Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was president of The United States Of America from 1933 until 1945. He is the only president in this nation's history to serve three full terms in office (being elected four times). He is also one of the most beloved and controversial presidents in American History. Roosevelt came into office to replace a string of "conservative" Republican presidents, the latest of which was President Herbert Hoover. The three presidents preceding Roosevelt, including Hoover, led the country with a Laissez Faire mentality and believed that the government should not interfere with the nation's economy. Coming into office to replace Hoover, Roosevelt's ideas were very different. As a Democrat, he came into office in 1933, assuming the Presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, and aimed to greatly increase the role of government to help fight the economic depression. Roosevelt declared "war" on the economic depression. He believed that the government should intervene and increase its role to battle the depression just as it would to battle a foreign foe. This idea was much different from President Hoover's, who believed in rugged individualism, a system in which people were left to fend and provide for themselves in times of crisis. Roosevelt took on the economic depression with both hands, proposing The New Deal in the first one hundred days of his presidency, which introduced a countless number of laws and programs aimed to fight the economic crisis. Roosevelt was re-elected in 1936 by a large margin and again in 1940 for a third term, due to the start of WWII in 1941, as it seemed inappropriate to change presidents in a time of emergency and crisis. The war continued and as a result Roosevelt was elected for a fourth term in 1944. As the war drew to a close, Roosevelt's health deteriorated and on April 12, 1945, while still in office, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
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First 100 Days
In his inaugural address. Franklin D. Roosevelt declared "war" on the economic depression. Americans seeked action from the government, as it was apparent that the previous "conservative" presidents' Laissez Faire mentality was not working. That "leave business alone" approach to the economy was clearly not working having greatly contributed to the Great Depression. FDR was suggesting that the president along with congress should take a stronger role when the nation was in a time of crisis (military or economic). With this philosophy, Roosevelt worked with congress through the first hundred days of his presidency to pass laws and programs to fight the economic crisis.
FDR Quotes
From his Inaugural Address-
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
"There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped merely by talking about it. We must act and act quickly."
"Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our natural resources.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
"There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped merely by talking about it. We must act and act quickly."
"Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our natural resources.