Zack

Franklin Delano Roosevelt January 30, 1882-April 12, 1945 Democrat Terms in Office: (1933-1936, 1937-1940, 1941-1944, 1945) Vice Presidents: John Nance Garner (1933-1940), Henry Agard Wallace (1941-1944) Harry S. Truman (1945) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the only president in United States history to be nominated and elected to four terms. Roosevelt dealt with one of the most trying and difficult periods in American history. Roosevelt’s leadership helped to guide the nation through the most devastating financial crisis in history, The Great Depression. Roosevelt also saw the nation through the struggles of World War II. Roosevelt’s excellent leadership in the face of adversity is unquestioned, but he has received criticism for some issues. Roosevelt was been criticized for attempting to stack the Supreme Court with his supporters, and also struggled at the Yalta Conference. Many have also claimed that Roosevelt’s social reforms were too far reaching and actually hurt the nation. Overall, I feel that President Roosevelt deserves an A-. As President Roosevelt was inaugurated, he stated his goals for America. Roosevelt wanted to ensure that the government was active in stabilizing and improving the Depression-era economy. Roosevelt looked to bring hope and security back to the American people. FDR declared that, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” During the first one hundred days of Roosevelt’s presidency, he looked to keep his promises by working with Congress to pass many new programs. The Democrats held the majority in both houses of Congress throughout Roosevelt’s entire 13 year presidency. Especially during the first one hundred days of his presidency, Roosevelt and Congress worked exceptionally well together. Legislation like the Banking Relief Act, the Federal Emergency Relief Act, the Social Security Act and organizations like the National Recovery Administration, Securities Exchange Commission, and the Civilian Conservation Corps were only a few of the programs that Congress enacted as a part of Roosevelt’s New Deal for the U.S. economy. Cooperation between Congress and President Roosevelt was vital for the success of New Deal programs. I believe that the most positive decision made by the Roosevelt administration was the joint effects of the New Deal and World War II. The programs of the New Deal were successful in halting the drastic decline that was brought along with the Great Depression. In short, the New Deal stopped the bleeding. It was not until World War II came on that the American economy really began to recover. The war required increases in production that set industry soaring and fully pulled America out of the depression. The New Deal set the stage by creating jobs and stabilizing industry, while the war increased production and ended the depression. I feel that these events also had the greatest impact on future generations because the depression had ended and the American economy could begin to function once more. I think that one of the most negative was FDR’s role at the Yalta Conference. At this conference, Roosevelt asked Stalin to aid in ending the war in Japan. FDR ended up using large sections of land to appease Stalin and to coax him into aiding in the war effort against Japan. This had multiple negative effects. The Soviets now had more land and could thus increase their sphere of influence. This would hurt the Americans all throughout the Cold War and during the efforts of containing the spread of communism. This decision gave the Soviet machine even more power and influence. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had many successes and some failures during his long presidency. He was the president for longer than any man before or since. He also faced one of the most difficult eras in American history. Roosevelt’s strong leadership during the Great Depression and World War II greatly outweigh his mistakes at the Yalta Conference and his attempt to stack the Supreme Court. President Roosevelt deserves an A- because he took a nation that was on the verge of total collapse and emerged at the end with a full-fledged world power.