Steph+O.+-+FDR+-+SP10

January 30, 1882-April 12, 1945 Member of the Democratic Party Presidential Terms: March 4, 1933-April 12, 1945 Term 1 &2 Vice President: John N. Garner (1933-1941) Term 3 Vice President: Henry A. Wallace (1941-1945) Term 4 Vice President: Harry A. Truman (1945)**
 * Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a fantastic president in the face of economic turmoil and world wide conflict. He introduced his New Deal plan at the beginning of his first term and was pretty much successful in battling the depression. FDR did face some controversy involving his Court Packing Plan. He also received criticism for many decisions he made in World War II, including the abandonment of the neutrality plans he had devised. Overall, I think Roosevelt deserves a grade of a B+.

Roosevelt’s main goal going into his first term was to fight the Great Depression. During his first hundred days he brought into legislation his revolutionary New Deal. He started by addressing the banking crisis. Congress passed the banking acts of 1933 and 1935 which established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and stopped banks from dealing with stocks and bonds. Through the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration FDR provided much needed jobs for the 13 million unemployed in Americans. FDR went into the presidency trying to improve the nation and I believe he definitely achieved the goal throughout his terms. This president did declare that America would stay neutral throughout World War II and later went back on the neutrality acts that he created.

Roosevelt had an excellent relationship with Congress in his first hundred days as they quickly passed all the New Deal legislation he laid before them. Congress allowed him to take on the role of chief legislator and the Congressmen granted him this immense power. But after Congress passed FDR’s Fair Labor Standards Act he was no longer able to convince them to go along with his New Deal policies. The biggest clash between FDR and Congress was his Court Packing Plan of 1937. FDR wanted to appoint a new judged on the Supreme Court for every judge over 70 years old, so that he could maneuver the court in his favor. The Congressmen were furious at such a self-serving proposal and killed it in the bill stage. There was a Democratic majority in both houses throughout Roosevelt’s entire presidency. In the beginning held a strong grip over Congress, but eventually their relations turned somewhat bitter.

In my opinion the most positive act of Roosevelt’s presidency was the Civilian Conservation Corps. Established in 1933, this program gave jobs to over three million young men. These workers planted trees, built roads, worked on flood control and conservation projects. They helped the country while earning one dollar a day to send back to their economically-struggling families. The men were put in rural camps where they were given food, shelter, and companionship from the other workers. It was an excellent program that helped the unemployed and all Americans through the projects they worked on.

The most negative part of FDR’s presidency was the whole Court Packing Plan altercation. FDR definitely over stepped his executive bounds by assuming he could change laws that had been set in place years before. People had come to respect and esteem the Supreme Court and they were shocked that the president would attempt to disturb that sacred group. He lost much of the respect that the American people and Congress had for him in this one act. Roosevelt had always seen himself as the chief legislator, but he went too far when he presumed himself head of the judiciary branch, as well. The Court Packing Plan was eagerly struck down in Congress and FDR shamefully backed down.

Roosevelt’s most long lasting decision was the Good Neighbor Policy. This plan replaced Taft’s American-minded Dollar Diplomacy. The Platt Amendment that bound the United States to Cuba’s internal affairs was abolished and the U.S. troops were removed from Haiti. Payments were also increased for the use of the Panama Canal. FDR pledged cooperation in hemispheric defense at the 1936 Pan-American conference in Buenos Aires. All of these commitments to Latin America were the ground work for future cooperation in the Western Hemisphere. While there were some struggles between America and its neighbors to the South to come, overall this policy assisted the strong bond between these neighboring countries. This was one of the American’s rare policies that did not only bring benefit to the homeland, but also strongly helped other nations.

Overall, the country was much improved by Roosevelt’s presidency. America had successful beat the Great Depression and unemployment was down. While some of his New Deal policies hurt the nation, they had assisted the rise from poverty to prosperity. America had also fought a war and come out on top with minimal damages to the homeland and economics. Because of FDR’s presidency the United States went from suffering to thriving at home and on the world stage. All this added up, I believe Roosevelt deserves a B+.

Work Cited:

Degregorio, William A. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents//. Sixth Edition. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books Inc., 1946. 479-503. Print.

"Franklin D. Roosevelt." //The White House//. The White House, n.d. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Leuchtenburg, William E. "The FDR Years." //The Washington Post//. N.p., 1995. Web. 13 May 2010. .