Patrick J. Maney's "The Roosevelt Presence: The Life and Legacy of FDR" is a critical analysis of the policies, programs and decisions invoked by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Maney's analysis and opinions of important historical events brought forth by Roosevelt such as The New Deal, Court Packing and World War II are "off-beat" to say the least. Maney attempts to bring to the table an objective analysis of FDR's life and policies, with hopes of indulging the reader in what he believes is the truth. Although Patrick J. Maney attempted to come off as an objectionable historian, it is evident that he vastly injected his own opinions and beliefs into his analysis.
Patrick J. Maney's views do not necessarily belittle FDR completely, but rather discredit the positive connotation on policies and decisions that the majority sees. He mentions in his introduction "First, he did not actually do some of the things legend credits him with having done. He did not, for example, play as large of a role in shaping the legislation of the New Deal as been though. Second, some of the things he actually did do, such as the way he treated critics of his foreign policy, set a bad example for his successors. Third, however much we might have revere his memory, his record has offered surprisingly little help in resolving the most critical problems the United States has faced in the half century since his death, problems such as civil rights and Vietnam" (Maney xii). Maney develops a tendency to put a positive spin on views of FDR that would be considered left-winged, yet tends a negative spin on views that would be traditionally considered right-winged. In addition he also develops a tendency to leave certain information out, even on minor details, i...
... middle of paper ...
...would hire somebody else to do their fighting for them. Let them repeat that now' he said slowly and dramatically. Let them tell that to the boys in the Flying Fortresses, let them tell that to the Marines!" (Maney 144).During the war the United States became the principal arms supplier and financier of the Allied Powers. This extreme increase in the demand for production created various job opportunities, and the nation's economy flourished and boomed during this period.
Although Patrick J. Maney brings up some interesting arguments, his attempt to objectively assess FDR and knock him off his pedestal' fall short. He greatly intends to reduce the glorification the majority of the country shows towards FDR. However, with the implementation of too many of his own viewpoints and perspectives, the objectivity, and therefore his ability to sway my beliefs, was lost.
Although the nation listened with little hope, the genuineness behind the words Roosevelt spoke opened the ears of many. While many ridiculed Hoover and found ways to belittle his status with phrases such as “Hoovervilles” to describe shanty towns or “Hoover Blankets” to describe the newspapers individuals used as warmth, he practiced denial. While the people of the nation suffered, his approach to keeping the facade that the economy “was on its way” was to preserve and uphold formal attire and protocol in the White House.... ... middle of paper ...
Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most influential people in the early 20th century. His leadership style, his reforms, and his personality shaped an America that was rapidly becoming a world power. Theodore Roosevelt is admirably remembered for his energetic persona, his range of interests and achievements, his leadership of the Progressive Movement, his model of masculinity and his “cowboy” image (). He was a leader of the Republican Party and founder of the short-lived Progressive Party of 1912 (). Before becoming President, he held offices at the municipal, state, and federal level of government (). Roosevelt’s achievements as a naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier are as much a part of his fame as any office he held as a politician. His legacy lives on as one of greatest leaders in American history.
Assuming the Presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt helped the American people regain faith in themselves. He brought hope as he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Despite an attack of poliomyelitis, which paralyzed his legs in 1921, he was a charismatic optimist whose confidence helped sustain the American people during the strains of economic crisis and world war.
Theodore Roosevelt was a man uniquely fitted to the role that he played in American
Not only did Theodore Roosevelt push to better himself, he also pushed America to better itself and to improve itself as a country, that impact that he made in America still shows today.
...y new ideas, presidents after him felt they had a lot to live up to. Franklin D. Roosevelt “cast a long shadow on successors” with his New Deal program. Conservatives were constantly worried about the loss of their capitalist economy, but it is possible that Roosevelt’s greatest New Deal achievement is the fact he never allowed America to completely abandon democracy or turn to socialism or communism. Many New Deal programs fixed economic problems but did not completely solve social ones surrounding equality and discrimination. New Deal programs took radical steps while moving toward government regulation and intervention causing conservatives to fear concentrated power, but the steps and transformations Roosevelt made while in office preserved conservatives’ need of capitalism and democracy in government, defining the New Deal as both radical and conservative.
