Comparing Edith Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt's Roles in Their Husbands' Presidencies
The United States has seen many First Ladies throughout its history,
each unique in their own way. From the early "Hostesses" to the later
holder of political status, the role of First Lady has varied
throughout history. Edith Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt were just two
of these great women who, during their life times, accomplished many
great things, especially while "In office".
Edith Bolling Galt Wilson was the second wife of President Woodrow
Wilson. Edith Wilson was not only a devoted wife but, but also a
political figure. She was born into a poor southern family, and went
to school for two years. After marrying Woodrow Wilson, who was
already president at the time, she immediately began influencing
presidential affairs. Once " In Office" she volunteered for the Red
Cross and supported the wartime effort. Socially she held a high
status, christening newly built ships, and hosting foreign guests.
When her husband was unable to perform his presidential duties due to
illness, Edith stepped up to the plate. 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. Eleanor
was a traveling woman, and she did just that, quite a bit while "In
Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most influential people in the early 20th century. His leadership style, his reforms, and his personality shaped an America that was rapidly becoming a world power. Theodore Roosevelt is admirably remembered for his energetic persona, his range of interests and achievements, his leadership of the Progressive Movement, his model of masculinity and his “cowboy” image (). He was a leader of the Republican Party and founder of the short-lived Progressive Party of 1912 (). Before becoming President, he held offices at the municipal, state, and federal level of government (). Roosevelt’s achievements as a naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier are as much a part of his fame as any office he held as a politician. His legacy lives on as one of greatest leaders in American history.
Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of Anna Hall and Elliot Roosevelt. She was born on October 11, 1885. They described her as “miracle from heaven” (pg.26) Her dad had some issues and went to live in Virginia to figure out his life. While she was still a child, Eleanor Roosevelt's mother died. She lived through such many hardships as a child, many of these tribulations eventually became some of the things that carved her into such an independent woman.
The U.S. president is a person deemed to be the most fitting person to lead this country through thick and thin. It’s been such a successful method that it has led to 43 individual men being put in charge of running this country. However, this doesn’t mean that each one has been good or hasn’t had an issue they couldn’t resolve when in office. But no matter what, each one has left a very unique imprint on the history and evolution of this nation. However when two are compared against one another, some rather surprising similarities may be found. Even better, is what happens when two presidents are compared and they are from the same political party but separated by a large numbers of years between them. In doing this, not only do we see the difference between the two but the interesting evolution of political idea in one party.
During the 20th century many different presidents went in and out of the doors of the White House serving the country the best they could. However, two of these men hold a place in American history as perhaps the greatest leaders that had ever served our country. Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson are two extraordinary men that symbolize the hope and aspirations of the American people during such a tumultuous time in United States history. Both of these men held leadership qualities like no other, had strong views for America, and held exceptional ideas on foreign policy.
In the first two decades of the twentieth century the national political scene reflected a growing American belief in the ideas of the Progressive movement. This movement was concerned with fundamental social and economic reforms and gained in popularity under two presidents. Yet Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson espoused two different approaches to progressive reform. And each one was able to prevail upon congress to pass legislation in keeping with his own version of the progressive dream. These two people, although they had different principles in mind, had one goal: to make changes to the nation for the better of the people and the country. Setting out to reach this goal, Roosevelt came to be a president of the common man while Wilson became the “better” progressive president.
The third edition of ”Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life”, written by J. William T. Youngs, was published in 2005 by Pearson Longman Inc. and is also part of the Library of American Biography Series, edited by Mark C. Carnes. The biography itself and all of its contents are 292 pages. These pages include a table of contents, an editor’s and author’s preface, acknowledgments, illustrations, study and discussion questions, a note on the source, and an index. The biography of Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962), wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 – 1945), pays great respects to whom Youngs believes to be the most influential woman during the 20th century. By writing one third of the book on E. Roosevelt’s early life, Youngs is able to support his thesis which states that E. Roosevelt’s suffering, and the achievements of her early years made it possible for her to be known as the greatest American woman of the twentieth century. While Youngs was able to support this theory throughout the book, he failed to tie his original thoughts up towards his conclusion, making his original thesis hard to follow.
Compare and contrast the foreign policies of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Which do you think was a more effective president? Why?
After nearly a decade of optimism and prosperity, the United States took a turn for the worse on October 29, 1929 the day the stock market crashed, better known as Black Tuesday and the official beginning of the Great Depression. The downfall of the economy during the presidency of Herbert Hoover led to much comparison when his successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, took office. Although both presidents had their share of negative feedback, it is evident that Hoover’s inaction towards the crises and Roosevelt’s later eccentric methods to simulate the economy would place FDR in the positive limelight of fixing the nation in one of its worst times.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a First Lady during the time of the Great Depression. She made huge differences in the lives of women, youth and minorities.
The Great Depression wreaked havoc on the economy, and in light of this President Hoover and President Franklin D Roosevelt Both initiated programs and policies to counter act the effects, however both had very different approaches with varying degree of efficacy. Through their actions, the American people would generally perceive both men quite differently, and cultivated fear in direct respect to both men's approach--both men would earn their critics as the long term effects played out. Hoover and FDR had fairly opposite approaches to solving this horrid depression.
In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Once you put your mind towards a goal, it is pretty impossible to fail at achieving it. As a leader you must set goals for yourself, and in return these goals will benefit you in the long run. Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the greatest leaders of her time. She is not just known for being the first lady, but also her achievements and hard work for social justice. Her leadership can be viewed and learned for many years to come.
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.
In 1939 First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt received a letter from female pilot Jacqueline Cochran with the proposal of using the women pilots help in the armed forces. In May 1940, other female pilot, Nancy Harkness Love addressed to the Ferrying Division of the Armed Air Forces with an analogous concept, but the American Army was not accepting the idea of seeing women in the cockpit of its aircrafts. Nonetheless, everything is changed in September 1942.
The Progressive Era of the United States, stretching approximately from 1900 to 1920, featured two presidents in particular that were dedicated to using reformative means in order to help build America as a world power. Theodore Roosevelt, a rogue adventurer, and Woodrow Wilson, a more careful scholar, differed in foreign and domestic policy alike. Their contradicting personalities were reflected by the way they handled their presidencies. However, they had key similarities in their shared goal of balancing power and the effect they had on America’s growth.
During my time as a undergraduate at Sweet Briar College I took many classes to gain a deeper understanding of what I would be teaching my elementary students. Throughout my student teaching experience I felt well prepared to give my students more knowledge of what they were learning than the SOLs stated. I discovered that this helped a lot when trying to hook the student to a new concept. For example, when introducing my students to Eleanor Roosevelt I started by talking about her childhood. I had learned about the importance of Eleanor Roosevelt’s childhood in a class on special education as a ways to illustrate how people with disorders can grow up to be amazing people in society. Although the students in my first grade class did not need