Sawyer Wesley
Mrs. Larson
Period 4
14 May, 2014
FDR: President, and Champion of Democracy
Franklin D. Roosevelt was one the most influential world leaders of his time. He
led the United States through the Great Depression and kept the nation together during
World War II, the greatest war ever fought on Earth. FDR’s domestic policies were very
significant in saving lives and securing American futures, and he also played a key role
in establishing the United Nations, leaving a legacy many have tried to emulate to this
day.
According to whitehouse.gov, Franklin D. Roosevelt began life in Hyde Park New
York. Born as the only child of an aristocratic family, FDR was spoiled by his parents
and attended the most prestigious youth academies, including the Groton School for
boys in New York. Biography.com states that he lived a priviliged life, with multiple
tutors and a wait staff on hand at all times. His family revolved around him. The author
notes his upbringing, pointing out how interesting it is because it was so different from
the lives of the common folk he later championed and who so adored him.
Articles from fdrlibrary.edu state that at a young age, Franklin took an interest in
public service, inspired by his headmaster at the Groton School for boys. After finishing
school at Groton, he went off to Harvard, finishing his degree in three years, as opposed
to the four years it took most students to complete. According to the author he was
never considered an exceptional scholar, earning an average C grade and never
showing phenomenal mental abilities, although he had great charisma. FDR then went
on to pursue a career in law, attending Columbia University Law School. According to
history.com he passed his bar exam before finishing his degree, and so never officially
completed his schooling, instead going into practice in New York City with his recently
married wife Eleanor and his budding family.
After three years of working as a corporate lawyer, gwu.edu staes that FDR
joined in the race for a New York State senate seat in 1910. He won the election, and
soon became well known nationally for his opposing views and political savvy. Some
major bills that he brought up at this point in his life were related to agriculture, labor,
and welfare programs. His next step towards president was his failed attempt at the
U.S. New York senate seat. The author states that he continued to serve in the state
senate, eventually joining James M. Cox as running mate to the presidential candidate
in the 1920 election. They lost, but he gained national exposure from the debacle.
Biography.com states that it was at this point in his life when he contracted polio.
According to biography.com, FDR’s fight with polio nearly ended his political
career, but the encouragements of his wife and his close friend Louise Howe kept him in
politics. The author states that FDR spent a large portion of his time and money trying to
fix his problem, attending many different therapies and submitting himself to a rigorous
exercise programs. These attempts were fruitless however, and he was soon confined
to a wheelchair. It is quite possible that his battle with polio was the major factor behind
the revitalization of his political career. The author states that after several years, FDR
was able to build bridges with other New York democrats that he had previously fought
in elections, allowing him to become Governor of New York in 1928.
By 1930, the Great Depression had greatly diminished public support for the
Republican Party and, seizing the initiative, Franklin ran for president and won in the
1932 election. According to the author, his personal charm and positive attitude played
a significant role in his successful election. When FDR entered his office as president,
unemployment was the worst in U.S. history, and ,many banks no longer existed. He
quickly instituted his famous New Deal legislation within the first one hundred days of
his office. Many social programs we have today can be traced back to legislation
pushed by FDR in the early Thirties. Programs like Social Security still exist in America
today, and the Glass-Steagall Act, which separated commercial and investment
banking, lasted until 1999. One of the most significant programs crafted by Roosevelt
was the PWA, or Public Works Administration. According to shmoop.com, it employed
hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country in building projects that
constructed hospitals, schools, roads, and more. There were many critics of FDR’s
efforts at recovery, the main argument being that his methods hurt the country by
increasing the national deficit and contributing to inflation, but what was so significant
about his legislation was the direct effect it had on American citizens. Hundreds of
thousands of Americans were starving due to the economic hardships of the
depression. Programs like the PWA provided these starving Americans with the money
and work they needed to survive the storm of economic upheaval that was rocking the
nation during Roosevelt’s presidency.
For many, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s campaign for his third term of office came as a
surprise. According to biography.com, FDR had not even announced his intentions until
late in 1940. Despite the surprise, he was easily elected to office and began
immediately pushing for aid to the Allies in Europe. The article states that while FDR
was an isolationist publicly, in private he drove US factories to pump out arms for the
beleaguered Allies across the Atlantic. Biography.com claims that Roosevelt wanted
America to become an “arsenal for democracy,” utilizing American industry to provide
weapons of war to help Britain, France, and other countries against the Axis onslaught.
FDR’s efforts to aid the Allies before Pearl Harbor played a significant role in holding the
German’s back from ultimate victory in Europe. The aid provided by America to Britain
during the Battle of Britain kept the nation on its feet long enough to last until Russia
and the USA entered the war against the Axis powers. According to biography.com
FDR was an involved leader during the Second World War, consulting and sometimes
even ignoring his top generals, himself taking part in the planning of the many
amphibious invasions that occurred throughout the war. What makes FDR so critical to
the American war effort was his determination and leadership. He kept the entire
country united behind the war effort, a feat other candidates would not have been able
to do. His immense popularity among the working class can be thanked for this.
Roosevelt’s significance during World War II was his ability to keep the domestic front
involved, providing the military front with the supplies it needed to drive back the Axis
aggressors. While it is easy to assume that any president could wage war against an
enemy as obvious and threatening as the Axis powers, it is important to note that FDR’s
ability to inspire and unite the citizens of the United States played a key role in the Allied
victory.
Franklin Roosevelt’s accomplishments as president of the United States do not
end with his death, or at the conclusion of World War II. Following in the footsteps of his
democratic predecessor Woodrow Wilson, biography.com states that FDR embarked on
a crusade to establish the United Nations at the conclusion of the war. According to the
article he had been planning on the creation of the UN for sometime as Allied victory
became more probable, and he shared his ideas with Stalin and Churchill at the Yalta
Conference in February of 1945. According to biography.com, at this conference
Roosevelt laid the the groundwork for the organization that today preserves peace and
promotes diplomacy on a global scale. According to biography.com, Franklin wanted to
lay a foundation of peace that would ensure that no grandchildren of his generation
would suffer the same violence that many had endured over the last decade. He
succeeded. What Roosevelt helped establish on that fateful day on the Crimean
peninsula stands today as one of the most influential organizations in the world, and has
served to prevent conflict that otherwise may have occurred had it not been for those
visionaries at the end of World War II. Of all of FDR’s legacies, the United Nations
stands as his most present and significant of achievements that has and will continue to
shape the world for decades to come.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was, debatebly, the most influential US president in
history. His domestic policies helped secure America’s future by aiding destitute families
and by improving national infrastructure. His efforts during World War II aided in
securing an Allied victory over the Axis powers, and his leadership in the establishment
of the UN at the conclusion of the Second World War raise Roosevelt to a level of
significance few world leaders have reached. Truly his legacy lives on today, and his
actions while in office have left a large footprint in time that will endure for generations.
Works Cited:
“32, Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945.” whitehouse. n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
"Franklin Delano Roosevelt." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 13 May 2014.
“Biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt.” fdrlibrary. n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
Freidel Frank “Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Rendezvous with Destiny.” gwu. n.d. Web. 12
May 2014.
“Franklin D. Roosevelt.” history. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 19 May 2014.
“FDR” pbs n.d. PBS American Experience. Web. 19 May 2014.
“American President: Franklin D. Roosevelt.” millercenter. Miller Center University of
Virginia, 2013. Web. 19 May 2014.
“FDR, First One Hundred Days.” shmoop. Shmoop University, 2014. Web. 22 May
2014.