In 1947, Congress passed the 22nd Amendment, which states that no president can be elected to more than two terms in office. Amendments are created and ratified because they are applicable to most of the general public; however, only one man had ever “broken” this new rule. Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as president during some of America’s roughest years: the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, and World War II are just a few big events on the list. The public re-elected Roosevelt to serve four terms as America’s 32nd president, however, his legacy began with his Inaugural Address he delivered to the public in 1933. Throughout the speech he proved his credibility and authority as president, found a common ground with his audience, addressed the nation’s issues, and discussed the decisions he would make to fix them. To begin his address, Roosevelt acknowledges former President Herbert Hoover and the Chief Justice. This …show more content…
Within a minute of his address, Roosevelt begins talking about all of America’s “common difficulties.” He says, “They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunk to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen. . .” (5). Roosevelt delivered this speech in 1933, when the Great Depression was at its peak. The public knew how awful conditions were nationwide; however, the president declaring they were bad is incredibly important. Instead of brushing off reality, Roosevelt sides with his audience, thus making him a more reliable and trustworthy figure in the eyes of the American people. By building that trust right away, the public has the ability to see Roosevelt as someone they can relate to, and strengthens the points he makes throughout the rest of his address. It is said that honesty is the best policy, and Roosevelt does a remarkable job of sharing the truth with his audience during his Inaugural
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 ...
Roosevelt’s inaugural address focused on the current situation of the nation and he intended to declare war on the Great Depression. He stated a need to move as a nation through his leadership and become a better nation. Roosevelt took a strong stand and proclaimed, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. He looks to the future asking the nation to fulfill their “true destiny” of ministering to themselves and their fellow men.
One reason on how Roosevelt's "First Inaugural Address" made a difference was the words he used to wage war. Roosevelt uses words like "retreat" and "advance" in his speech. "With this pledge taken, I assume unhesitatingly the leadership of this great army of our people dedicated to a disciplined attack upon our common problems," Roosevelt says. Which means that he is ready to dominate the Great Depression and help the people of America.
“A whole generation of Americans had grown up knowing no other president. He was a presence in their living rooms, he had called them my friends, and he had been at the helm of the two worst crisis of the century.” (“FDR”) The people loved his optimism and his sympathy with the less fortunate. (Perkins, 7) He was the people’s champion and they elected him to office four consecutive times. (Schlesinger, Time) President Roosevelt rescued America during the hardship that was the great depression. His decision to enter World War II played a substantial role in defeating fascism. Roosevelt believed in a multilateral effort in ending conflicts around the world. Franklin D. Roosevelt left an indelible mark of progress on American history.
In his speech, he begins it by saying that everything that is troubling the economy is material. Roosevelt wants to decrease the number of industrial workers and increase the number of agricultural farmers because the more that is produced, the more revenue coming into the economy. He then goes on to explain how he wants to employ a “strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments…”Roosevelt wanted to insure that the people’s money would be protected and given back to them in their entirety if another stock market crash would take place. Throughout the entire speech, Roosevelt kept saying how America should act quickly and to not give up. He reiterated that over and over again so that the people would know that Roosevelt is serious about fixing the economy. He was not giving America a false hope, he was talking about getting things done. He also said that if Congress would not work to fix this crisis in a timely manner, then he would have “broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency…” He compares the current crisis to war with foreign enemies, declaring the nation in a state of
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address in 1933[ Richard Polenberg, The Era of Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945: A Brief History with Documents (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2000), 39-44.] was a famous speech because it instilled new hope in the people. During the speech, President Roosevelt said, “our greatest primary task is to put people to work/ there must be a strict supervision of a banking and credits and investments, so that there will be an end to speculation with other people’s money; and there must be provision for an adequate but sound currency.” Imaginably，a number of people could not find jobs and people were worried about putting money in a bank. Roosevelt emphasized the seriousness of reducing unemployment, reinforcing reliable baking system, and distributing currency. These problems were important contexts that shaped the content of this speech.