...for their misfortune. The rich blamed the poor, the poor blamed the rich, the middle class blamed the blacks, and no one took responsibility themselves. One complaint most of these classes (with exception to the few that benefited) was the lack of success of the New Deal and other relief efforts. Whether the blacks had too much employment, or the poor were too lazy to receive aid, very few Americans appeared to be happy with Roosevelt’s solution. This didn’t stop his popularity. Many Americans stood behind their president rain or shine, depression or big boom. Regardless of their positions, these citizens who turned to the President in their time of desperation proved that the pen is truly mightier.
In the book Theodore Roosevelt by Louis Auchincloss, I learned a great deal about the twenty-sixth President of the United States of America. Former President T. Roosevelt made many accomplishments as president, and did not have a high number of scandals. Roosevelt did very well in keeping the peace between the different countries, which earned him many admirers and the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. The author’s purpose for writing Theodore Roosevelt was to tell his readers all about America’s former president, Theodore Roosevelt’s life. Louis Auchincloss did a great job at describing President T. Roosevelt’s life from Teddy’s childhood, his life before presidency, to all of Teddy’s accomplishments as president, and finally to his life after his
Who was the greatest president of the United States? There have been many great presidents in the history of the U.S. Many presidents have led our country through very trying times. Some people believe Lincoln was the greatest president. However, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt led our country at times when a great leader was needed. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the greatest president of the United States because of his New Deal, his great leadership skills, and his strong and deep connection to the people of the United States.
In his book, he covers the whole spectrum of Roosevelt’s life and how he came to be President of the United States. Brinkley understood the impact Roosevelt had not just on domestic policy, but as well as global. Brinkley went into more detail than previous authors by adding the fact that Roosevelt as well changed the American party system. Brinkley, though, did have one certain difference than the previous authors, and that was that he believed it may change the way citizens view the government. In better terms, people would come to depend more on the government than previously before. Brinkley, though, was critical on the fact that the New Deal was not as special as it was believed to be. He parted in a different direction than previous authors and stated, “It did not end Great Depression and the massive unemployment that accompanied it.” Brinkley’s argument, though, was that FDR did change the scope of government, but with it came consequences and benefits for the American
This take on Roosevelt’s policies highlights the perceived negative effects. This article does not necessarily support the theory of an ‘anti-business’ president, but it does shed some light on some of the arguments for the failure of Roosevelt’s policies. It also gives credence to other motivations behind Roosevelt’s policies.
The modern presidency reached its initial fulfillment during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. Under the stimulus of the New Deal, World War II, and the entrepreneurial leadership of Franklin Roosevelt, there was a huge expans...
President Roosevelt was an amazing man living a very productive life. During his presidency in 1941 he made a speech called the “Four Freedoms” speech advocating to put a stop to the enemies that had attacked other counties that were possibly ruining the democracy that America held. “... the American people began to visualize what the downfall of democratic nations might mean to our own democracy.”(10) Roosevelt wrote about how the other
The New Deal period has generally - but not unanimously - been seen as a turning point in American politics, with the states relinquishing much of their autonomy, the President acquiring new authority and importance, and the role of government in citizens' lives increasing. The extent to which this was planned by the architect of the New Deal, Franklin D. Roosevelt, has been greatly contested, however. Yet, while it is instructive to note the limitations of Roosevelt's leadership, there is not much sense in the claims that the New Deal was haphazard, a jumble of expedient and populist schemes, or as W. Williams has put it, "undirected". FDR had a clear overarching vision of what he wanted to do to America, and was prepared to drive through the structural changes required to achieve this vision.
A change in strategy leads to new perspective over certain matters. During FDR’s tenure many new reforms were adopted as part of the New Deal. Some o...