December 2003      

Franklin Roosevelt 

America's only 4-term President
Thirty-Second President
1933-1945

Being President during the depression required Roosevelt to rebuild the economy, but at the same time boost the spirits of his American people. He told them, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself"

Being influenced by a former President, his third cousin Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin entered into politics as a Democrat.

He won election to the New York Senate in 1910 and shortly after, President Wilson appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He was then the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1920

Roosevelt was elected President in 1932, and would remain President for four more terms. During his first term, America was going through the depression. Roosevelt had many tasks at hand, first and foremost to rebuild the economy and help the people of America is the desperate time.

There were 13,000,000 unemployed Americans, along with the fact that almost every bank in the United States was closed. Roosevelt had a plan to bring recovery to his business and agriculture, and give relief to the unemployed public and those that were losing their homes and farms. 

America was greatly recovered from the depression by 1935 due to Roosevelt's actions in while in Presidency. He gave his people the courage to get through their hardships.

During the 1932 election, one of Roosevelt's platforms was spending for relief and public works. He also purposed conservation, public power, old-age pensions and unemployment insurance, repeal of prohibition, and regulation of the stock exchange.

Roosevelt's New Deal gave relief to blacks and unemployed. This gave confidence to Americans that the government was performing its job.

              The Big Three"  -   Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin                                                                (decided how to deal with the effects of WW11 and Hitler)

The Franklin Roosevelt Memorial / National Historic Site

Franklin Roosevelt had six children, one of which died at birth. Roosevelt's wife or 40 years, Eleanor stood by his side through the tough times in their marriage. This included his affair with a secretary, and his health problems.

The American Experience http://http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/peopleevents/pande02.html

The White House - Franklin Roosevelt http://http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/fr32.html

Encyclopedia American - The American Presidency http://http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/ea/bios/32proos.html