President Franklin Delano Roosevelt - A Great Leader Essay

It was a time that our country had never witnessed nor expected. Who would’ve thought the following of some of the greatest times in United States, such as the roaring twenties and the start of the Industrial revolution, would result in some of the darkest days the United States has ever seen. Starting the in late 1920s and throughout 1930s, was what we know as the Great Depression. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in as the 32nd president on March 4th, 1933, a year in which was considered one of the lowest points of the Great Depression. A damaged and torn nation looked to its new leader in hopes of economic resilience and prosperity. FDR’s inaugural address is considered to be one of the most famous acts of public speaking where common sayings such as “Only thing we have to fear is fear itself’ were first uttered (Moley 1). In a time of such unconventional circumstances, FDR’s inaugural address reassured the American people that the United States will become the great country it once was.

In the 1920s, Americans were trying to figure out what was everyone’s role in society. During this time women started to take on bigger jobs then housekeeping and African Americans are finally standing up for their race. Once 1929 hit, Herbert Hoover, America’s newest president, was viewed as an ‘American Superhero’ at that time because of everything he promised society; however, America gets hit by the Great Depression leaving society in a hole. While banking systems were unstable and overproduction were leaving people bankrupt, Herbert Hoover was blaming Europe and was failing to keep society financially stable. As his presidency went on, filmmakers made film cycles and gangster pictures like Little Caesar that portrayed America’s corrupt society during the Great Depression. By the end of his campaign, Hoover was known as the worst American ever which led to the rising of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Roosevelt saw the struggling society as an opportunity to help his campaign in which he created the New Deal. America was given an opportunity that allowed them to look forward to the future. During Herbert Hoover’s presidency, America did not support the federal government, but after Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for president and promised a New Deal, they began to look more favorably on the government.

In his inaugural address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the tone for the upcoming half century when he confidently said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. In response to the economic collapse of the Great Depression, a bold and highly experimental fleet of government bureaus and agencies known as Roosevelt’s Alphabet Soup were created to service the programs of the New Deal and to provide recovery to the American people. The New Deal was one of the most ambitious programs in American history, with implications and government programs that can still be seen to this day. Through its enactment of social reform and conservation programs, the New Deal mounted radical policies that gave the federal government unprecedented power in the nation’s economy and society, however, the New Deal did not bring America out of the Great Depression and could be considered conservative in the context of the era, ultimately saving capitalism from collapsing in America.

“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” Franklin D Roosevelt, an American political leader who served as the President of the United States from 1933-1945 who brought the country out of The Great Depression. Although some critics say that FDR worsened the country, he put an end to the problems of the country and helped escape the troubled situations of their rough time period especially while the citizens were dealing with the stock market crash, causing unemployment and money loss which then led to struggle of many families. The response of FDR’s administration to the problems of the Great Depression was effective because he established many New Deal programs,

Faced with the Great Depression and World War II, Franklin D Roosevelt, or “FDR”, brought America through its hardest times. Franklin Roosevelt was brought into to office during one of America's greatest domestic crisis’s, The Great Depression, this was a time when America's economy had a rigorous decline. Roosevelt acted swiftly during these times, and did what he believed was best for America. The United States changed during Franklin Roosevelt's presidency by the creation of a new role for the government in the economy, the nature of presidency changing, and the establishment of the social security act, which is an act that set up a pension system for people who have retired, established unemployment insurance, and created insurance for victims who were involved in work related accidents. This act also provided aid for mothers and children who were in poverty, the blind, and the disabled.

The structure of American society was slowly crumbling as a result of the Great Depression and Roosevelt enacted a series of reforms to help and fight off the decaying state of the United States. Roosevelt informed that nation that " the country was dying by inches” (Document B). New Deal was not just economic

Perhaps Franklin Roosevelt did not end the depression. Even so, his years in the White House were so important that his record and his personality remain controversial. For many he was a great leader. He helped millions of needy people. He revolutionized the role of government. His measures were slowly starting to pull the nation out of depression and might have finished the job if World War II had not occurred. He provided hope to the hopeless, help to the helpless and courage to a nation desperate for leadership. In the chilling atmosphere of fear that gripped the nation before Roosevelt's first term people seemed eager to follow any leader who promised action and an end to suffering. At a time when dictators around the world were persuading

For all his talk of big sticks, Roosevelt proved more agreeable than they’d anticipated. “With the first year of administration the uneasiness was relieved,’ Cannon reflected. ‘Roosevelt, business found, had a bark that was considerably worse than his bite, although often his bark was annoying enough.”

