Evaluation Of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

918 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Roosevelt’s new deal policies

Part 3 – Evaluation Franklin Delano Roosevelt is one of the most significant figures in American History. Roosevelt served in office from March 1933 to April 1945, the longest tenure of any other President in United States history. Within these twelve years, Roosevelt was left to handle the burdensome consequences of the time, including The Great Depression and Germany and Japan’s rise to power, which were far beyond his control. Faced with such difficult situations, Roosevelt has combated these challenges in such a way that has left him as a remarkable figure in American history. In the presidential election of 1932, Roosevelt appealed to many Americans a man of action, in comparison to Herbert Hoover who was viewed as a “do-nothing president” and Norman Thomas who, as the Socialist candidate, was viewed as a radical. The American people also believed as President, Roosevelt would be able to resolve the Great Depression better than Republican and former President Hoover’s laissez-faire approach. Once elected into office, Roosevelt was able to restore a lost sense of confidence in the nation. For example, in his inaugural address he promised vigorous leadership and bold action, called for discipline and cooperation from the American people, expressed his faith in democracy, and asked for divine protection and guidance. Today his famous words, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself…” are still remembered for the optimism he felt in being able to save the nation from disaster. Once in office, Roosevelt quickly worked to resolve the issues brought forth by the Great Depression. In 1935, the federal government guaranteed unions the right to organize and bargain collectively. Also the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was imp... ... middle of paper ... ...rld War II on the side of the Allied Powers in 1941. Roosevelt led the United States into World War II and created a strategy in which the “Big Three”, which Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin, would defeat the Axis Powers. Roosevelt also made many actions in helping the war effort. For example, the Lend-Lease Act of 1941 was a program in which the United States supplied the Allied nations between 1941 and 1945 with materials need to fight the war. Another foreign policy under Roosevelt was the Good Neighbor Policy which was aimed towards Latin America. Under this policy, American forces would better respect the sovereignty of Latin American countries. However, by the end of the World War II, relations with foreign nations would continue to intensify and leave FDR’s future successors with heavy burdens, such as Obama was left with the difficulties of his predecessors.

Show More
Related

  • Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    During his presidency Roosevelt had a tendency to carry the big stick then to speak softly. He got quite involved with the situation in Central and South America and also there was the controversy of the acquisition of the Philippines in the Pacific Islands. Roosevelt was also able to show the soft-spoken, sophisticated side of his diplomacy in dealing with major powers outside the Western Hemisphere. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations with Russia and Japan, hardly the actions of a war monger. Roosevelt was just an energetic person and he wanted to civilize what he thought of as uncivilized countries.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Franklin Roosevelt And Hoover's Inaugural Address

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    Roosevelt’s inaugural address focused on the current situation of the nation and he intended to declare war on the Great Depression. He stated a need to move as a nation through his leadership and become a better nation. Roosevelt took a strong stand and proclaimed, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. He looks to the future asking the nation to fulfill their “true destiny” of ministering to themselves and their fellow men.

    Read More

  • Second Great Awakening Dbq

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    Unlike any president before him, President Roosevelt faced the Great Depression and created the New Deal to try and ensure the economic and political wealth of the United States. In 1935, the federal government guaranteed unions the right to organize and bargain collectively, and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage and maximum outs. Beginning in 1933, the government also helped rural and agricultural American with development programs and assume responsibility for the economy of the United States. Essentially, the New Deal sought to ensure that the benefits of American capitalism were spread equally amongst the many diverse peoples of the United States. Even though Roosevelt's New Deal failed to cure completely the economy of the Great Depression, his governmental policies during it established a new norm for succeeding governments to

    Read More

  • Theodore Roosevelt's Shaping of America

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy as a great president, lives on today through his policies. The Panama Canal now saves ships thousands of miles, and National Parks inspire people to conserve the resources of this earth. His social justice policies keep businesses honest and force them to be fair. But like all humans he had flaws. One of his major weaknesses was he thought anyone who did not agree with him was un-American, and during World War One was suspicious of German Americans. While on state Legislature, he tried to fire a judge based on corruption because he reached a verdict Roosevelt did not agree with. But Roosevelt’s great intelligence, strength, and curiosity outweighed his flaws, and it is not surprise he is considered as one of America’s greatest presidents.

