President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s term lasted a total of 12 years; from March 4, 1933 until April 12, 1945 he spent his presidency trying to better the lives of the American people. Having inherited the worst economy that this nation has ever seen, he implemented various programs and institutions, outlined in his New Deal, with the hopes of fixing the mess he was given. With all of that being said, Roosevelt’s record is not squeaky clean, and just like every individual on this planet, he did have his flaws. Between his struggle with polio and his ongoing affair, he was not a perfect president; however, due to the fact that the media was not as constant and vicious as it is now, he was able to disguise his flaws pretty well. All of that to say, …show more content…
Nowadays the media acts more as paparazzi than actual news outlets. They stalk the president’s every move, in order to catch a mistake. This was not necessarily the case with President Roosevelt. His administration was able to keep Roosevelt’s affair out of the public eye, throughout the duration of his presidency and even after his death. This was only made possible due to the media climate he was in. If that affair were to occur today, the media would have the story covered and ready to deliver in 5 minutes. This can be seen with what happened with President Clinton’s affair. During his presidency, President Clinton had an affair with an individual named Monica Lewinsky. This affair was made public by Linda Tripp, Monica Lewinsky’s civil servant, when she taped conversations that she had with Lewinsky about the affair, and sent it to the media. This eventually led to the impeachment of President Clinton, and a stain on his legacy forever. Again, in President Roosevelt’s scenario this was not the case. His affair was never made public until years after his death, and even now the details of his affair are rather murky. Nonetheless, had President Roosevelt been exposed to the same type of media that is prevalent now, he would have probably faced the same fate as President …show more content…
Currently, there are channels where you can get the news all day every day. Meaning, the president’s every move is ridiculed, analysed, and displayed on national television, every single day. This is not the environment President Roosevelt encountered. During the 1930s to the 1940s when he was president, the news came in the form of radio, newspapers, and film newsreels. Now while the radio was not easily available to most citizens, considering they had just gone through the Great Depression and a radio would have been considered a luxury, the newspaper was a common way for the general public to obtain their news. However, the newspaper is not immediate, it is not like Twitter or Facebook that can cover a news story the minute it happens. Because of these differences between the media then and the media now, President Roosevelt was not under the constant scrutiny as our current leaders are. Every act President Trump conducts is posted on Twitter in minutes, or ridiculed on television for hours. During Roosevelt’s presidency that was simply not the case. The media took a longer time to cover information, and it also took the public a longer time to obtain the information as well, meaning Roosevelt would have more time to strategize his approach to the public than a current president would
Throughout his 12-year presidency, Franklin Delano Roosevelt showed himself to be a politician of the highest caliber. He displayed a positive spirit, a widespread concern for the people, and an unmatched willpower in pushing through his most important policies and making them historic successes. To conclude, FDR was a remarkable and extremely successful president who is one of the most worthy to receive such an honor as being referred to as our best president
In his article “Why FDR was America’s Worst President,” Andrew Doris explains why Franklin Roosevelt was America’s worst president and why America would be better off today if he were to have never been elected. According to Doris, Roosevelt not only failed in ending the Great Depression, but when he introduced his New Deal policies, he also introduced the idea that the president could overstep the boundaries set for him in the constitution. During his presidency, Roosevelt failed to “faithfully execute the rulings of the other branches” and “respect the system of checks and balances” (Doris). Doris proves these statements throughout his article. He states that when Roosevelt came into office, he was hungry for more power than the constitution
The media today is much different compared to the media in 1962, because it is more shrewd and meddlesome. Seeing that this photo of JFK and Monroe together was published in 2004, I think that it’s safe to say that the shock of the world from an innocent picture resembles the effect of today’s media. The entire “affair” would be blown out of proportion, and Kennedy would be shamed for simply being pictured with the beautiful, young actress. Without the presence of more evidence than a mere photo of the two, we cannot be sure that this affair even happened, but taking into consideration the motives of today’s media, both celebrities’ statuses would be ruined permanently at the slight speculation of an affair. You could compare this scandalous event in history to the cheating scandal of Gary Hart at the time of the 1988 presidential election. As a potential candidate in the election, Hart was a previous U.S. Senator and a democratic representative in the 1984 presidential election. Though Ronald Reagan defeated him, he overcame adversity and decided to run for the 1988 election. In late December of 1986, a private investigator allegedly followed Hart to a woman’s home (later identified as Donna Rice Hughes’s estate) and was photographed with her. Immediately, pictures were leaked to the media and published in magazines and reported all over the news. Leaving Americans shocked, Hart had no other option than to suspend his
The American public was desperate for a change and Roosevelt was the solution that they were hoping for. Due to the invention of the radio, Roosevelt provided something to Americans that no previous president or political leader before him could. He would have his fireside chats, which were public addresses, be broadcasted on the radio where millions of Americans across the country could hear. Because of this, many Americans had the feeling that they knew the president on a personal level even though in reality they didn’t. Because of the radio and Roosevelt’s fireside chats, Americans felt comfortable writing to the president about their lives and struggles more so than any time before. The letters that the people suffering from the Great Depression wrote to the president and first lady were very real and personal. They told of the hardships they were going through and most asked for some sort of help or aid. The book, Down & Out in the Great Depression, is a collection of letters that are written to the government from citizens suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. For example, In letter 85, anonymous writes, “They have cut us down to 17-1/2 cent and hrs and I cant make any thing at that rate. They pay us every 2 weeks and then some time we don't have enough food to last.” Businesses were forced to lower their wages because they could no longer afford to pay workers at the previous rates they were receiving. Even though it is unfeasible for the president to read thousands of American letters personally, the American public still felt like their thoughts and opinions were still being heard. The overall message of the letters, however, was heard and addressed by Roosevelt. Americans were out of work and in poverty. They knew they couldn't help themselves so many Americans wrote to the president because they felt
The 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is one of the most remembered and honored presidents in history. He accomplished more in twelve years in office than most presidents did put together. Nevertheless, most of these outstanding actions were a result of events that were not caused by him, but was handled by him in a very effective and efficient way. In conclusion, he totally reshaped the idea of being an American President for all future leaders, and formed outstanding relationships with the public through his fireside chats. These chats consisted of a series of thirty evening radio addresses that took place between 1933 and 1944. Roosevelt had a passion for government and greatly increased the responsibilities
“A whole generation of Americans had grown up knowing no other president. He was a presence in their living rooms, he had called them my friends, and he had been at the helm of the two worst crisis of the century.” (“FDR”) The people loved his optimism and his sympathy with the less fortunate. (Perkins, 7) He was the people’s champion and they elected him to office four consecutive times. (Schlesinger, Time) President Roosevelt rescued America during the hardship that was the great depression. His decision to enter World War II played a substantial role in defeating fascism. Roosevelt believed in a multilateral effort in ending conflicts around the world. Franklin D. Roosevelt left an indelible mark of progress on American history.
