Taylor+S.+-FDR-+FA12

Franklin D. Roosevelt

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

Political Party: Democrat

1st Term: March 4, 1933-January 20, 1937, 2nd Term: January 20,1937-January 20, 1941, 3rd Term: January 20, 1941-January 20, 1945, 4th Term: January 20, 1945- April 12, 1945 (Death)

Vice Presidents: John N. Garner (1933-1941), Henry A. Wallace (1941-1945), Harry S. Truman (1945)

Thematic Content:  Though Franklin D. Roosevelt did not deal directly with the issue of slavery, he did face civil rights issues. As a result of the Great Depression, many blacks were drawn to the urban North or rural South. Racism and discrimination struck the housing market and other public services. Segregation flawed the lives of many blacks during the 1930s and 40s. In the southern states, many blacks were living under conditions of extreme segregation enforced by strong violence. There was much less opportunity to escape to a larger city to break the chains of poverty. As a President calling for complete reform and relief, Roosevelt gained the attention of many minority groups with ease. The “New Deal” attracted many minority voters, especially blacks. Many blacks rid themselves of their allegiance to the Republican party and bestowed their loyalty on the Democratic party, specifically Franklin Roosevelt. Many Americans invested their hope in Roosevelt, hoping to rise out of their economic instability and stand in the face of prosperity. With this new hope, Roosevelt gained strong support from the nation, including minority groups such as the Chinese-Americans and Filipino- Americans. However, Roosevelt received criticism for his lack of action taken to prevent lynching of blacks in the South. To many in the North, this deadly action was seen as highly immoral, especially to Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. However, the President needed support of the Southern Democrats to move the New Deal programs forward. He ultimately decided to refrain from anti-lynching legislation, which could infringe upon his ability to pass important relief programs. Morally, Roosevelt stood against the lynchings and other violent crime and denounced them as “a vile form of collective murder.”

Thesis:  As a President in one of the most trying periods in American history, Franklin D. Roosevelt far surpassed American expectation. For many Americans, Roosevelt represented new hope and grand prosperity. In the midst of the most devastating and severe worldwide economic depressions in the nation’s history, the president believed in his own ability to foster the economy into one of great opportunity. He began working immediately after inauguration, drawing up masses of relief legislation that would become known as the New Deal. Backed strongly by Congress, Roosevelt provided countless Americans with employment opportunities and a way to provide for their families. The ailing president would go on to provide great leadership as America sunk into global conflict, entering World War II. He understood his job as not only to be the chief administrator of government policy, but to lift the spirit of the nation, providing vision. Franklin Roosevelt deserves an A for his presidency, based on his action to lead America out of turmoil, providing for the nation to grow into great world power.

Goals for Presidency:  Roosevelt’s goals were centered around American economy and ailing people. His main goal was to stimulate the economy by aiding the many suffering Americans. He strove to create jobs to allow working people to provide for their families and put money back into the weak economy. The president set an ambitious goal of ensuring that citizens have housing opportunities and an ample supply of food, along with the ability to prosper in the “land of opportunity.” He sought to alleviate the struggles of the United States through his New Deal, a compilation of federal aid organizations and laws that were intended to provide relief for the American citizens. Roosevelt also targeted the banks, hoping to fix the Federal Reserve by pulling the American economy off the gold standard. The series of bank failures throughout the country frightened the American people, causing them to hoard their sums of gold. The standard became illogical and unsupportable, doing nothing to help the disastrous economic situation. With the ridding of gold, Roosevelt hoped to inflate the money supply. Along with his economic goals, the president also strove to build strong foreign policy. Late in the 1930s, the rise of Adolf Hitler was startling to many nations. Roosevelt sought to engage with the enemy, aiding France and Britain. Preceding the attack of America’s Pearl Harbor, Franklin Roosevelt aimed for war with the Japanese. With foreign policy, Roosevelt endeavored to bring all nations together in what became known as the United Nations.

Relationship with Congress:  President Roosevelt held a strong working relationship with his Congress. During his first term, the 73rd and 74th Congress were in session. Both Congresses possessed a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Congress was immeasurably important to Roosevelt during his first term. The President needed strong support in order to pass his proposed legislation in the New Deal. As a president that called for change, Congress reinforced Franklin Roosevelt’s actions, allowing for aid to the American people. The Democratic majority continued through the president’s four terms in office. The Democratic president was easily able to pass legislation and exert his executive powers over the Congress and the country. After Japan launches an air strike on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Roosevelt proposed to Congress a declaration of war on Japan. By doing so, Roosevelt was entering into war with Japan and inevitably into war with Germany. Despite this fact, the loyal Congress voted shy of unanimous by one vote. Congress continued their legislative loyalty through Roosevelt’s four terms, leading up to his death in April of 1945.