Roosevelts term in office after the great depression. He appealed to the public in an optimistic way that made it seem as if everything was going to be alright. He proposed that he would do whatever it took and not give up assuring them that there was nothing to be afraid of, because he would find a way to fix their problems (Carnes and Garraty 578). Although he knew what needed to be done he wasn’t sure what his first steps were. “Roosevelt had the power and the will to act, but no comprehensive plan of action” (Carnes and Garraty 579). He acted with determination, along with the idea that he could turn everything around. He was decreased the wages of federal employees, placed an embargo on exporting gold, eliminated the gold standard, and found a way to reopen “the banks under Treasury Department licenses” (Carnes and Garraty 579). He came up with what he called the “fireside chats” as a way for him to communicate and explain the new policies in place to the public (Carnes and Garraty 579). He was able to bring the world back into working order and improve the public’s confidence, debt, and overall way of

Roosevelt’s presidency began with the chaos of McKinley’s assassination in 1901, when Roosevelt was 43 years old, and ended after his second term, achieved by his election to President in 1904. Although Roosevelt’s selection as McKinley’s Vice-President was more of a political pay-off, and the New York political machine, fearing an independent Roosevelt, was more than ready to say good-bye to Roosevelt as Governor, Roosevelt is acknowledged by most historians as having waged a vigorous and winning campaign, while his presidential candidate seemed content to stay behind.

He felt that a hands-on approach from the government, one that had been avoided in earlier history, was necessary. Leaving the nation’s fate to the citizens’ volunteering wouldn’t work; after all, it hadn’t in the past. In its place, Roosevelt created agencies and programs to push the nation up instead of trusting it to lift itself. His plan, the so-called “new deal” would essentially reform America’s financial systems. His actual plan described relief for citizens out of work, the recovery of the nation’s business and economy, and the reformation of American economic institutions. He was quick to act, and acted thoroughly, focusing on the government’s intervention over the public’s volunteerism and

Throughout the centuries, the United States has had many influential presidents. Each greatly affected the nation during their time in office, and, often, this affect continued for years to come. However, despite the numerous Presidents that have served America, few have been as dynamic and single-minded as Theodore Roosevelt. Throughout his two terms in office, he began to change both how the world views the United States and how America views itself. His actions during his administration caused ripple effects the greatly impact us today. Among his major accomplishments, he imposed regulations upon powerful corporate monopolies, established federal protection of land, encouraged the growth and efficiency of the Navy, and brokered peace

American’s all over the nation lost their jobs, homes, and savings. That skyrocketed the unemployment rate from 3% to 23% in just three years. That is when Franklin D. Roosevelt came into term as president and changed America.

The Great Depression was one of the biggest economic downfalls of the United States in its history. One man changed the direction of the country by working diligently to bring the United States out of this depression. His personality, charisma, and ability to overcome his own suffering brought life back into a country who was divested by the Great Depression. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, came up with a package of policy and programs that would help boost the economy and drive consumption and investment back into the country, in his first 100 days. The main thing that he did was to set precedents that would be followed by Presidents to this

During the Great Depression every aspect of American life was greatly affected. The low spirits of the American people were soon transformed when Franklin D. Roosevelt began his presidency. While in office, Franklin D. Roosevelt created a package of social programs known as the New Deal. The New Deal was developed to help raise the spirits of Americans, find a solution for unemployment, and assist those that were in need. Throughout Roosevelt’s presidency, his wife Eleanor Roosevelt played the role of being both his eyes and ears. This paper will focus on Eleanor Roosevelt and the role that she played with the New Deal during the Great Depression.