FREE ESSAY ON PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT

The world has known many great leaders, especially in the post-Civil War era. Winston
Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Harry Truman all rank with the most prominent
leaders of all time. However, in my opinion President Franklin Roosevelt made the most
difference out of anybody in this century. He began a new era in American history by
ending the Great Depression that the country had succumbed to in 1929. Without him ending
the Depression, who knows where this country could have gone? His social reforms gave
most people a new perspective on government. Government was not only expected to protect
the people from foreign invaders and affairs, but to protect against poverty and
joblessness in one's own country as well. He not only changed the country for the better
of everyone, he also made substantial gains on what a president could do for his country.
His accomplishments as president will never be duplicated. Public opinion was so
overwhelmingly for him that he was elected to office four times, which most likely will
never be duplicated again. His reign in office came at, by the far and away, the most
difficult time in American history. Not only did he accept the challenges at hand, he
rose to the occasion and took this country to another level.
Roosevelt was born on January 30 near New York City. He graduated from Harvard in 1904
and attended Law School. Although he didn't get his law degree, he was admitted to the
New York bar in 1907. He was elected to the New York senate in 1910 and was appointed by
Woodrow Wilson as assistant secretary of the navy, a post he held during World War I.
Roosevelt ran for vice-president in 1920 and lost. In 1921, he was stricken with polio,
which left his legs paralyzed. Twice he was elected Governor of New York and in 1932, he
defeated Herbert Hoover for President. After taking office, Roosevelt immediately took
drastic action to respond to the Great Depression. He promoted labor laws the benefited
unions and Social Security. 
Re-elected for unprecedented third and fourth terms in 1940 and 1944, Roosevelt was the
American leader through almost all of World War II. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in
Georgia on April 12, 1945, shortly before the end of the war.
Roosevelt went all out in 1931 in order to prepare for the election of 1932. He took some
chances, but they ended up paying off in the end. Never attempted before, he started a
nationwide radio address, outlining a program to meet the economic problems of the
nation. He coined the term forgotten man to mean all of those who had been hard hit by
the evils of the depression. These radio addresses were the start to what he called the
fireside chats. Without TV to occupy most people's time, most American families who had
gathered around a radio listened to these "fireside chats".
Roosevelt's competition was fairly tough the first time he ran for office. Not only did
he barely win the election, he also had trouble winning the nomination for his own party.
He was up against John Nance Garner (who would be his Vice Presidential running mate),
Newton D. Baker, Alfred E. Smith. For three ballots, Roosevelt held a large lead, but
lacked the two-thirds margin necessary for victory. He was desperately going to need some
help to win this one. His campaign manager then promised John Garner the vice
presidential nomination, which he grudgingly accepted. Although John didn't want to be
vice president, he figured Vice President is better than no President at all. Due to this
deal, Roosevelt took the presidential nomination on the fourth ballot. 
Roosevelt made a dashing introduction at the Chicago convention by being the first
nominee to ever write an acceptance speech. It was his first in a long line of great,
powerful speeches to come. The last line in his speech, I pledge to you, I pledge to
myself, to a new deal for the American people, fired the audience up. During the November
campaign against Hoover, Roosevelt talked about a few parts of his New Deal.
He spoke of relief and public works money. He wanted to develop a plan to cut
agricultural overproduction. 
However, Roosevelt was quite vague about other plans. He mentioned little about his plans
for industrial recovery or labor laws. He talked very little of foreign policy during the
campaign. Many believe that he was simply trying to home in on the problems that the
American public saw most prominent at the time, which would obviously win him votes. But
when it came to election day, Roosevelt seemed like the only viable alternative to
Herbert Hoover, who many blamed for the Great Depression. Given this fact Roosevelt could
have said just about anything and won the presidency that year. Experts on the subject
thought that it was all the administrations leading up to Hoover that doomed the country
before him, but public perception was against him. Most American's stuck to their opinion
despite the facts. Roosevelt won with 22,821,857 votes compared to Hoover's 15,761,841.
He also won the electoral 472 to 59. The voters had sent large majorities of Democrats to
both houses as well, which helped Roosevelt to accomplish more by pushing through more
bills, which his own party supported. 
As expected, a landslide won Roosevelt's second election. The public was quite impressed
with his accomplishments in his previous term. He received 27,751,491 popular votes and
carried 46 states with 523 electoral votes. His opponent only received 16,679,491 popular
votes to go with 8 electoral. This reflected the nation's confidence in Roosevelt, more
than his opponent's own faults and flaws. The nation, under Roosevelt had come a long
way, but still had a long way to go. He didn't deny this fact, stating in his
inauguration address, I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, and
ill-nourished. He knew he had his work cut out for him. Roosevelt ran again in 1940. The
Republicans based their campaign on the tradition that no President had ever gone for a
third term in succession. To counter this, Roosevelt put the spotlight on his
administration's achievements. Because of the risky situation abroad, many felt that
Roosevelt's expertise was needed in case war broke out. The election results were closer
this time. Roosevelt received 27,243,466 popular votes and 449 electoral votes, compared
to Wilkie who received 22,334,413 popular votes and 82 electoral votes. This was a
milestone for him, winning for the third time in a row, something that most likely will
never be achieved again. 
