Franklin D. Roosevelt - Research Paper Example

Franklin D. Roosevelt Introduction Franklin Delano Roosevelt can be regarded as one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century who made notable contributions to the world history. His contributions were more relevant to the United States, a country he governed for 12 years during a worse time in American history. Roosevelt was the 32nd American president during the Great Depression era and World War II. Under his leadership, America was able to overcome numerous challenges and emerge one of the biggest economic and political powers of the 20th century (Coker 8). Roosevelt was a democrat and served the Americans in several capacities. Throughout his career, Roosevelt gained immense success in all the positions he held; this made him one of the most celebrated leaders America has ever had. Overview of Roosevelt’s Life and Times Born on January 30th, 1882 in New York to James Roosevelt and Sara Delano Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt was the only child from this wealthy family. During his younger days, he received home training from home tutors until he was 14 years when he joined Groton school in Massachusetts (Coker 11). After his studies in Groton school, he went to study a bachelor’s degree in history in Harvard University for three years. Roosevelt later joined Columbia University to study law. In 1907, he exited from the university after passing the bar examination, which allowed him to practice law for three years in New York (Renshaw 15). During his studies in Columbia University, Roosevelt had married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt in 1905. Roosevelt and Anna got six children, and Roosevelt spent most of his time with his children (Black 266). In 1910, Roosevelt made his first attempt in politics where he vied for the New York City senator through the Democratic Party. Roosevelt emerged the winner and became the New York senator; he held this position till 1914 after his re-election in 1912. In the senate, he served under the Wilson administration as the assistant secretary of the navy. Roosevelt gained immense experience from this position after closely working with Josephus Daniels who was the secretary of the navy at the time (Renshaw 16). Roosevelt demonstrated exemplary leadership skills while working as the assistant secretary to the navy, something which was noted by democrat leaders. By the time America was getting into World War I, Roosevelt had already put America’s naval plant into its most efficient way to fight the battle. Roosevelt was also hugely instrumental in advising the United States on the best war plan on the battle of the North Sea that helped in weakening the German’s U-boat warfare (Black 371). Roosevelt failed to be elected for the U.S senate in 1914 even after seeking for nomination into the post after the Tammany Hall failed to support him for the position. After his failed nomination, Roosevelt became interested with the military services during the World War I in 1917 (Black 223). His former senior, Josephus Daniels, advised him to keep off from the military services and concentrate on making a comeback in politics. Nevertheless, Roosevelt still got involved in the World War I through numerous projects he undertook during the wartime. He toured European nations, which had been turned into battlefields. During his tours, he made a lot of consultations with the military leaders who commanded the troops at the time. His tours gained him enormous popularity both nationally and internationally which would later contribute tremendously during his political comeback (Coker 66). In 1920, Roosevelt made a significant political comeback after he was nominated a vice presidential candidate to Governor James M. Cox. The democrats at that time were advocating for membership in the League of Nations (Renshaw 19). This failed them since the U.S senate strongly opposed the idea. The Republicans emerged the winners in the 1920 elections, but for Roosevelt, he had no much to lose since he had already shown exceptional potential in leadership. In the same year, Roosevelt was appointed the vice president of Fidelity and Deposit Company and he became in charge of the company’s offices in New York City. The worst year in Roosevelt’s life was in 1921 when he contracted Polio at the age of 39. Since Polio is an incurable disease, it left Roosevelt’s legs paralyzed; this made him remain on a wheelchair for the better time of his life. Many thought his political ambitions would be shattered, but Roosevelt did everything to his ability to ensure that the condition did not ruin his life (Black 388). As one way of gaining recovery, Roosevelt constructed the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. The warm springs were believed to have some curative effects and Roosevelt relied on them for recovery. To date, the institute continues to offer rehabilitation for people with physical disabilities (Black 391). Roosevelt was a man full of determination that his physical disability was not an end to his political ambitions. For the rest of his career, he operated on a wheelchair and through the help of the media; his condition went unnoticed in many occasions. Roosevelt’s wife Eleanor offered strong support to her ailing husband. Eleanor together with Louis Howe, who was Roosevelt’s political advisor and a long time friend, played a key role in Roosevelt’s political comeback. In 1924, Roosevelt took part in the nomination of Alfred Smith who was the New York governor for president, but smith failed to secure the presidential seat. Four years later, Smith was again nominated as the presidential candidate by the democrats, and he organized on how Roosevelt would succeed him for the New York governorship. Smith was defeated by Herbert Hoover, a Republican candidate, but Roosevelt emerged the winner for the governorship post in New York (Coker 126). Roosevelt’s New York Governorship By the time Roosevelt was taking over as the New York governor, America was undergoing difficult economic problems. In October 1929, the Wall Street crash emerged; this put the United States into the worst depression in its history. It was noted that Hoover was particularly reluctant in providing federal support to the affected farmers and the unemployed in the urban areas (Renshaw 187). During his two terms as the New York governor, Roosevelt made some brilliant moves of saving people who had been struck by the effects of the great depression. One of the moves that he made was to set up an Emergency Relief Commission based in New York (Black 402). He appointed Harry Hopkins, one of the respected figures in U.S at the time to run the agency. Another person who was recruited into the commission was Frances Perkins and held the position of the state industrial commissioner. These two key figures in America helped Roosevelt to reach the unemployed and the aged (Black 413). Roosevelt’s contributions in the fight against the effects of the great depression earned him more popularity in United States