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Franklin Delano Roosevelt

January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York – April 12, 1945 in Warm Springs, Georgia

Political Party: Democratic

Terms March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945

Vice President: John N. Garner in 1933-1941; Henry A. Wallace 1941-1945; Harry S. Truman in 1945

Thematic Context The American Identity fluctuated greatly during the time that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in office. When Roosevelt entered office, the country was in the worst economic downturn of it’s history, the Great Depression. The country had been thriving, as living standards improved and the economy boomed. Americans were in for a rude awakening when the stock market crashed and they were left in a harrowing depression. Essentially, the American Identity had just hit a huge fall, crashed and burned. In the twenties, America was invincible. The prosperity was so great that no one ever thought it would end, and the economy was helped by the government rather than regulated by it. The great United States had righteously helped to lead the other world powers towards moral goodness in World War I, and now they felt they were rightly benefiting from their good deeds in the roaring twenties. But when the crash happened, the citizens were shocked out of their romantic notions about America itself. Previously, America had been thought of as a place where anyone who worked hard could be successful. Before the Great Depression, Americans thought that the US was invincible, and that the country would always have enough resources to provide for its people. Suddenly the country was short on jobs and food. Men, women, and children roamed the streets looking for jobs and a bite to eat. The American people wanted reform, they wanted help from the government rather than un-involvement in economic affairs. This desire for reform influenced Roosevelt greatly, and made possible the New Deal. This identity shifted slightly, when trouble brewed across the waters in Europe. Americans wanted nothing to do with the war overseas, and they abandoned their moral high road to maintain their isolation, going against the values they held so dear during World War I. The Identity returned to the patriotic sense of righteousness to a large degree after the tragedy at Pearl Harbor and the US declaration of war.

Thesis Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his administration deserve an A for their time in office. Roosevelt fought two wars during his long presidency, the war against depression and a giant world war. He handled both of these challenges exceedingly well. His reforms during the depression greatly benefitted Americans at the time and positively influenced American social and economic policy for years to come. Roosevelt also handled the growing tension well, as he did not try to rush America into war before it was ready. And when the time was right to declare war, he led the people skillfully and ablely. Roosevelt was not perfect, however, as his conduct regarding adding Supreme Court justices and the London Conference proved to have alarming effects.

Goals In Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first inaugural address, his primary focus was appropriately the Great Depression. He particularly stressed that he wanted to fix unemployment. He made it clear that he would not give government handouts to citizens, but asserted that it was the responsibility and right of the federal government to help its citizens at a time of such economic emergency. He planned to do this through military-like jobs and jobs concerning the country’s natural resources. His second inaugural address was very similar to the first, it addressed the need for guiding economic morality and the improvement of living conditions for the citizens of the United States. His third inaugural address was focused on the war, with the obvious goal being to win the war and preserve democracy. His speech was very patriotic and arousing to the moral cause of the war. In all of his speeches, his common goal was progress, whether it be economic or democratic.

Relationship with Congress Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s relationship with Congress also changed over the course of his presidency. When Roosevelt entered office, Congress and the people were so desperate for a fix to their dire economic state that they were willing to try everything he suggested. The First Hundred Days were a time of frantic law-making. Reform measures were passed left and right, and Roosevelt had practically full control over the legislative branch. Congress was so accommodating to the President’s will that they even signed off some of their legislative powers to him. This attitude changed dramatically, however, when Roosevelt made the blunder of asking Congress to expand the Supreme Court bench. This act of upsetting the constitutional checks and balances made the Congress much more conservative and much less willing to go along with every whim of Roosevelt. This caused the New Deal reforms to practically grind to a halt. Congress also differed from Roosevelt slightly on the issue of isolationism. Congress tended to be much more staunchly isolationist than Roosevelt, and were quick to call him a war-monger when he suggested any involvement prior to the war. The relationship between Congress and Roosevelt was more of a give-and-take during WWII than any other time. It was a much more normal executive-legislative relationship in which neither body was completely dominant.

Positive Event The most positive contribution Roosevelt made was his New Deal. The New Deal encompassed a lot of reform education ranging in everything from banking reform to agricultural planning. There were legislative reforms in banking, unemployment, industry, and farming. The Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act provided for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This act insured individual deposits, ended the epidemic of bank failure. This made people more trusting of the banks and more willing to put their money and trust in them. The Civilian Conservation Corps gave men employment in government camps who did things like reforestation, fire fighting, and swamp drainage. This had a triple effect of helping the cause of conservation, providing people with jobs, and helping the domestic situation since the men had to send the majority of their earnings to their families. The Public Works Administration helped to build highways and public buildings while stimulating industry and intellect in the furtherance of schools and creative projects for artists. The Second Agricultural Adjustment Act was successful in giving farmers a fairer price for their goods and a larger share of the national income while also making efforts for conservatism. Arguably the most important law was the Social Security Act of 1935. It provided for unemployment payments, retirement help, and help for the blind, handicapped, and juvenile delinquents. These are just some of the laws of Roosevelt’s new deal. Though they were not the end-all cure-all for the depression, these laws were instrumental in laying the groundwork for social and economic policy as we know it today. They did help to bring the country out of it’s depression, and arguable are what allowed free enterprise to survive after falling so terribly. These laws helped better the conditions of those in need and provided for safeguards against another economic disaster.

Negative Event <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One of Roosevelt’s most criticized decisions was his attempt to expand the Supreme Court. Roosevelt thought that after being re-elected he had the right to push forth his New Deal in any way possible, and he identified his only roadblock as being the aging conservative justices of the Supreme Court. The retirement-age justices were hanging on seemingly only to vote down Roosevelt’s laws, and Roosevelt felt that this went against the idea of democracy. He then asked for a law to add a new justice to the Supreme Court for each member over 70 who wouldn’t retire. This request had a terrible backlash that Roosevelt never foresaw. He was accused of being a dictator and upsetting the precious checks and balances of the government. This decision sparked much opposition, so much so that the Congress grew more conservative and halted the New Deal reforms almost completely.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Influential Decision <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Roosevelt’s most influential decision was to go to enter World War II. Though it seemed like the only option after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the decision to enter the war had a huge effect on the nation and the world. World War II essentially brought the United States out of the Great Depression. It had a huge effect on the United States. It united the country, advanced the rights of women, and strengthened the country in the long run. Besides the effects just on the United States, the outcome of the war could have been very different had the US not helped the Ally Forces. Germany may very well have become a dangerous superpower, and democracies all over the world would have been threatened.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Conclusion <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In conclusion, the America when Franklin Delano Roosevelt entered the White House looked very different from the America when he left. During Roosevelt’s presidency, the United States went from the midst of a crippling depression to the midst of a World War. Roosevelt was in office for longer than any other president and arguably experienced more than any other president. He handled both an economic crisis and a World War skillfully, and commanded the respect of his people and even people from other countries. He is rightfully considered one of the best, if not the best, presidents in U.S history. Roosevelt was a strong and influential leader through the depression, as his groundbreaking reforms would send tremors t o policies to come. He was the emblem of patriotism during World War II, and helped the United States lead the Allies to victory. All in all, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is to be commended for his sympathy towards the “forgotten man” and his ability in leading a country into war. That is why Roosevelt and his administration deserve an A for their time in office.

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