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Fdr Was A Ray Of Hope For The American People

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In 1932 when Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidential election, the Great Depression was in its third year. The American people did not have jobs, were losing their homes, and could not feed their families. They were desperate for any help. FDR was a ray of hope for the American people. His approach in dealing with the Great Depression was bold, broad and changed the role of government forever. Roosevelt’s campaign platform was to make change swiftly. He appointed people to help him do that in the most effective way, they came to be known as the brain trust. Most presidents chose their friend or fellow party members for these appointments but, “Roosevelt tended to look for the best people for the job irrespective of political affiliations” (Clements 81). By doing this he created the confidence with the American people that was lacking in the previous administration. The brain trust started working immediately. In the first 100 days of Roosevelt’s presidency, he proposed 15 new policies which passed Congress without opposition (Heale 26). Many of these measures had already been discussed by the Hoover administration but, Hoover was fearful and unwilling to use federal money to help the American people. President Roosevelt was not fearful of experimenting with different tactics to correct the issues that the great depression had created. Roosevelt has often been called the first modern president. His charismatic personality helped him befriend the media
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