The Impact of Eleanor Roosevelt as a First Lady
Before Eleanor Roosevelt, the role of the first lady was not a political role; it was merely just a formal title of the president’s wife. Eleanor Roosevelt paved the way for all presidents’ wives to come by being active in politics during and after her husband’s presidency. Of course, she did not have instant success; she had many trials which helped her become an important and influential role model. Eleanor Roosevelt’s dedication to her husband, her activeness in politics, and her volunteer work enabled her to change the role of the First Lady.
Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 to Elliot and Anna Hall Roosevelt. Her mother was very beautiful and thought of Eleanor as a disappointment and would even make fun of her and call her mean nicknames like “Granny” (Cook, 21, vol. 1). Her father adored her and she adored him but he was never around due to the fact that he was an alcoholic and a drug addict (Morey, 14). When Eleanor was seven years old, her parents got a divorce; which left her mother, Anna, to raise the children alone (Spangenburg, 4). Eleanor’s parents both died shortly after, her mother when she was eight, and when she was ten she learned that her father had died as well. Eleanor and her two younger brothers were sent to live with their Grandmother Hall (Morey, 16-17).
Although Eleanor did not have a pleasant childhood, things started to look up when she started dating her fifth cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They were married on March 17, 1905 (Cook, 162, vol. 1). Eleanor’s Godfather, Theodore Roosevelt, the current president, agreed to walk her down the aisle at her wedding (Morey, 25-27). After their wedding, Franklin and Eleanor’s house was still not ready, so they lived with Franklin’s mother, Sara, who was not very fond of Eleanor. Once Eleanor started having children Sara even insisted on helping raise them because she considered herself to be a better mother than Eleanor (Morey, 28). Eleanor gave birth to 6 children, but lost one and from this became depressed. This was a hard time for her especially living with Sara. Finally, in 1910 they moved away from Sara to Albany, New York so Franklin could run for Senator (Cook, 184-186, vol. 1).
Eleanor Roosevelt was dedicated to Franklin and was always helping him out behind the scenes. When Franklin became...
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...er own experiences and observations. Eleanor also said, “I had really only three assets: I was keenly interested, I accepted every challenge and every opportunity to learn more, and I had great energy and self-discipline.” (Spangenburg, 99) Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of the first lady by her dedication to her husband through everything, her involvement in politics, and her willingness to help others through her volunteer work.
Works Cited
Black, Allida M. Courage in a Dangerous World. The Political Writings of Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Coumbia University Press, 1999.
Cook, Blanche Wiesen. Eleanor Roosevelt 1884 1993. Vol. 1. New York: Penguin Books Ltd, 1992.
Eleanor Roosevelt 1933 1938. Vol. 2. New York: Penguin Books Ltd, 1999.
Lash, Joseph P. “Eleanor Roosevelt.” Encylopedia Americana. 1997 ed.
Levy, William Turner, and Cynthia Eagle Russett. The Extraordinary Mrs. R. A Friend Remembers Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1999.
Morey, Eileen. The Importance of Eleanor Roosevelt. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc., 1998.
Spangenburg, Ray, and Diane K. Moser. Eleanor Roosevelt A Passion to Improve. New York: Facts on File, 1997.
Putting on a "Show" for all of America, she let no one know the severity of his sickness, and handled many government issues by her self. Edith Wilson stayed involved with politics after her husbands death, and was a very strong, woman who took charge of things, and supported her husband, and his efforts. Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Eleanor was such a Strong and out-going person that she held her very own press conference just two days after FDR was inaugurated. In fact she held the first press conference ever held by a First Lady.
Viola Hazelberger wrote Roosevelt a letter describing how the Radio Address affected a high school student’s banking decision. This letter is started off by Viola saying, “I would like to tell you that I enjoyed the speech… I have regained faith in the banks due to your earnest beliefs (1.1 - 1.2).” When someone says they enjoyed your speech, most people will take it as a compliment. She continued saying that she regained faith in the banks due to Roosevelt’s speech. If I were Roosevelt I would feel a sense of pride knowing I can reassure people during hard times. She continues saying that she is interested in her country’s problems even though she is only a high schooler. “I firmly believe that the country is on the upward grade and I believe
“Hilda Solis.” Newsmakers 1: n. pag. Gale U.S. History in Context. Web. 10 February 2014.
