Franklin D. Roosevelt's Presidency
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." -FDR
FDR was a democrat who won the New York election as Senate in 1910.
He was the first Democratic victory since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
He regained faith in the American people and helped them through the Great Depression.
He became the 32nd President that served for 12 years from 1933-1945. He was the first and the last president that served more than 2 terms.
Roosevelt easily defeated Alfred Landon in 1936, Wendel Willkie in 1940, and Thomas Dewey in 1944 in the presidential elections. He had a different vice president each term. They included the following: John Garner, Henry Wallace, and Harry Truman, who took over after his death.
FDR was known for the three "R's": Relief, Reform, and Recovery.
By March 1933, there were 13 million unemployed people.
After being elected, Roosevelt closed down banks. He then worked with Congress during the first 100 days to pass legislation to emply men.
By 1935, they began some recoveries from the Depression, but business men and banker opposed the New Deal program of shutting down the bank and getting jobs back. Roosevelt responded with the new program of Social Security which had heavier taxes on wealthy, new controls over banks and public utilities, and a work relief program for the unemployed.
FDR sought through neutrality legislation to keep the U.S. out of war in Europe, and to strengthen nations threatened or attacked at the same time. The Japenese attacked in 1941 and he directed organizations of the nation's manpower and resources for global war. With in those 4 days, Germany and Italy both declared war on America.
He did much planning of the United Nations because he knew it depended on peace between Russia and the United States.
Franklin Roosevelt also helped the Jews around the world that were in need of aid when Hitler broke out.
In 1921, Roosevelt was diagnosed with poliomyelitis. He fought to regain strength in his legs and didn't want Americans thinking he was weak. He did a great job at this. FDR also had heart and circulatory system problems. He fought and fought. People say he was such a good president because he was struggling himself so he helped other people that were too. But as years went on, stress from the Depression and the wars were weighing him down. At age 63, during his third presidential term, Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed away.