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.
Walton, Anthony. Hilda Solis. Kennedy, Caroline, ed. Profiles in Courage for Our Time. New York: Hyperion, 2002. 269-292. Print.
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.
Lash, Joseph P. Eleanor: The Years Alone. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1972.
The end of World Wat I coincided with a grave personal crisis, the discovery of her husband's love for another woman. Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt were eventually reconciled, but the relationship was never the same. When they returned to New York in 1921 she determined to build a life of her own. She became active in the League of Women Voters, the Women's Trade Union League, and the women's division of the Democratic Party. Her personal emancipation was completed after Roosevelt was stricken with polio in 1921. Eleanor Roosevelt was determined to keep alive her husband's interest in public affairs. Sher was encouraged and tutored by Louis Howe, Roosevelt's close adviser, whom she had nortvapproved of. With his help she became her husband's political stand-in and an effective spokesperson.
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.
J. William T. Youngs. Eleanor Roosevelt A Personal and Public Life. (Pearson Longman: New York. 2006), 265pp.
Eleanor Roosevelt, whose life did not look promising in the beginning with the loss of both her parents early on, ended up changing a worldShe then went to live with her grandmother who sent her to Allenswood Academy for girls. Described as an astute and observant child who had self confidence issues. There Eleanor studied under Marie Souvestre, a dedicated feminist. Eleanor would not finish school there as she hoped. Being called home Eleanor returned, at the age of 19 , as the niece of the president of the United States of America, Teddy Roosevelt. Eleanor began a relationship with her fifth cousin Franklin, the following year he proposed. They married in 1905. Their marriage was tested when Franklin cheated on Eleanor, she offered him a
On October 11, 1884, in New York City Roosevelt was born. During her childhood she was shy and experience extensive sorrow. At the age ten she was a orphan and sent to a school in England. This school helped her become a strong confident women. Soon Roosevelt married her distant cousin, Franklin Roosevelt. He became president of the United States in 1933. During World War One she worked for American Red Cross. They had six children throughout their marriage. While being the president 's wife she changed the way the first lady was perceived. Eleanor Roosevelt focused on the poor, racial discriminations, United State troops, and women. She participated in a newspaper column, press conferences, League of Women Voters, spoke for human rights, and children and women 's issue. She did all of these things while maintaining the white house and caring for her children. In 1945 her husband died and continued to be involved in politics. President Harry Truman and John Kennedy both appointed her positions in politics. Eleanor Roosevelt served on United Nations General Assembly, U.N.’s Human Rights Commission 's, National Advisory Committee of the Peace Corps, and the President 's Commission of the Status of Women. She was considered to me the most outspoken first lady. On the side of her political work she wrote novels about her life. She published around four novel about her life. On November 7, 1962, Eleanor Roosevelt passed away from tuberculosis, heart failure, and aplastic anemia. ("Eleanor Roosevelt Biography"). Throughout her life Roosevelt was active in her role as first lady which brought hope to variou
going to tell you about Eleanor Roosevelt's life, from when she was a kid, going to
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.
Although Eleanor Roosevelt served as first lady from 1932 to 1945, her influence lasted much longer than expected. Eleanor became her husband’s ears and eyes during her husband’s presidency and aided human rights during her entire life. She did what no other First Lady, or woman had dared to do before; she challenged society’s wrong doings. Many respected her; President Truman had called her “the First Lady of the World (Freedman, 168).” Eleanor Roosevelt was an amazing first lady who helped her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, run the country.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was loathed by some and yet loved by so many. Becoming one of the most beloved presidents in U.S. history for the four terms he was in office. His unusual charm and optimism that he communicated through the confidence of others is what people easily remembered him by. He often brought a confidence and a smile in to any room he entered and yet never underestimated his own responsibilities to specific situations that needed his undivided attention. Those actions alone helped sustained the nation through some of it’s darker times such as the Great Depression and World War II.
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