When it was time for Roosevelt's third term to end, he initially said he wanted to
retire. However, he later declared that he felt it was his duty to serve if his country
called on him. Much of this feeling was based on the idea that it would be a bad thing
for the country to change leadership in the middle of the war. Many of the president's
advisors felt he would not live through a fourth term. Because of his condition, the Vice
President nomination for the 1944 election became very important. Harry Truman of
Missouri was chosen to fill the spot. 
Again the Republican's argument was term length. No President should serve for 16 years,
they declared. The opposing argument by the Democrats was that no country should change
horses in mid-stream. Roosevelt drove around the streets of New York City in a rainstorm
and then made a speech to show that his health was not a major issue. Roosevelt received
25,602,505 votes and 432 electoral votes and his Republican opponent received 22,013,372
popular votes and 99 electoral votes. 
By the time Roosevelt was inaugurated on March 4, 1933, the economic situation was
desperate. Between 13 and 15 million Americans were unemployed. Thousands lived in
cardboard shacks called hoovervilles. Even more were standing in bread lines hoping to
get a few crumbs for their family. Panic-stricken people hoping to rescue their deposits
had forced 38 states to close their banks. The Depression hit all levels of the social
scale. In one of his addresses, he pushed confidence with his statement, the only thing
we have to fear, is fear itself. He pushed his presidential power to the limit. He made
the bold request to Congress to allow him broad executive power to wage a war against the
emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were invaded by a
foreign foe. 
Because of the Depression, there were runs to the bank that people were making to pull
their deposits out in return for paper cash and gold. Many banks were not fit to handle
this rush. Roosevelt declared a bank holiday that began on March 6, 1933 and lasted for
four days. All banks in the nation were closed until the Department of Treasury could
examine each one's fiscal situation. Those that were determined to be in sound financial
condition were allowed to reopen. Those banks that had been badly operated were not
allowed to reopen. During the FDR administration, 5,504 banks had closed and deposits of
nearly $3.5 billion dollars were lost. Shortly after the President restored confidence in
the banks, what is now known as the 100 days began on March 9 and ended on June 16, 1933.

The President at once began to submit recovery and reform laws for congressional
approval. Congress passed nearly all the important bills that he requested, most of them
by large majorities. The fact that there was a Democratic party majority in both houses
helped speed things along. What emerged from these 100 days was a 3-fold focus,
RELIEF-RECOVERY-REFORM. One of the relief actions was known as the Emergency Relief Act.
This established the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and he pushed an
appropriation of $500 million to be spent immediately for quick relief. The Reforestation
Act of 1933 killed two birds with one stone. First, it helped stop and repair some of the
environmental damage that had occurred as a result of the industrial revolution. More
importantly, however, it created the Civilian Conservation Corps, which eventually
employed more than 2 1/2 million men at various camps. Projects included reforestation,
road construction, soil erosion and flood control as well as national park development. 
The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was designed to raise crop prices and raise the
standard of living for American farmers. Production was cut to increase demand, therefore
raising the price. Also, various subsides were set up to add to the farmers income. It
also gave the president the power to inflate the currency by devaluating its gold content
or the free coinage of silver and issue about $3 billion in paper currency. The National
Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), another recovery measure, was designed to balance the
interests of business and labor and consumers/workers and to reduce unemployment. This
act set codes of anti-trust laws and fair competition, as well as setting a new standard
still existing today- minimum wage. 
NIRA also established the Public Works Administration (PWA), which supervised the
building of roads and public buildings at a cost of $3.3 billion to Uncle Sam. 
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was the first agency to work much like a private
enterprise. The goal of the TVA was to reform one of the poorest parts of the country,
the Tennessee River Valley. The TVA was responsible for the construction and management
of power plants, dams, electricity, flood control systems and the development of
navigation systems. 
The Federal Securities Act required the government to register and approve all issues of
stocks and bonds. This act also created the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),
which regulates exchanges and transactions of securities. Other reforms included the
HomeOwners Refinancing Act, which established mortgage money for homeowners to refinance
and the Banking Act of 1933, which created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. It
was empowered to guarantee individual bank deposits up to $5000. After the initial 100
days, reform continued throughout the first part of the Roosevelt Administration. 
FDR was also empowered to fix the values of the dollar by weighing its value in gold. He
later set the price of gold at $35 per ounce, which in turn stabilized markets. The
Silver Purchase Act followed, allowing the government to have not only gold in the
Treasury, but silver as well- valued at 1/3 the price of gold. 
