Keith+-+FDR+-+SP09

= Franklin D. Roosevelt = = =

Full Name: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Born January 30, 1882 - Died April 12, 1945)

Political Party: Democratic

Terms of Office: March 4, 1933 - April 12, 1945

Vice Presidents: John Nance Garner, first and second terms; Henry Agard Wallace, third term; Harry Truman, fourth term

Perhaps one of the greatest men to take the presidential oath during the twentieth century, Franklin Roosevelt's strong leadership proved to be indispensable during his extended time in office. Having led the nation through its worst economic depression and nearly the entire way through the second World War, Roosevelt was steadfast in his decisions. Although his presidency was truly great, it was also pockmarked with what many have regarded as questionable actions; for this reason, Roosevelt deserves a grade of a B+.

From the first day on the job, Roosevelt knew that he was in for a long fight. Americans had been feeling the wrath of the Great Depression for a few years, and it seemed the American banking system would break apart completely. Roosevelt's response to this, known as the New Deal, would set in motion events that Roosevelt hoped would stimulate the economy by creating jobs for the copious amounts of unemployed workers, restoring faith in American banks, and assisting with Americans' grossly inflated debts incurred from the October 1929 crash. The great deal of associations and corporations Roosevelt helped to create are examples of what he attempted to accomplish. Although not completely successful in pulling the United States out of their pit of despair, the New Deal certainly got the ball rolling until World War II, when unemployment took a sharp turn downward. When war broke out in 1939, aiding the Allies' plight was next on Roosevelt's agenda. Before direct U.S. involvement, Roosevelt assisted the Allied Forces by giving them military equipment; after the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, the United States officially declared war. After D-Day on June 6, 1944, American troops bolstered the Allied offensive, eventually leading to the invasion of Germany and the war's end; the depression died with it. Ultimately, Roosevelt's original goals were accomplished, although he was not alive to see the ends of those goals.

In the beginning of his presidency, Roosevelt had an excellent relationship with Congress - the reason why most of his New Deal legislation passed. The majority in both the House and the Senate remained Democratic until the Congressional election of 1938, after which very little of Roosevelt's ideas were viewed positively by Congress. After the outbreak of World War II, some Congressional members actively spoke out against Roosevelt's non-isolationist policy until Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, at which point there was little for Congress to debate against. For the most part, Roosevelt's influence was widespread amongst the members of the House and Senate.

It is highly likely that, without United States intervention, World War II would have had a very different outcome. Roosevelt's steps to aid the Allied Forces during the war not only led to the end of the war in the Allies' favor, but a slew of other very positive results as well. Probably one of the most obvious of these results was the forming of the United Nations, an organization constructed from the ruins of the war in order to prevent another such war from happening. So far, the United Nations has been successful in accomplishing this goal, as well as some of the others it was charged with achieving. Roosevelt's decision to place Japanese-Americans as well as some German and Italian-Americans into internment camps during World War II was likely his most negative one, as some of those people were born on American soil and felt betrayed by the leader they hoped would lead them toward a brighter future. Many of the camps remained in operation long after the end of the war, and decades after the incident America felt that apologies were in order, almost certainly marking it as a mistake.

Undoubtedly, the majority of FDR's decisions had far-reaching effects on the entire world, let alone the United States. As far as domestic policy goes, however, many of Roosevelt's established associations and corporations would be very instrumental later in the country's history. For example, the FDIC was created under the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, originally to convince the American people that the banks were safe during the Depression. Today the FDIC is still running strong and continuing to do its original job of insuring depositors' bank accounts. Other associations, such as the Public Works Administration and the Social Security Administration, also persisted through the Depression and also strive to achieve their goals established all those years ago.

The country was undeniably looking toward a positive future after the passing of Roosevelt - having weathered a devastating depression and a second World War, America was ready to relax from all the turmoil. In the face of turmoil and panic, FDR was certainly up to the task of providing uneasy Americans with support, and although his plan did not work with the efficiency that he hoped it would, it was at the very least a step in the right direction. FDR's wartime decisions were equally monumental for the nation, and considerably more for the entire world. Given the length of time that he had in the front seat, it is no doubt that Roosevelt's decisions still have powerful effects on the nation he sought to save from the brink of disaster.

Sources __The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents__ by William A. Degregorio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FDR/ - FDR on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_American_internment/ - Information on Japanese-American Internment Camps on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal - The New Deal on Wikipedia