Eleanor Roosevelt Essay

Eleanor Roosevelt was very influential in the policies of the New Deal, and also spoke very openly in support of civil rights and women’s rights. She worked to expand the amount of women in the Roosevelt administration and said that women should still be able to have jobs even if their husbands were employed. She supported the Southern Tenant Farmer’s Union and promoted the inclusion of blacks in the government. Eleanor visited migrant camps, coal mines, and the homes of sharecroppers. She also founded many programs to help people who were affected by the Great Depression.

Theodore Roosevelt is said to have been one of the greatest presidents ever. Theodore Roosevelt expanded the role of the presidency into foreign affairs by using The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, this stated that the U.S. had the right to oppose European intervention in the western hemisphere and also to intervene itself in the domestic affairs of its neighbors. This was brought about when the government of Venezuela stopped paying their debts to European bankers. As a result European naval forces formed a blockade around the Venezuelan coast and began to bombard their ports. Roosevelt saw this action as a potential threat to the U.S. and threatened to use American naval power to pressure the European navy to withdraw “…the

Instead of being dormant like a typical First Lady in her time, Roosevelt was determined to support human rights. As she held press conferences, Roosevelt was judged harshly by some people. Although this happened, she did not waver in her job to make change to the world.

Eleanor Roosevelt was once a shy, timid girl with her focus on her family but over time became a strong leader, who would have rather spoiled them As a child, Eleanor was timid, shy and serious, but after her husband, Franklin, was paralyzed from the waist down she became a strong, determined women. “Meanwhile Eleanor had changed.” (pg. 794) At first, she had only got involved in the community because she felt it was her duty to keep Franklin in the public eye. However, as the years rolled on and her duty was complete, she still continued to make her mark in the world. This new, strong Eleanor did great things like working with poor children, helping with war efforts, and much more.Eleanor’s focus was on raising her children in a way that

Eleanor Roosevelt was a born leader. For more than 30 years, she was the most powerful woman in America. Niece of one president and wife of another, when her husband became president she saw that as a opportunity to have her voice heard, and to pave a way for women in politics forever. Although Eleanor Roosevelt was considered a very outspoken and involved first lady she wasn't always this way, She grew up very sheltered and shy.

One of her uncles was Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president. Then in her later years, she married her distant cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, who later became president, and together they had six kids. (Early Life) Eleanor Roosevelt was probably one of the greatest social workers of the 20th century as she opened up a new frontier to all the first ladies of the White House and by participating in the women’s suffrage movement. (Eleanor Roosevelt Biography)

She also liked to attend meetings at the Capitol building and listen to speakers (Morey, 30). In the winter and spring of 1917-1918, Franklin came down with pneumonia and Eleanor discovered that Franklin was having an affair with their good friend, Lucy Mercer. During this time they saw each other very little, but did not get a divorce (Cook, 222-224, vol. 1). In fact, Franklin’s mother threatened that if he got a divorce, she would “cut him out without a cent” and he needed her money for his campaign, so they did not get a divorce (Morey, 33). After Franklin got over his pneumonia, Eleanor still stayed dedicated to him even after his affair and they tried to work on their relationship. They even began to travel together again. Eleanor still went through some periods of depression but through this she developed independence and leadership (Morey, 35-36).

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962), one of the most admired women in American history, acted as first lady from 1933 until 1945, longer than any other presidential spouse, and put that position on the nation’s political map. Yet, ironically, Eleanor did not want the job because she thought it would hamper her own self-development as an independent person. Through her own path-breaking efforts she transformed her role from official hostess to important spokesperson for her husband’s administration. In the process she became a role model for millions of Americans who applauded her activism on behalf of social causes.

In Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life by J. William T. Youngs describes the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. Anna and Elliott Roosevelt was married and gave birth to a beautiful daughter who is Eleanor Roosevelt. This biography shows the reader a description of Eleanor’s early childhood, young adult, marriage, and how she was faced with many challenges, grief, and changes throughout her years. Eleanor is one of the great First Ladies in the United States.

     “Roosevelt was among the best-liked Presidents and, in many respects, the most interesting” (World Book 149). Theodore Roosevelt did many things, some in which impacted America.

     Although she won much respect as the first lady Eleanor Roosevelt gained a lot of her international esteem as a civil rights activist long before that. Eleanor’s interest in politics did not begin when her husband began his career in politics. Once he was named to the Democratic ticket, as Vice President Eleanor became interested in politics. While Franklin was becoming governor of New York she was campaigning for him unknowing that she was advancing her political career as well. Once Eleanor became first lady it was already done she had made a name for herself politically.

When President Roosevelt took office in 1933, he quickly created program after program to give relief, create jobs, and stimulate economic recovery for the U.S. These programs were called "alphabet soup" as well as the "New Deal." These “alphabet agencies” would help to bring the U.S. out of the Great Depression, and provide a new hope for a economically-stricken nation.

A wise woman once wrote, “With the new day come new strengths and new thoughts.” These are some of the wise words from Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor lived a rough live, but she believed that things could become better at any moment. She was a kind, helpful, good woman that had a good life through it all. Eleanor Roosevelt was a hero to American History. Inspiring people to follow their dreams, work to be the best of their ability, and also to start a new day with no regrets or worries. She helped many people around her within her lifetime and definitively set a good example for others.

Although Eleanor Roosevelt served as first lady from 1932 to 1945, her influence lasted much longer than expected. Eleanor became her husband’s ears and eyes during her husband’s presidency and aided human rights during her entire life. She did what no other First Lady, or woman had dared to do before; she challenged society’s wrong doings. Many respected her; President Truman had called her “the First Lady of the World (Freedman, 168).” Eleanor Roosevelt was an amazing first lady who helped her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, run the country.

This book is about a woman who forever changed the course of women's role in American history. Eleanor Roosevelt was an extremely important figure in the history of the United States, especially during the twentieth century. The way the author uses the book to help the reader to feel included in Eleanor's life, makes the reader feel as if he knows Mrs. Roosevelt.