    Read More

  • Why the United States Entered World War Two

    1648 Words  | 4 Pages

    World War II was an exceptional war for the United States. The United States emerged from the war as a world superpower and protector of all other nations. There were many reasons why the United States entered World War II, however President Franklin Roosevelt was in some way directly connected to every reason. Roosevelt wanted to enter World War II as soon as it started for political and economic needs. However, the American people did not want to enter in another war, such as World War I, that costs so many lives and money. Therefore, Roosevelt schemed a plan to enter the United States into World War II that would change the minds of the American people, including the direct aiding of Great Britain, the German bombing of a United States warship, and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.

    Read More

  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Impact On American Society

    1672 Words  | 4 Pages

    His policies were successful in that they led to the end of the war with Germany and Japan. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was relatively unknown to politics until his campaign for presidency in 1932. Another way FDR helped establish the modern presidency and his place in it was by establishing the military and taking steps toward future world alliances. In 1938, FDR'set out to align the United States with the Western democracies, embarking on a sustained effort to educate his nation to his views and build up its military capacity' (Greenstein 20). This creation of the United States as a world power helped boost the need for a more modernized presidency.

    Read More

  • Franklin Roosevelt Redefined the American Presidency

    1411 Words  | 3 Pages

    Roosevelt paved the United States’ path from isolation to power. When World War II broke out in Europe, the country was largely isolationist. “Isolationist rhetoric reflected real public sentiment, as Roosevelt knew” (Renka, The Modern Presidency…). Roosevelt, however, seemed a step ahead of the nation. He stood firmly against Hitler and strove to align the United States with Western democracies and to strengthen the military (Greenstein 20). In 1938, Roosevelt’s foreign policy speeches began to reveal an obvious swing away from isolationism (Renka, Roosevelt’s Expansion of the Presidency). When Churchill reported in 1940 that the United Kingdom could no longer afford to pay for American weapons, Roosevelt used this opportunity to increase the United States’ influence in European affairs and lean his country slightly away from isolationism. Knowing Congress would oppose a loan to the United Kingdom, he created an entirely new program he called “lend-lease” (Greenstein 20).

    Read More

  • FDR and the Depression

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through his many programs designed to help the economy, laborers, and all people lacking civil rights, President Roosevelt did not put an end to the Great Depression. However, he did adapt the federal government to a newly realized role of protector for the people. Perhaps Roosevelt’s greatest blunders occurred in his attempts to fix the economy. The Nation claimed that “some [of his programs] assisted and some retarded the recovery of industrial activity.” They went so far as to say that “six billion dollars was added to the national debt.”

    Read More

  • FDR: The Greatest President

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    President Roosevelt initiated the only program that could pull the U.S. out of the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s New Deal got the country through one of the worst financial catastrophe the U.S. has ever been through. Diggerhistory.info biography on FDR states,” In March 13 million people were unemployed… In his first “Hundred Days”, he proposed, and Congress enacted, a sweeping program to bring recovery to business and agriculture, relief to the unemployed and those in danger of losing their farms and homes”(Digger History Biography 1). Roosevelt’s first hundred days brought relief to the unemployed. He opened the AAA (Agriculture Adjustment Administration) and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps.). The administration employed many young men in need of jobs all around the country. Roosevelt knew that the economy’s biggest problem was the widespread unemployment. Because of Roosevelt’s many acts and agencies, lots of young men and women around the country were getting jobs so the economy was healing. According to Roosevelt’s biography from the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, “Another Flurry of New Deal Legislation followed in 1935, including the WPA (Work Projects Admi...

    Read More

  • The Most Influential People in the U.S.

