Roosevelt as a Powerful Leader in American History - Essay Example

Henry Ying Mr. Roney U.S History FDR: Strong Leadership A leader is a person who commands a group, organization, or country. An American entrepreneur and author John C. Maxwell once said, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." Undeniably, leaders are very important in every society. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a successful American leader in history and a great model of a conscientious leader. He is renowned for his advocacy for the freedom of individuals in America (Nunzio 140). He encouraged Americans to embrace virtues such as effort, courage, sacrifice, devotion. He acknowledged the love of freedom for all people. Because of his strong advocacy, the love of freedom is still alive in America today (InfoUSA 1). As a great leader, Franklin Roosevelt devoted his effort to the service of his country. In as much as critics may highlight instances of failure during his presidency, Roosevelt has a legacy as a strong leader in the country’s history. People generally accept that F. D. Roosevelt remains one of the greatest leaders in the world. He served as the 32nd President of the country. Roosevelt was born in New York. His leadership guided the United States and helped it during hard moments. He has been considered a central political figure throughout the world, as well. Roosevelt laid a solid foundation of leadership as a president during his early age. He was bright during his young age and graduated from Harvard University. “Roosevelt became very active with the school newspaper.” When he undertook studies at Harvard, he spent most of his time in publishing the school newspaper. After he graduated from Harvard, “Franklin D. Roosevelt joined Columbia Law School.” Various experiences and knowledge helped him win the Senate seat later (Rosenberg 1). As a great leader, Roosevelt made a number of improvements in society. One of the most significant and remarkable things he did, and probably the most successful one, was that he led the United States recovery from the Great Depression (Rosen 130). The Great Depression was an economic decline in the United States. “Banks in all 48 states had either closed or had placed restrictions on how much money depositors could withdraw.” Most banks were bankrupted during the Great Depression; thus, people could not take their money. Additionally, unemployment rose and people lost their jobs overnight. People suffered during this period. As economic distress increased in the United States, Franklin Roosevelt was elected to be a new president instead of President Hoover in order to save the country from suffering. Before the Great Depression spread even further in the United States, Roosevelt took effective measures; he carried out and implemented special plans and he successfully saved his country and people. Roosevelts first task after he became President to tackle the economic challenge of the Great Depression (Ganzel 1). How did Roosevelt guide the United States through its biggest domestic crisis at that time? Roosevelt carried out his "New Deal" immediately after he became President. The New Deal was an act that focused on relieving those who were out of work by creating new jobs (Schlesinger 179). The New Deal helped many people to get out of their trouble. It also helped to prevent the employment crisis from happening again. Furthermore, Roosevelt provided a large amount of money directly for the poor. Whats more, Roosevelt "would work to cut government spending, allowing for more funds to help the economy recover." He reduced governments expenditure and used the money that the government saved to assist society. "Never before had a President converted so many promises into so much legislation so quickly," said historian James McGregor Burns. In 1933, Roosevelt issued executive orders that led to the adoption of the New Deal. The New Deal eventually helped the United States to get unstuck (Walsh 1). In order to gain support, Roosevelt made time to communicate with American people at the same time as they were processing reformation. He “bonded with everyday Americans by means of his speeches and fireside chats.” Fireside chats were among the important and correct decisions that Roosevelt had made (Kiewe 74). Roosevelt used the radio to exchange thoughts and communicate about the Great Depression, social crisis, and recovery programs with American people. He spoke to his people in an informal way, in a common language that everyone could understand. As a result, common people got the chance to discuss with the president and come up with some suggestions. In addition, Roosevelt’s fireside chats unified the nation during the Great Depression. In this way, Roosevelt also asserted his authority in the country. He discouraged citizens from fear because it would undermine their success. Roosevelts passionate and optimistic spirit influenced all of America. Led by Roosevelt, the United States reforms successfully and finally got back its powerful strength. Roosevelt saved the country from the Great Depression successfully because of his strong leadership. Roosevelt gained a lot of experience even before he was elected to be President. He “possessed a coherent worldview that influenced his thinking and informed his decisions as president.” Due to his good education and background, Roosevelt’s worldview was very objective. His worldview laid a solid foundation for his specific thoughts as a president later (Bell 1). Roosevelt’s personal experiences and ideology helped him to define his worldview. They