The Private Life Of Eleanor Roosevelt

I. Eleanor’s private life was very public. She felt best when she was “busy and useful”, and she was busy most of the time (Thompson 74). These qualities earned her the nicknames “Public Energy Number One” and “Everywhere Eleanor” (Ryskamp 1).
IA. Eleanor Roosevelt was born into a wealthy, caring family, on November 11th, 1884 (Ryskamp 1). Both of her parents were aristocrats. Her mother, Anna Hall, was a socialite from a wealthy family, and her father, Elliot Roosevelt, was from a family that was at the forefront of American politics (1). This enabled Eleanor and her two younger brothers, Elliot Jr. and Hall, to live privileged lives (Thompson 17). When Eleanor was old enough, she started her schooling with her Grandmother Hall (Ryskamp 1). Eleanor’s father (Thompson 30), mother (28), and brother, Elliot Jr. (17), all died when Eleanor was young, leaving her and her younger brother alone. They lived with their grandmother after these tragedies. When her grandmother could no longer educate her, Eleanor was sent to Allenswood School, in London (Ryskamp 1). Three short years after she began attending Allenswood, Eleanor returned home to New York City, NY for her “coming out”. (In those days, “coming out” celebrations meant that young women came out in society to show that they were available and prepared for marriage.)
IB. Once, on a train, an attractive and intelligent young man sat down next to Eleanor. His name was Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Thompson 47). They struck up a conversation and decided to keep in touch. Over the next few months, their relationships grew more and more intimate. Then, on November 22nd, 1903, Franklin proposed (51). They were married on March 17th, 1905 (54). After the marriage, Elean...

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...want something done, you should do it yourself, and do it right (Roosevelt 105). Another organization that helped Eleanor work towards equal right for women, is the International Congress of Women Workers (ICWW) (120). Eleanor felt so strongly about these topics, that she wrote a book about them. It was called It’s Up to the Women and became a very controversial matter, specifically one chapter, “Women and Jobs” (Lassieur 69). This chapter preached that women hold jobs for their own happiness and not just because someone told them too (69). Eleanor said in the book, “A woman, just like a man, may have a great gift for some particular thing. That does not mean that she must give up the joy of marrying and having a home and children.” (69). Eleanor helped to make it possible for women to become the eminent and auspicious lawyers and doctors that they are today.