    1975 Words  | 4 Pages

    Our society has consisted of a great number of presidents who have changed the United States by helping our economy, but the one I feel who had the most influence was Franklin D. Roosevelt. F.D.R. was the 32nd president of the United States and remained in office for twelve years. He was born on January 30, 1882, at the family estate in Hyde Park, New York. His early education was by governesses and tutors, which caused him to have little contact with children his age. F.D.R. traveled frequently to Europe with his parents, lived in New York City during the winter months, and spent summers at their home on the Canadian Island of Campobello. At the age of 14, he attended a boarding school. Between 1900-1904, F.D.R. attended Harvard and attained a degree in business. While at Harvard, he fell in love with his 2nd cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt and got married in 1905. He then attended law school at Columbia, until he quit in the spring of 1907. However, he later passed the New York state bar examination and took a job at a prominent Wall Street law firm. For the first time in his life he came into contact with attorneys who represented the working poor. By 1910, he was 28 years old and beginning to feel very restless in his life. He then...

    Read More

  • Franklin D. Roosevelt's Impact on the Great Depression

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    "No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country," - Franklin D. Roosevelt ("Thinkexist.com"). In the middle of the deepest economic recession in the history of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt took office and did everything in his power to try and turn the country around. Roosevelt was a very intelligent man and the country believed he would lead them out of the Great Depression (Brinkley). Roosevelt inspired the nation to make drastic changes during the Great Depression with his extensive knowledge, understanding of the people's suffering, and new government reforms.

    Read More

  • 1936 Presidential Election

    1966 Words  | 4 Pages

    FDR enters the election with a strong, but not unbeatable, hand. The measures that FDR took during his first term in the White House didn’t produce prosperity. But they were able to pull the country out of depression and made sure that millions of people were better off than they had been when he first took office (Boller, P.240). Still the economy remained sluggish and eight million Americans were without jobs. At this election, he brought out the New Deal that would help all groups and firms. By this time Roosevelt had become the center of both passionate adoration and burning hatred. With millions of Americans support he had become more popular than the New Deal itself (Boller, P.240). Critics from various points on the political spectrum such as Father Coughlin and Dr. Francis Townsend had spent much of the previous two years attacking the President. They supported Representative William Lemke of the newly formed Union Party in the 1936 election (American President: A Reference Resource).

    Read More

  • Comparison Of President Woodrow Wilson And Franklin D. Roosevelt

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    people wanted (Doc 1a). Wilson wasn’t very strict on his neutrality though. As WWI continued exports to Germany decreased as they greatly increased for Great Britain (Doc 1b). The U.S. still favored Great Britain and its allies and were not very neutral in trade. It raises the question if Germany was wrong to sink merchant ships. In response to the destruction of passenger and merchant ships Wilson wrote notes to the German leadership and made strong protests against their actions (Doc 2). Germany promised to stop the attacks, but later broke their promise leading to the U.S. entering the war. As stated before Roosevelt also supported neutrality. His actions before the war (WWII) were more drastic then Wilson’s. He put trade embargo’s on Japan fearing their increasing aggressiveness toward other nations and their possible threat to the United States and stationed the U.S. fleet at Hawaii (Doc 7). Roosevelt believed the best way to help European nations was to act as a beacon of liberty and restr...

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Roosevelt's New Deal

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    The era of the Great Depression was by far the worst shape the United States had ever been in, both economically and physically. Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and began to bring relief with his New Deal. In his first 100 days as President, sixteen pieces of legislation were passed by Congress, the most to be passed in a short amount of time. Roosevelt was re-elected twice, and quickly gained the trust of the American people. Many of the New Deal policies helped the United States economy greatly, but some did not. One particularly contradictory act was the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which was later declared unconstitutional by Congress. Many things also stayed very consistent in the New Deal. For example, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Social Security, since Americans were looking for any help they could get, these acts weren't seen as a detrimental at first. Overall, Roosevelt's New Deal was a success, but it also hit its stumbling points.

    Read More

  • The New Deal Essay

    524 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 1930’s, the United States fell into a great depression because of a major stock market crash that destroyed the economy for many years. When the 1933 election came, a new president was elected; Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His plan was to create a New Deal to solve the Nation’s problems. This New Deal relieved much economic troubles in the country, gave faith to American citizens in the United States’ banking system, and gave jobs to millions of people unemployed by the crash. Without President Roosevelt’s actions, the road to the nation’s recovery would be much longer.

    Read More

More about Evaluation Of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Open Document