Another reason Roosevelt was the greatest president was he was loved by the people of the U.S. Most people who had never even seen or met Roosevelt loved him. Studs Terkel, a person who lived during the time of Roosevelt’s death, remembers, “I’m walking south along Michigan Boulevard and I can’t stop crying. Everybody is crying” (Baker 1). This shows the mutual sadness all people in the U.S. felt when President Roosevelt died. People on the streets, people who had never even seen Roosevelt, cried when he died. Roosevelt had caused such an impact on people’s lives; some people couldn’t even leave their houses. For example, Kevin Baker writes, “The radio went still for a time and carried no commercials for 4 days. Newspapers carried no advertisements. Buses, streetcars, automobiles stopped where they were. Movie theatres and grocery shops close” (Baker 2). Life seemed to stop with
After rising to the presidency in the beginning of the Twentieth century, Theodore Roosevelt became the first American president to devote his presidency to galvanizing public opinion. When Roosevelt took office, he did not have the benefit of being able to utilize his successors’ tools such as speechwriters utilized by Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge, or press secretaries utilized by Herbert Hoover. Instead, Roosevelt shaped his image and the public by creating and utilizing new methods of spin, such as “touring widely,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a well-educated, controversial leader that made a lasting impression on the United States of America. He was extremely effective in office due to several strong attributes he possessed. Roosevelt was the only president to serve more than two consecutive terms in office, and he even captured a fourth term before he died. The continuous reelections would prove that Franklin Roosevelt was a man of the people for the people. Franklin Roosevelt’s leadership skills guided the United States through two major events in the country’s history. He guided the country through the Great Depression in the 1930s and the majority of World War II. Franklin Roosevelt would have a major impact on the United States economy and people. Roosevelt would create plans and programs to get the country and its people back on track during hard times. The United States would become a global super power after World War II. The leadership skills that Roosevelt utilized allowed him to become one to the greatest presidents in history. Even through Roosevelt was one of the greatest Presidents, he still had his critics that questioned the outcomes of his plans when looking at the future of the United States.
Franklin Roosevelt was one of the greatest US presidents. He why did senate republicans reject the league of nations? did they want the united states to withdraw from the world was elected into office in 1932 as the 32nd President. He was the only United States President to be elected four times. He was a tireless campaigner and would become one of the best modern presidents. He spoke to the Americans that made them feel that they were going to get through the Great Depression and it made them feel reassured. He knew the challenges he was going to have to accept when he ran for president. He was ready to get into office and get a game plan to get through the Great Depression. He promised the Americans several things but he did not say how he
Roosevelt would try to not make mistakes when speaking publicly. Roosevelt could not afford to be a bad speaker as then it would reflect badly on the United States Government and the People's choice of the best possible candidate for president. People would listen to his words, he knew if he said the wrong thing it could
One of the things Clinton is most famous for, but not the proudest of, is his affairs. The issue of Clinton having an affair with Monica Lewinsky is purely personal. It should have been discussed within his family and in his family alone. Many people seem to forget that Presidents before him have done the exact same thing. John F Kennedy is probably the best known with his affairs. This doesn't diminish the fact that Clinton took it one step farther and lied about the affairs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was a man who besides his intelligence, charm and strong confidence, he was able to sustain the nation through the most overbearing crisis know as the Great Depression as well as World War II. While managing to stay optimistic, Franklin Roosevelt helped people regain faith in themselves. Despite all the chaos going on at the time, “he was met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory (pg. 90).” He was praised for pushing the government to help those who were underprivileged. This was a new beginning in time for Americans known as the New Deal. He told the country to live by; “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself (pg 90).” Franklin Roosevelt made a very
During his presidency, outside of the office, Roosevelt established the model image of masculinity with his experiences as an explorer and a soldier, and was able to address the common people and their interests. In office, he set forth with expanding the federal government to restrict industries’ power, and he implemented many reforms throughout his terms. These reforms included nature preservation, refined foreign and domestic legislations, and social ordinances to dispute tensions among the American people. He advocated for the people, despite his stance as a Republican, and supported journalists known as muckrakers in their missions of exposing corruption within industry, urban life, and the government. This would ultimately lead to one of his most memorable speeches in United States history, a speech that announced what it meant to be progressive in a time of immorality and unfairness.
Yet, the most intriguing and surprising aspect of the scandal was not that Bill Clinton would ever cheat on his wife or that his administration would survive such a terrible scandal. Nor was it a revelation that the media would be zealously intrigued by a sex scandal involving the President. The one aspect of the Lewinksy Scandal that was truly