also “enabled him to formulate and deliberately pursue long-range strategic goals as part of his foreign policy” (Doenecke and Stoler 122). One of his foreign policy goals was to implement the “Good Neighbor Policy” with Latin America. In addition, America gradually involve in the global conflict as a strong force at that time. In World War II, the United States, led by Franklin Roosevelt, appeared as a peaceful power, focused on strategic goals of defeating Nazi Germany (Bell 1). As it mentioned above, Roosevelt made the United States join the WWII in order to defeat the evil Nazis around the world. Before World War II, some of Roosevelt’s actions placed the United States in a dangerous situation but Roosevelt never admitted the risk. As a leader of a great country, Roosevelt often proved daring and ready to tackle every situation. He was a spotty administrator. He directed the military perfectly and supervised industrial preparations for war. The president promoted strategies by industries to produce military equipment to strengthen its power. “We are now in the midst of a war, not for conquest, not for vengeance, but for a world in which this nation, and all that this nation represents, will be safe for our children" (Silberstein 37). Roosevelt made a promise to his people and took responsibility for the war. Congress gave him full authority in many areas. Although Roosevelt made some mistakes in the war, he committed himself to the country’s victory during the war. He did his job with absolute confidence (Leuchtenburg 1). Roosevelt was a Democrat. He set foot in the area of politics in the name of a Democrat. When he told his uncle, Theodore Roosevelt, who had also been a President, his uncle was very angry because his uncle was a Republican. However, his uncle did not affect Roosevelt. He did not change his mind; instead, he insisted that he was a Democrat and made great effort to do his job. He held many speeches each day. Eventually, he was successful as a senator of New York, which is a traditional republican district. From that moment on, he became a more and more important figure in America. Most of Democrats appreciated Roosevelt’s talents in the area of politics. Roosevelt successfully led the Democratic Party in later years. Because of his confidence and optimism, he was nominated to be a presidential candidate. Finally, he was elected to be the president and took office soon. Roosevelt had several accomplishments during his term as the country’s twenty-sixth president. His Square Deal, for instance, was helpful in propelling the country towards development. Through the domestic program, Roosevelt campaigned for natural resource conservation. During his reign, he placed an extensive part of American land under federal control. The Square Deal initiated by president initiated strategies towards consumer protection. Vital laws such as the meat inspection Act promoted consumer protection. Regulation of food production processes and enhancing proper labeling also promoted protection of consumers. Undeniably, Franklin Roosevelt was a great figure in an era. Because of his pragmatic approach to governing the country, he made great progress in not only domestic policy but also foreign policy. Roosevelt committed himself to his country thoroughly. He helped the United States became one of the strongest powers in the world. Roosevelt’s combination of optimism, strong leadership, and brilliance led the country into a new era. Works Cited Bell, Michael Stephen. The Worldview Of Franklin D. Roosevelt: France, Germany, And United States Involvement In World War Ii In Europe. 04/30/04. 02/28/12. http://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/1393. Butler, Robert. Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Presidency Past, Present, and Future. 09/13/11. 02/28/12. http://thepresidency.us/2011/09/franklin-d-roosevelt/ Doenecke, Justus and ‎ Stoler, Mark. Debating Franklin D. Roosevelts Foreign Policies, 1933-1945. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Print. Ganzel, Bill. Bank Failures. Living History Farm, Wessels. 2003. 02/28/12. http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/money_08.html InfoUSA. Address At Charlottesville (1940): Franklin D. Roosevelt. Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP), U.S. Department of State. http://www.ait.org.tw/infousa/zhtw/DOCS/basic_reading/52.html Kiewe, Amos. FDR’s First Fireside Chat: Public Confidence and the Banking Crisis. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2007. Print. Leuchtenburg, William E. American President: A Reference Resource. Miller Center. http://millercenter.org/president/fdroosevelt/essays/biography/5 Nunzio, Mario. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Third American Revolution. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print. Rosen, Elliot A. Roosevelt, the Great Depression, and the Economics of Recovery. Charlottesville, Va: University of Virginia Press, 2012. Print. Rosenberg, Jennifer. Franklin D. Roosevelt. 20th Century History. 2/28/12. http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/fdr.htm Schlesinger, Arthur. The Coming of the New Deal: 1933-1935. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. Print. Silberstein, Sandra. War of Words: Language, Politics and 9/11. New York, NY: Psychology Press, 2002. Print. Walsh, Kenneth T. The First 100 Days: Franklin Roosevelt Pioneered the 100-Day Concept. US News. 02/12/2009.02/28/12. http://www.usnews.com/news/history/articles/2009/02/12/the-first-100-days-franklin-roosevelt-pioneered-the-100-day-concept?page=2 Read More