Positive Action:  The most positive action of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency was the New Deal. It was a program that was enacted by the president through his executive powers and powers of the legislature in response to the Great Depression. The legislation that took place under the New Deal was predominantly focused on the what became known as the 3 R’s: Relief, Recovery, and Reform. The New Deal shaped a new Democratic era, making the Democrats the majority party in Congress and effectively splitting the Republicans with its liberal ideas. Roosevelt believed it his duty to act, creating New Deal programs to put America back to work, stabilize the economy, and increase America’s money supply. Immediately after entering office, Roosevelt concentrated on immediate relief for the American people. Roosevelt pushed for the Emergency Banking Act, a law that required all banks to prove they are solvent before reopening after Roosevelt’s bank holiday. The act would reopen over 1,000 by March 12, 1933. To provide for American employment, Congress creates the Civilian Conservation Corps, productively putting 250,000 young men to work on a national reforestation program. When the program ends in 1941, it provided 2,000,000 men with jobs. Roosevelt approved the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which was created to combat the extreme housing crisis. The FHA regulated mortgages and housing conditions across the United States. One of the most timeless pieces of legislation from the New Deal is the Social Security Act. Enacted in 1935, the act provided for generations of Americans over the age of 65 with guaranteed pensions. In addition of providing for the elderly, the SSA introduced an unemployment insurance system, and assisted states in providing for the dependent. Overall, the president’s New Deal would provide immensely for distressed Americans, restoring a great measure of dignity and prosperity to the people.

Negative Action:  By far the most negative action taken by Roosevelt was the internment of over 100,000 Japanese- Americans. In response to the Imperial Japanese attack on Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor, Franklin Roosevelt authorized the internment, effectively setting up War Relocation Camps. With this controversial action, Roosevelt sent approximately 112,000 Japanese-Americans to government controlled living communities. Innocent people were forced out of there homes, and were shipped out to live in substandard, government- controlled internment camps. These camps ensured the exclusion of Japanese-Americans from the Pacific Coast. The fear of another brutal Japanese attack on American soil drove this ruthless executive decision. Of those interned, an estimated 62% were American citizens. Therefore, with this action, Roosevelt imprisoned his own American people based on pure ancestry. For many Americans, this increased hostilities toward the Japanese race, despite their loyal citizenry. While in these camps, the homes and property of Japanese Americans were looted by vandals. The United States’ government did little to stop the thieves and looters, allowing many homes to be destroyed. After many years of reflection, the United States government was forced to pay reparations to Japanese survivors and families of those interned. In 1988, Ronald Reagan signed legislation that would apologize for the misjustice done to those of Japanese ancestry. The United States would eventually disburse more than $1.6 billion in reparations to Japanese Americans. Not only was this an immoral action taken by Franklin Roosevelt, it was one that would take away from the American economy. It is seen as one of the largest disgraces in American history and an action that would flaw the American character for years to come.

Influential Decision:  The most influential decision of the Roosevelt administration was his decision to enter World War II. Many Americans feared entering the war, hoping only to remain economically stable after the feeling the great wrath of the Great Depression. Following the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, the great majority changed their outlook on war. A great rift of fear cut through the American population, causing mass hysteria, especially on the West coast. President Roosevelt made the ultimate decision to enter into combat with the Japanese, backed nearly unanimously by his Democratic Congress. While Roosevelt would not live to see the end of war, it would prove to the world that the United States was the newest superpower. United States forces fought endlessly for victory in both Europe and the Pacific, surpassing the British as the world's number one superpower. The United States’ victory would exert power over the world that the country had been reaching for since the period of great imperialization under William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. This “coming out,” so to speak, of the United States would enable the country to exert power over many other nations for years to come. During World War II, Franklin Roosevelt authorized the beginning of the Manhattan Project, which was the development of the atomic bomb. This would be the world's first nuclear weapon, the United States using it to devastate the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The atomic bomb used during World War II would be the only time the United States would deploy nuclear weapons during a time of war. This global war was not just a combat engagement, it was a war of the people. World War II would revolutionize the American war effort. National unity was felt immensely, as nearly every American, man, woman, and child, worked to ration and produce for the American victory. By making the decision to enter into World War II, President Roosevelt pulled America into a position of great power while uniting the American people in a time of great need.

Conclusion:  Though Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency ended tragically, his legacy would cause him to live on in the hearts of many Americans. The Democratic president took on a feat that was seemingly impossible. He held the task of employing many jobless Americans, pulling families out of the wreckage of poverty. With his famous New Deal, Roosevelt set up government programs to stimulate the economy, while standardizing relief programs to provide for hurt Americans. He enacted programs that would endure the test of time, proving effective and useful for years to come. The president, through an immense war, unified the people, fostering an American outlook of fellowship. World War II would transform the United States from a greatly isolated country, to one of great influence and power. Essentially, Roosevelt permanently changed the federal government's relationship with the American population, beginning a sense of democratic unity that would shape the 20th century. Franklin D. Roosevelt is one of the most effective presidents in American history, endlessly determined to soothe the woes of the population, ensuring that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

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