Kelsey+S.+-+FDR+-+SP10

Franklin D. Roosevelt January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945 Democratic Party Terms in Office: March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945 Vice Presidents: John H. Garner (1933-1941), Harry A. Wallace (1941-1945), Harry S. Truman (1945)

Thesis: Franklin D. Roosevelt is one of the most memorable presidents in American history. He came into office at a very difficult time, but he began fixing the broken pieces right away. FDR helped our nation out of the Great Depression and through World War II, and also created a lot of legislation, the New Deal, that is still around today. Roosevelt was president for four years, the only president to ever be in office that long, because America needed him. For all that he did during his presidency; Franklin D. Roosevelt deserves an A-.

Goals: America was in the Great Depression at the time FDR entered office, so he knew he was up for a challenge. Of course he wanted to end the depression just like everyone else, but if he couldn’t do that he was going to try everything he could to make it a little easier on America. Roosevelt created the New Deal program to tackle the depression. The New Deal program aimed at the “Three R’s,” relief, recovery, and reform. This program created an abundance of legislation for the banks, jobs, industries, and farmers. Even though it was not all successful, much of it was very helpful to America to get through the depression. Once World War II began, Roosevelt was forced by the public to sign the Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937, although, he did not care for isolationism and would rather to help out in the war. Therefore, FDR’s goal was actually to get involved to some degree, and he did so by creating the Destroyer Deal with Britain, which was a type of trade with the British in which we gave them fifty destroyers for eight of their valuable defensive base sites. After that came the Lend-Lease Law, which allowed the U.S. to lend or lease their arms and equipment to Allies in need. With the passing of both the Destroyer Deal and the Lend Lease Law, Roosevelt was able to help the Allies and get involved in the war, which was what he originally wanted.

Congress: Franklin D. Roosevelt got along wonderfully with Congress. During the first Hundred Days of his presidency, Roosevelt and Congress passed a series of laws to cope with the Great Depression. Neither Roosevelt, nor the Hundred Day Congress, had trouble passing any of these laws, such as the Emergency Banking Relief Act of 1933, the Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act, and the Agricultural Adjustment Act. Congress passed a few laws, as well, which awarded the president with some legislative power. Although Congress agreed with the new laws, there were a few people who disagreed, including Huey Long. Roosevelt decided to create a Second New Deal instead of just giving up. This Second New Deal included legislation such as the Social Security Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Works Progress Administration. Although Congress and the president were getting along well, things started to turn after Roosevelt tried to call for more Supreme Court justices. Roosevelt shocked everyone with this attempt, and he alarmed conservatives of both parties in Congress. After that, very few New Deal reforms were passed.

Most Positive Outcome: Franklin D. Roosevelt had a lot to deal with in his four-term presidency, including World War II. Roosevelt shined during WWII. At first, the nation wished to remain neutral during the war with the passing of the Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937. However, as the war went on, Roosevelt tried to engage the U.S. into the war as much as possible. As mentioned before, America began to end neutrality when the Destroyer Deal with Britain was created, and even more when the Lend-Lease Law was established. In August of 1941, Roosevelt met secretly with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to discuss their common problems. Together they created the Atlantic Charter which was approved by the Soviet Union. The charter was similar to Wilson’s Fourteen Points during WWI; it outlined the goals for a better, more democratic world after the war. In December, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. This initially led to the United States’ declaration of war, because the American nation was now furious and ready to engage in war. The United States decided their primary goal was to go after Germany, and then take care of the rest. World War II helped America economically, and it was a very positive time for President Roosevelt.

Most Negative Outcome: Franklin D. Roosevelt’s action that had the most negative outcome was his decision to add more justices to the Supreme Court. The outcome was really only negative for Roosevelt because he lost most of his political support that helped him win the 1936 election. He also hurt his relationship with Congress which caused fewer New Deal reforms to pass. The nation was very upset with President Roosevelt because he was attempting to break down the checks and balances. His call for more Supreme Court justices shocked the entire nation and Congress. He received a ton of negative feedback because of this outrageous decision. Roosevelt requested that Congress allow him to add justices because the current members who were over the age of seventy refused to resign. It was rejected because it would increase the number of justice members to fifth-teen.

Future Impact: Roosevelt and his New Deal program had a great impact on the future because many of the laws are still around today, including: the Social Security Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and much more. Roosevelt lifted America out of the world’s greatest depression and got the nation back on its feet. There were also a few more amendments added to the constitution under Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Twentieth Amendment, which shortened the presidential inauguration, the Twenty-first Amendment, which raised federal revenue and provided a level of employment, and the Twenty-second Amendment, which set a two-term limit on the President of the United States.

Conclusion: In Conclusion, America was much better off after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. Roosevelt helped America out of the Great Depression and through World War II, and also passed a bunch of new legislation along the way. Roosevelt had a very positive and accomplished presidency for the most part, and for all of his effort and achievements, and all that he did for our nation, he rightfully deserves an A-.

Sources: "Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR): Second New Deal." //Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources//. Web. 16 May 2010. . "Franklin D. Roosevelt." //The White House//. Web. 16 May 2010. ."Franklin D. Roosevelt." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 16 May 2010. [].