In Roosevelt's Annual Address to Congress on January 4, 1935, he outlined phase two of
the New Deal. The federal government would withdraw from the direct relief, leaving it up
to state and local governments. A program of social reforms would also be included in the
second half of the New Deal. This would include social security for the aged, unemployed
and ill, as well as slum clearance and better housing.
One of the first acts of the New Deal, Phase II was the Emergency Relief Act. By
Executive Order, Roosevelt created three new relief agencies in 1935. The first would be
the Work Progress Administration (WPA), which would spend $11 billion on temporary
construction jobs. This increased the national purchasing power. Another part of the
Emergency Relief Act was the Resettlement Administration (RA). Its goals were to improve
the condition of farm families not already benefiting from AAA, prevent waste by
unprofitable farming operations or improper land use and projects such as flood control
and reforestation.
Another aid to the farmer was the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). Its goals
were to provide electricity to isolated areas where private utility companies did not see
it profitable to run lines and set up service. The year of 1935 brought with it numerous
reform efforts. These were the final efforts of the New Deal before the nation geared up
for war. A Revenue Act of 1935 capped off the New Deal with a tax on the rich and a tax
break on the middle class. 
One of the most important and lasting effects of the Roosevelt Administration was his
into push for the Social Security Act of 1935. This was an innovative plan that was
supposed to lead to a nation-wide retirement system. A tax was levied on the employee,
which was met dollar for dollar by the employer. This tax went into a special fund
operated by the Social Security Administration. Later in life, when a person reached
retirement, they could draw the money out of this account that they had placed in for the
last few decades. 
The Supreme Court was fairly conservative, and attempted to shoot holes in many of
Roosevelt's New Deal Programs. It felt that Roosevelt had taken his legislative
presidential power to recommend legislation too far, and that Congress was equally
responsible for allowing him to usurp the powers for reasons of what Roosevelt claimed
was a national emergency. FDR was infuriated at the actions of the Court. He thought of
them as nine old men who were living in days gone by-- far too conservative to see the
economic and social needs of today. He soon began to plan retribution.
Two days after inviting the Justices to a formal social function at the White House, he
called upon his staff to write up the Judicial Reform Act of 1937. Essentially, this
document alleged that the Judicial Branch of the federal government was overwhelmed. The
Act described a desperate situation in which reform and recovery issues were not flowing
through government on a timely basis--simply because the Supreme Court was backed up. His
answer to solve the dilemma was to use his executive power of appointment and place more
Justices on the Court. Another section of the Act suggested that at age 70 (most of the
Justices were above this age), each Justice would be supplemented with an additional
Justice. This meant up to 15 Supreme Court Justices serving at one time. Roosevelt hoped
to load the Court with social liberal Democrats who would not oppose his New Deal
Programs. This became known as his Court Packing Scheme. After a long period of
embarrassing debate, the Senate rejected Roosevelt's proposal. This, in turn, caused
Roosevelt to reject the Senate. Roosevelt used his diplomatic and military powers in the
later part of his Administration nearly as much as he used his executive and legislative
powers in the first half. 
When the Great Depression hit in the 1930's, America became even more concerned with its
own problems. However, seeing the importance of a global view and seeing the possible
impact of World War II, Roosevelt directed the country toward nations abroad. Roosevelt
described his foreign policy as that of a good neighbor. The phrase came to be used to
describe the US attitude toward the countries of Latin America. Under the policy, the
United States took a stronger lead in promoting good will among these nations. Roosevelt
was the first to sign reciprocal trade agreements with the Latin American countries,
including Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and
Nicaragua. In 1935, the US signed treaties of non-aggression and conciliation with six
Latin American nations. This desire to spread ties across the Western Hemispheres led to
reciprocal trade agreements with Canada. Roosevelt also used personal diplomacy by taking
trips to various Latin American nations. In July 1934, he became the first American
president to visit South American in his trip to Columbia. In 1936, he attended the
Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, in Buenos Aires. 
Roosevelt used his diplomatic power of recognition to resume trading between the Soviet
Union and the US. The recognition was given to the Soviet government in November of 1933.
This was the first attempt at civil relations since the Russian Revolution in 1917. In
1933, for the first time in 16 years, the two nations exchanged representatives. In 1937,
Japan, at war with China, attacked a US river gunboat, the USS Panay, on the Yangtze
River, killing two US citizens. This event infuriated the American public as well as the
Roosevelt Administration. However, the US protested the Japanese action rather than
demanding action taken against them. Roosevelt used his diplomatic power and refused to
recognize the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in Northern China until there was an
official apology. Shortly after Roosevelt's statement, Japan made an official apology to
the US and offends to pay for the damages in full. 
It is without question that FDR is one of the greatest leaders ever to grave the face of
this earth. From his powerful, motivational speeches, to the fact that he was the leader
of the most powerful nation in the world for 16 years, the facts are perfectly clear.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is well-deserving as being selected as the "Outstanding
Individual of the Twentieth Century".