Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Recommended: Roosevelt's corollary influence on US foreign policy

In the 1930’s the United States need a president that would be able to lead the country through the tough times of the Great Depression and World War II. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the man who was capable to lead the country through these challenging times.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the adored only child of James and Sara Delano Roosevelt born on January 30, 1882 at Hyde Park, New York. Both sides of the family, the Delano and the Roosevelt had business associates of shipping interests in coal and railroads. They both had long English-Dutch patrician pedigrees (Franklin D. Roosevelt 1).

The estate where Franklin grew up had everything that a boy could want. “There were devoted servants; fields and woods to play in and horse, dogs, and all the usual farm animals (Tugwell 1-2).” As a boy Franklin had rooms where he could keep all of his toys and his collections of stamps, stuffed birds and minerals (1-2). He would be outside in all seasons and absolute loved it but most of all he loved to be on the water sailing (Susskind Early Years).

Even though he would rather be outside he had to go to school. Well he did go to a formal school until he was fourteen instead he had tutors and governesses. These teachers made such an impact on him that he never forgot them (4). When Franklin finally entered Groton he was behind as the other students had already attended for two years. After graduation from Gorton he went to Harvard University. Roosevelt studied history and economics as a graduate student (Nelson 372). After Harvard Roosevelt went to Columbia University to study law, he passed the bar but never graduated from Columbia (372).

While Franklin was at Harvard he courted Eleanor Roosevelt. They had met years earlier at a fami...

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...ecalls about the Fireside Chats (110). Press conferences and fireside chats were a very public thing. Press conferences were operated at a personal and a public level. Reporters went everywhere whit Franklin. They went to Warm Springs and to Hyde Park with Franklin.

While the United States was recovering from the depression Europe was on the brink of war. “Roosevelt urged Congress to revise the Neutrality Act of 1937. His aim was to discourage the saber-rattling dictators by serving notice on them in the event of war the munitions factors of America would be available for the democracies- French and Britain. But a determined isolationist block in Congress, strongly supported by pro-neutrality sentiment throughout the country, stymied all efforts at revision (Kimbal 21).” As Americans heard what was going on in Europe the more they wanted to stay out of the war.

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