and placed him, as the best choice for the Democratic presidential candidate in the 1932 elections. Hoover’s leadership was losing popularity due to his inability to tackle the effects of the great depression, and it was clear that Hoover had slim chances of being re-elected (Black 418). Road to presidency Roosevelt began his campaign for the presidency after his re-election. There was no doubt over Roosevelts nomination for the presidential candidate by the democrats. In 1932, Roosevelt was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate in Chicago. After his presidential nomination, he began vigorous campaigns pushing the government to give relief, recovery and reform as interventions to save the U.S from economic hardships it was undergoing. Roosevelt’s endless campaigns and sound track record helped him win the 1932 elections to become the 32nd U.S president (Coker 136). The United States Under Roosevelt’s leadership Franklin Roosevelt ruled the United States from 1932-1945. Everyone will agree that, during his stay in the white house, America changed remarkably as a result of Roosevelt’s strong leadership style and well informed policies that he introduced. Roosevelt took power when America was still recovering from the great depression and other serious challenges. Roosevelt’s notable achievements were indeed attained during his tenure in the white house (Heale 16). The biggest challenge was to solve the continuing effects of the great depression. The great depression had already caused a banking crisis in the United States which led to the closing of many banks. A considerable proportion of savings was lost as a consequence of the bank closure. This fact made many American citizens lose hope in their banking sector; many opted to save money in their homes. After assuming office, Roosevelt’s first action was to order the closure of all banks to allow for the formation of laws that ensured that people never lost their savings in case of an economic crisis in the future (Leuchtenburg 274). The other challenge was the issue of unemployment. Roosevelt constituted a special commission that would address this issue, and told the members that the issue of unemployment could only be addressed by the government, through direct recruiting of all employees by a government body. For a period of hundred days, a section of the congress was authorized to pass key bills that would ensure that the issue of unemployment was solved. This was later to be known as Roosevelt’s “New Deal” (Leuchtenburg 277). Roosevelt’s government managed to employ people to work on several projects that it had initiated. Some of the projects that Roosevelt’s government had managed to put in place included the National Youth Administration, Agricultural Adjustment Act, Public Works Administration, National Recovery Act, Social Security Act, Civilian Conservation Corps, National Housing Act and Works Projects Administration. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration was also set up to provide federal money to the aged as well as people who were in dire need of money (Heale 33). Another notable success that was achieved under Roosevelt’s leadership was the establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Through this authority, dams and power stations were built, control of floods was achieved, and modern agriculture was introduced in Tennessee Valley (Leuchtenburg 283). Nevertheless, Roosevelt’s numerous efforts were seen not to end the Great Depression crisis wholly due to the deep rooted biases that had thrived in America. American politics and culture of the 1930s used to discriminate against women, blacks and Latinos, and this continued on in later years. For this reason, the “New Deal” could not help in fighting the great depression in totality (Renshaw 213). The World War II Roosevelt had in one way contributed in the World War I. During his tenure in the white house, he faced the challenge of the World War II. America showed neutrality when World War II began and failed to take any sides. Germany and Japan appeared to dominate in Europe and Asia respectively; Roosevelt could only attack them tentatively. Nevertheless, Roosevelt strongly supported the Great Britain and he could offer them massive aid whenever they needed to contain the German’s (Black 455). In December 7, 1941, the United States had no option but to join the World War II after its navy at Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. Following this attack, the Americans joined the Soviet Union and Britain in fighting the Germans and the Japanese (Waldo 179). During this war, Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin held many conferences to find ways to end the war. They laid down measures that would ensure that such wars could not arise again and find the best way forward after the war. One of Roosevelt’s contributions was the founding of the United Nations Organization that would ensure that world peace was maintained. The organization was also to protect people from crimes against humanity as a result of political wars and poor leadership (Waldo 181). Roosevelt applied the experience and skills he had acquired while serving as the assistant secretary to the navy in fighting Germany and Japan. By 1943, it was evident that Germany and Japan were losing the battle. Unfortunately, Roosevelt never lived to see the climax of the war. Roosevelt passed on in April 1945 when the German’s were about to surrender after he collapsed and died due to cerebral hemorrhage. The Americans’ neutrality worked in their favor as they emerged from the war as the most powerful nation economically, politically and in terms of their military power. Conclusion Franklin Delano Roosevelt left a rich history to the Americans and the entire world, and he is undoubtedly one of the worlds greatest leaders. He will be remembered by the Americans for his efforts in fighting the Great Depression through the introduction of policies that addressed the issue. His contributions in World War I and II shaped the world we are living today and will remain significant in the world history for many decades. Roosevelt remains to be a powerful inspiration to many and people should emulate from his excellent leadership style. To keep Roosevelt’s legacy relevant for many decades to come, it is necessary to continue applying the policies that he had established and even make them better in his honor. Works Cited Black, Conrad. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom. New York: Public Affairs, 2005. Print. Coker, Jeffrey. Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Biography. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005. Print. Heale, M. J. Franklin D. Roosevelt: The New Deal and War. London: Routledge, 1999. Print. Leuchtenburg, William. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal: 1932-1940. New York: Harper Collins, 2009. Print. Renshaw, Patrick. Franklin D. Roosevelt. Washington, D. C: Longman, 2004. Print. Waldo, Heinrichs. Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print. Read More