Nate+A.+-+FDR+-+FA10

(January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945) Political Party: Democrat In Office: March 4, 1933 - April 12, 1945 Vice Presidents: John N. Garner (1933-1941), Henry A. Wallace (1941-1945), Harry S. Truman (1945)
 * Franklin Delano Roosevelt**

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one of the greatest Presidents America has seen, would receive an A if his administration were to be graded. His impressive accomplishments range from pulling America out of the worst financial crisis it has ever seen to victory in World War II.

Being the first President to break the two term rule, Roosevelt was elected four times. Therefore, he had four Inaugural Addresses, the most important and influential being the first in 1933. He believed that the people of the depression were being denied the necessities of life, and he promised to change this. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” a powerful statement made during the worst point of the catastrophe. Roosevelt thought they should treat the depression with the same seriousness they would a war. Implementing the Three R’s, (relief, recovery, and reform) Congress passed reform bills including unemployment insurance, old-age insurance, minimum wage restrictions, and child labor laws. During his third Inaugural Address, he talks about how they have overcome the depression; his fourth saying that they have learned many lessons from WWII. The war taught America that it’s happiness also depended on that of other nations as well. Roosevelt’s main goal was to promptly take America out of depression, and he effectively accomplished this goal with the New Deal.

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s relationship with congress was exceptional. The majority party during Roosevelt’s administration was Democrat, due to many wanting to change Hoover’s policies. Roosevelt called Congress to an emergency session, which was called the Hundred Days Congress, where a tremendous amount of legislation was passed to deal with this emergency. Congress gave power to the chief executive, and some thought that Congress would do anything he told them to do.

Although Roosevelt had many great decisions during his presidency, his best was the New Deal. The New Deal was a chain of economic programs aimed at fixing the economy. While some radicals opposed the New Deal, most embraced it whole-heartedly. A great amount of legislation was passed in the first hundred days of Roosevelt’s administration. This included banking reforms, job creation, helping farmers and industry, conservation, unemployment insurance, minimum wage laws, and much more. Some of these laws were eventually deemed unconstitutional, but some remain today such as social security. Many programs, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, created jobs for young Americans that would otherwise have nothing. The New Deal led America out of misery, and would change it’s policies forever.

The most negative decision to come out of Roosevelt’s administration was Executive Order 9066. This order put Japanese-Americans into concentration camps due to hysteria resulting from the attacks on Pearl Harbor. This was very unfair and unjust because the Japanese did not do anything to deserve this. Some Germans and Italians were also put into internment camps, but the most prosecuted were the Japanese. The west coast had a particular hatred towards the Japanese-Americans already, and the camps were deemed constitutional at the time. Several decades later, the US apologized and gave reparations of $20,000 to the survivors.

The New Deal had a great amount of influence on future generations of Americans. Some of the programs and legislation are still around today, such as social security which helps millions of senior citizens, people with disabilities, and the unemployed. Roosevelt changed America because more social assistance agencies were created along with more government involvement in American’s daily lives. Many of these ideas can be found today with things like social security.

In conclusion, Franklin D. Roosevelt deserves an A for his administration. While having a couple negatives such as Executive Order 9066, overall he did a great job of being President. FDR fixed the economy and influenced government’s role in society for years to come. America was much better off after his administration.

Bibliography:

"Franklin D. Roosevelt | The White House." The White House. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. . Gregorio, William A... The complete book of U.S. presidents. 7th ed. New York [etc.: Wings Books, 2009. Print. Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. The American pageant: a history of the Republic. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print.