://www.nscds.pvt.k12.il.us/nscds/us/apushist/roosevelt/time.html#1880