Franklin D. Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States. He led the country during and ultimately out of both the Great Depression and World War II. He led all of the Allied Powers through the war to victory against Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers. Roosevelt established the Social Security and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation through his famous New Deal program.
Childhood and early days of FDR
Franklin was born in New York to a very wealthy and powerful family in January 1882. When he was a child, schools were not the social norm. Roosevelt was schooled at home by private tutors, while he traveled and saw the world with his family. In 1904, Franklin graduated Harvard and started attending Columbia Law School because he wanted to practice law. He got married to Anna Eleanor Roosevelt around the same time he graduated college and started his law career.
Roosevelt’s career
In 1910, Franklin Roosevelt started to show an interest in politics. He was elected to the New York State Senate, and then the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. His career in politics was on the rise when it suddenly came to a halt due to illness. Roosevelt became ill with polio in 1921, after more than 10 years of successful service.
His illness did not last long, but it left an effect on his health that lasted for the rest of his life. He could only walk a few steps by himself before needing assistance.
With the support of his faithful wife Eleanor, Franklin Roosevelt did not give up on either his law or political careers. After his recovery, he was elected to serve as the Governor of New York in 1929. He worked in this position for two terms and then decided to run for the United States presidency in 1932.
Luckily, he won the elections and became the 32nd President during the tough times of the Great Depression. Roosevelt did not disappoint the people who chose him to go through this economic crisis as he had the right solutions to the problem.
FDR: The 32nd U.S. President
The first thing FDR did once he became president was sign multiple laws that would secure people’s lives after retirement and secure bank deposits. Those two actions were the creation of Social Security and the FDIC programs. He also strengthened American agriculture with improved working conditions and provided aid to farmers. Last but certainly not least, he created the Securities and Exchange Commission to protect the stock and financial markets from any collapses in the future.
All of this was achieved in his first 100 days in office. This group of programs and laws were called the New Deal. It was such a monumental achievement that it became famously known as the “First 100 days.”
World War II
One year into Roosevelt’s third term, the Japanese attacked the U.S. Navy in Pearl Harbor. Despite his promise to keep America out of the war, the President had to respond to this attack by declaring war on Japan and entering World War II. Roosevelt worked closely with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin to end the war. He even was a part of the planning for a future peace keeping plan that led to the creation of the United Nations.
Towards the end of World War II, Roosevelt’s health started to fail him. The years of hard work and the effects from his illness seemed to be getting to him more and more. While posing for a portrait, he had a stroke and uttered his last words by saying that he “had a terrible headache.” Franklin D. Roosevelt died that day in April of 1945, after he worked his entire life to save the United States from both the war and the Great Depression and ultimately secure its future.
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