Roosevelt was elected in 1932. His promise to America was to regain back the liberties of the people all while repairing this broken economy. His run as president came at a pivotal time because Americans were losing hope not only within themselves but within in the United States progress as well. This strategy is what FDR called The New Deal. Within this strategy were a number of programs that were designed to help Americans from the struggles of the great depression and to restore prosperity. The New Deal was a Band-Aid to the symptoms of the problem but not an actual solution, luckily it was enough to restore some sort of hope in the people. With his focus on economic recovery and economic security he was able to help some but not all. At the end of FDRs second New Deal, The Great Depression was still apparent; unemployment continued to be an issue, businesses had yet to reach their previous fortune and liberties for all were still
Roosevelt entered his first term with quite a mess to fix. The unemployment rate in 1932 was 23.3 percent and suicides had increased by nearly 10,000 than the previous years. America was in the depth of the Great Depression and in FDR’s own words. the nation needed a leader who doesn't “shrink from honesty facing conditions in our country today…leadership of frankness an vigor”. The economic situation had gotten so bad that a state of emergency was called to allow the President the room to properly address the problem. Unfortunately, Roosevelt and his Brain Trust had difficulty pin-pointing the exact cause of the depression. This miscalculation would lead to nearly a decade of political fumbles and the eventual prolonging of the depression.
The turn of the 20th century sparked change throughout the United States. Theodore Roosevelt’s life was among those drastically changed. Following the assassination of President William Mckinley, Roosevelt was forced to take his position under unsavory conditions, to say the least (“Theodore Roosevelt”). Roosevelt inherited an unfinished job and a country in an uproar over Mckinley’s death. Despite the odds, Roosevelt emerged from his two terms a successful and favored president. While presidents like Abraham Lincoln, a man known for his actions, Roosevelt established a legacy through his personality and likeness. Roosevelt found success through his popularity,
Unemployment rates were at an all time high. 23.6% of people in America were unemployed during the Great Depression. President Roosevelt was elected president in 1932. Roosevelt made the American citizens feel secure about themselves when he said “The only thing we have to fear is itself” (Roosevelt “First Inaugural”). He explained what his plans were for his presidency. “Our greatest primary task is to put people to work” (Roosevelt “First Inaugural”). Roosevelt believed in the American spirit. He knew that America was s...
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is one of the most significant figures in American History. Roosevelt served in office from March 1933 to April 1945, the longest tenure of any other President in United States history. Within these twelve years, Roosevelt was left to handle the burdensome consequences of the time, including The Great Depression and Germany and Japan’s rise to power, which were far beyond his control. Faced with such difficult situations, Roosevelt has combated these challenges in such a way that has left him as a remarkable figure in American history.
Immediately following Herbert Hoover in the presidency line, Mr. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) became America’s 32nd president. This democrat, inaugurated on March 4, 1933, won the 1932 election against Hoover by a landslide. The new president made a promise to his citizens, “I pledge you, I pledge myself, a new deal for the American people.” He reassured Americans that he would change their lives. He promised to get people back to work and back in their homes (“New Deal Timeline 1).
Theodore Roosevelt stepped into head of office on September 19, 1901 when President William McKinley was assassinated. He was the youngest man to become president. His motto was “speak softly but carry a big stick.” President Roosevelt would come into power offering America the square deal. He would take the power away from the industrialists as he controlled big business from the White House. He would soon become known as a TrustBuster. Roosevelt used American power for American interests and was quoted as saying, “I am an American first and last. “ Although some historians argue that Roosevelt acted like a six-year-old throughout his presidency and that he didn’t think things through, ie “he thought with his hips”, one can admire the tremendous leadership qualities that Teddy Roosevelt had. First, he was a very bold man who graduated magna cum laude from Harvard. The average citizen was aware of what a “positive, warm and tough, authoritative and funny” president that they had leading them. His leadership qualities stemmed from his time as a New York state Assembly man, a deputy sheriff, a ...
Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, was delivered March 4, 1865. During this time, he was in the process of attempting to mend both sides of the war. Instead of giving a victory speech to the North or a blame filled speech to the South, he instead spoke to both of them, in the attempt to have war reconciliation.
34,000 people gathered around the nation’s capital to hear Abraham Lincoln give his “Second Inaugural Address”. Lincoln expressed in his address that he made his speech short because there is no time for a long one, considering the circumstances of the Civil War that they were in. His speech was only 703 words long, making it one of the shortest addresses ever (Ronald). In the “Second Inaugural Address”, Abraham Lincoln believes freedom is the ability to live life out from under the dictation of others and make choices for themselves and to do this the war had to be won and ended by the North, thus ending slavery.