Eleanor Roosevelt was an outstanding First Lady, she was the longest lasting First Lady in office and helped define and shape the role of the First Lady’s duties in office. She played many roles as the First Lady, she made public appearances with her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt, she was a leading activist in women rights and civil rights, she held many press conferences, wrote a column daily in the newspaper, and hosted radio shows at least once a week. Though her and her husband’s time in office may have been difficult, Eleanor proudly supported New Deal programs and helped create many government programs such as the National Youth Administration and the Works progress Administration
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.
Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York, New York. While her parent were alive she lived in Italy with them. He father was Elliot Roosevelt, he was a junior partner at a real estate firm. He had alcohol and narcotic issues. Her mother was Anna Rebecca Hall, she was a popular debutante and elite figure. She died when Eleanor was almost 10 and Eleanor was an orphan until she was given to her maternal grandmother. Eleanor Roosevelt was the oldest of her siblings, Elliot and Gracie Hall Roosevelt. Growing up she received private tutoring since she was wealthy. She was taught grammar, arithmetic, literature and poetry. Later, she was also taught German, French, Italian, composition, music, drawing, painting and dance. Although she was not taught on subjects like politics and history, geography and philosophy, her instructor informed her a limitedly exposed her to it. She was raised as Episcopalian, and she kept that as her religious affiliation. This religion is a form of Catechism, which is Catholic, which is the religion that most people were during the time she lived. When she was about 20 years old, instead of returning to the United States from England where she received her schooling but she became involved in the social reform movement during the Progressive Era. After a while, she moved to New York and became a teacher. She was 20 when she married Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was 22. They got married on March 17, 1905. They had one daughter and five sons. They were fifth cousins once removed. After she got married, she fulfilled her duties as a wife and a mother...
To start off, Eleanor was a reclusive person did not speak to anybody and was alone. As Jackson wrote “she had spent so long alone, with no one to love, that it was difficult to talk, even casually,..”(3). The thing about eleanor is that she had always hoped for a way out. She wanted freedom. So she imagined
Theodore Roosevelt was one of our greatest presidents. He created the FDA and improved the position of the presidency greatly. Before Theodore came to be president, the position of presidency was slow and wasn’t very interesting so he made the executive branch more powerful by starting new reforms and a strong foreign policy. The life of a president is hard. It is full of stress, responsibilities, and a strong dedication the welfare of your country. Theodore had to deal with all of these presidential stresses, taking up much of his time. Do you know, though, that despite being a president, he led a life of excitement and freedom that many other presidents had never before experienced? Theodore, “Teddy” as his first wife Alice called him, Roosevelt was more than just our president, he was a dedicated author who wrote many books; he was also a rancher, and, surprisingly, he was a big time hunter. Even though Theodore Roosevelt was a president, his life was filled with exciting adventure, times of hardships, responsibilities to many, and influences upon many government positions.
The Eleanor Roosevelt Paper Project. Department of History, the George Washington University, n.d. Web.
“Thus had died and been laid to rest in the most quiet, unostentatious way the most useful and distinguished woman America had yet produced,” (Wilson, Pg. 342).
Heroes and leaders have long had a popular following in literature and in our own imaginations. From Odysseus in ancient Grecian times to May Parker in Spider-man Two, who states, “We need a hero, courageous sacrificing people, setting examples for all of us. I believe there’s a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble” (Raimi, 2004). Organizations need heroes, too. We call them organizational leaders. The study of organizational leadership, then, is really the study of what makes a person a successful hero. Or, what processes, constructs, traits, and dynamics embody the image of a successful leader.
Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was born into a rich New York family in 1858. His childhood was filled with sickness. He soon became interested in wildlife and nature. In 1880 he graduated Harvard. Happy with his new accomplishments he took on a wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt. Unfortunately, his mother passed away on the same day as the marriage.
"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.
Youngs, J. William T. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2000. xvi + 10 (illustrations) + 292 pp. $29.59 (paper) ISBN 0-321-35232-1
Lowi, Theodore J. (1985). The personal President: Power invested promise unfulfilled. Ithaca, New York: Cornell