Eleanor Roosevelt Essay

Eleanor Roosevelt was once a shy, timid girl with her focus on her family but over time became a strong leader, who would have rather spoiled them As a child, Eleanor was timid, shy and serious, but after her husband, Franklin, was paralyzed from the waist down she became a strong, determined women. “Meanwhile Eleanor had changed.” (pg. 794) At first, she had only got involved in the community because she felt it was her duty to keep Franklin in the public eye. However, as the years rolled on and her duty was complete, she still continued to make her mark in the world. This new, strong Eleanor did great things like working with poor children, helping with war efforts, and much more.Eleanor’s focus was on raising her children in a way that

This book is about a woman who forever changed the course of women's role in American history. Eleanor Roosevelt was an extremely important figure in the history of the United States, especially during the twentieth century. The way the author uses the book to help the reader to feel included in Eleanor's life, makes the reader feel as if he knows Mrs. Roosevelt.

Eleanor Roosevelt was very influential in the policies of the New Deal, and also spoke very openly in support of civil rights and women’s rights. She worked to expand the amount of women in the Roosevelt administration and said that women should still be able to have jobs even if their husbands were employed. She supported the Southern Tenant Farmer’s Union and promoted the inclusion of blacks in the government. Eleanor visited migrant camps, coal mines, and the homes of sharecroppers. She also founded many programs to help people who were affected by the Great Depression.

Groups such as the NAACP were making progress in speaking to the government. Consequently, the African-Americans believed in Roosevelt; he gave them hope for the future. Women also were largely excluded from the New Deal, which greatly annoyed Roosevelt's wife, Eleanor. He did not, however, try to actively stop women in their strides forward. He allowed his wife to take many tours around the country, rallying people for the New Deal, especially for programs such as the CCC. Eleanor was

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962), one of the most admired women in American history, acted as first lady from 1933 until 1945, longer than any other presidential spouse, and put that position on the nation’s political map. Yet, ironically, Eleanor did not want the job because she thought it would hamper her own self-development as an independent person. Through her own path-breaking efforts she transformed her role from official hostess to important spokesperson for her husband’s administration. In the process she became a role model for millions of Americans who applauded her activism on behalf of social causes.

After running as the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 1920, Franklin D. Roosevelt would remain a lifelong political figure as would his wife Eleanor. He was diagnosed with Polio a year later and became bound to a wheel chair; Eleanor Roosevelt would step into the political sphere on his behalf as well as her own, where she purposefully established herself as a polished political figure. An evidence of her ensuring that she was ready to take part in this arena was that she sought out the coaching of journalist and politician Louis McHenry Howe . Howe advised the Roosevelts and aided Eleanor through all of Franklin’s public appearances including elections and other Democratic affairs; he also led Eleanor to her own political interests, such as the Women’s Trade Union League. These appearances and affairs would gain public appeal and popularity for Franklin and her, which would later promote his election to office.

Eleanor Roosevelts was a key figure on the women’s work force movement. Eleanor Roosevelt put pressure on her husband’s administration to have more women in the workforce (Scharf). Eleanor Roosevelt became aware of the barriers women faced while working with other women on other social justice issues. Eleanor Roosevelt worked tirelessly to make women feel equal in the workplace (Scharf). Without Eleanor Roosevelt 's intervention it would have been harder for women to find a work place (Scharf). Eleanor dedicated her life to improving the work force for women.

In her early years, Eleanor was a debutante. Eleanor was enrolled in the Junior League (Scharf, 1987). The Junior League was a group of young upper-class women who planned to add social responsibility to their lives (Scharf, 1987). Eleanor took her role of social responsibility very seriously (Scharf, 1987). She taught classes at the Rivington Street Settlement House in Manhattan (Scharf, 1987). Eleanor treated the immigrants with absolute kindness and taught her classes with total commitment and personal satisfaction (Scharf, 1987).

She also liked to attend meetings at the Capitol building and listen to speakers (Morey, 30). In the winter and spring of 1917-1918, Franklin came down with pneumonia and Eleanor discovered that Franklin was having an affair with their good friend, Lucy Mercer. During this time they saw each other very little, but did not get a divorce (Cook, 222-224, vol. 1). In fact, Franklin’s mother threatened that if he got a divorce, she would “cut him out without a cent” and he needed her money for his campaign, so they did not get a divorce (Morey, 33). After Franklin got over his pneumonia, Eleanor still stayed dedicated to him even after his affair and they tried to work on their relationship. They even began to travel together again. Eleanor still went through some periods of depression but through this she developed independence and leadership (Morey, 35-36).

On February 12, Alice gave birth to a daughter, Alice Lee. Two days later, Roosevelt's mother died of typhoid fever and his wife died of kidney disease within a few hours of each other--and in the same house. (Miller Center)

Eleanor became very involved in politics, because of Franklin's influence. She joined the league of women voters to help women make intelligent use of their voting privileges (Toor, 1989). She also tracked such issues such as labor reform, the rights of children, and international

As the wife of a popular United States president, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City, October 11, 1884, and died November 7, 1962. She was an active worker for social causes. She was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, and was raised by her maternal grandmother after the premature death of her parents. In 1905 she married her cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They had six children, but one of them died in infancy. Although she was extremely shy, Eleanor worked hard and became a well known and admired humanitarian. (Webster III, 100).

In Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life by J. William T. Youngs describes the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. Anna and Elliott Roosevelt was married and gave birth to a beautiful daughter who is Eleanor Roosevelt. This biography shows the reader a description of Eleanor’s early childhood, young adult, marriage, and how she was faced with many challenges, grief, and changes throughout her years. Eleanor is one of the great First Ladies in the United States.

She nursed her husband back to walking after he was a victim to a nearly fatal attack of polio and was paralyzed. Once World War I came around in the year of 1914, Eleanor decided to become involved with Navy Department and Red Cross relief efforts (Stevenson, Keira). She also decided that she would volunteer within hospitals and soldier’s canteens (7). Eleanor, being the caring woman she was, would often visit wounded men as much as she possibly could. Eleanor Roosevelt tried her absolute best to have personal relationships with the men during the World War I, and tried to help them and make them just as important even while they were injured and shell-shocked. In the summer of 1921, the Roosevelt family went on a vacation to their summer house that was on Campobello Island in New Brunswick. While the family was vacationing, her husband, Franklin, was a victim to a nearly disastrous attack of polio, an infectious disease. Franklin survived, but the sickness from the attack left him with an infantile paralysis that he would have for the rest of his life. Once he realized that he could no longer walk, Franklin felt as if his world was falling apart right in front of his eyes. He thought that he could longer succeed in politics. Soon though, this all changed (8). Eleanor nursed her husband as he was paralyzed, and she also became more politically active so franklin would feel inspired to not let go of his

Roosevelt spoke out for an abundance of causes including women’s rights, poverty, discrimination, children’s issues and foreign affairs. Being the President’s wife came with certain privileges and she utilized them on several occasions to further her agendas. According to an article in Women’s America “ER increasingly bypassed State Department restrictions; she worked, often covertly, with private groups and individuals. She campaigned for a less restrictive refugee policy, pursed visas for individuals, and answered and passed on to government officials every appeal sent to her” (Kerber 532). Being of the highest possible social class, Roosevelt found power in her status and leveraged it to further her own itinerary.