Did Roosevelt’s upbringing, background and character make it
easy for him to understand take fears and concerns of the
ordinary Americans? Explain your answer.
Born to a wealthy family on 30th January 1882 at *yde Park, Springwood
kstate in the *udson Valley, New York; Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was to
become the 32nd President of the United States of America. kven though FDR
received a private education and lived an aristocratic lifestyle amongst the rich
and powerful, he is arguably the most understanding president to date. *e
showed a true concern for ordinary Americans when he came to power during
the height of the depression.
FDR was the only child of James Roosevelt and Sara Delano Roosevelt and his
upbringing was unlike that of a normal child. *is mother was extremely
overprotective, and until he was fourteen, FDR had never come into contact
with a child of his own age. Despite the loneliness this must have caused him,
outwardly, he had learnt to remain cheerful. When FDR was still a boy James
Roosevelt, his father, became extremely ill.
FDR was not allowed to go near him or spend time with him in the fear that his
father would be disturbed. James Roosevelt died when FDR was eighteen years
old. The lonely childhood that he endured could suggest a slight resentment
towards the people of his class. Maybe FDR did not feel mistreated when he
was still a small boy, but when looking back on his childhood in later life he
may have felt that he had been inadvertently treated with unkindness
The education that FDR received certainly would have had a huge impact on
his character and his opinions. *e had come from a very wealthy and
privileged background, so when he was fourteen he attended the private
boarding schools, Groton. Despite the excellent standard of teaching that he was
receiving, FDR remained unhappy at school, mostly because he did not fit in
with the other students due to his lack of talent in sports. FDR was so eager to
please his peers and to properly fit in, he carried the balls for the cricked
team, though is struggle for acceptance only isolated him further. This
apparent need to please people is also seen again, as when ever he writes to his
mother whilst at school FDR says that he is doing just fine. In 1899 when he
was seventeen, he attended *arvard University. *e enjoyed University life much
more that he had enjoyed life at Groton school and was editor of the
university newspaper. FDR was greatly disappointed and saddened when he
was ‘black balled’ when he tried to join the porcellian club. kvery Roosevelt that
had ever attended *arvard had become a member of the prestigious porcellian
club, which could offer a quick way into a career in politics. *is education, both
at Groton and then at *arvard had effected FDR in many ways. *e was upset,
lonely and in denial whilst at Groton and when he at last felt that he was starting
to fit in, he was turned down when he applied to be part of the porcellian club.
You could argue that the heavy tax burden that FDR later placed upon the
higher earning elements of American Society was an indication of his
resentment to the class that had earlier rejected him.
FDR’s entry into the political world was also a huge changing point in his life.
*e attended Columbia Law School and after passing his examinations, he
worked as a lawyer but did not enjoy his work as he desperately wanted to go
into politics and follow in the footsteps of his distant relative Theodore
Roosevelt who had been president. FDR had also married his distant relative
kleanor Roosevelt in 1905 who was Theodore Roosevelt’s favourite niece. In
1910, at the age of twenty eight, FDR was elected to the New York Senate. *e
was the first democrat in thirty two years to be elected in that district and
became well known in Washington and also for his support of Woodrow
Wilson. In 1913 FDR took over the position of assistant secretary to the Navy, a
job he had long been aiming for. FDR was excellent at his job but restless and
arrogant as an assistant, and did not bother to hide the fact that he believed
he would go far. *e was however, hard working and efficient and by 1920 he
had resigned and was campaigning to become Vice President. FDR gave
countless speeches all over the USA and found that he was a dynamic public
speaker who was able to communicate with the people. kven though FDR lost
the campaign, he managed to get a lot of publicity which could have been
helpful at a later date. FDR entering the political world may not have helped him
understand the needs of the public but it did prove his determination and desire
to please and succeed in everything that he did. The tenacity in FDRs character
would enable him to pursue his goals in helping ordinary Americans without
being hindered by the social expectations of the time. A less tenacious individual
may have been deflected by such an obstacle.
The factor which is possibly the most important in FDRs understanding of the
American people and of the needs and concerns of the American people was
when he caught polio. FDR was told that he would never be able to walk again
when he contracted the crippling disease, but refused to believe it. FDR would
never be able to fulfil his political ambition if he was permanently in a wheel
chair, and he was not going to give up on what he had worked tirelessly to
obtain. *e tried different exercises to try and help regain the use of his legs, but
to no avail. FDR was feeling desperate to walk again and sank into a state of
depression. *e spent a lot of time away from his family and with friends, in an
attempt to make himself feel better. After a long time of suffering, FDR went
to some mineral streams in hope of healing, though it did not miraculously
restore his former fitness, FDR fell in love with the springs and wanted to build a
hotel to help cure infantile paralysis. This shows FDR had a true care for ordinary
people, and how much he truly wished to help them. Through the warm springs
project he met many ordinary people, many of them black, who talked to him
about the poverty and despair that had gripped the American people. This
educated him on the issues that people faced. *is wife kleanor once said that
through polio ‘he learnt what suffering was.’ This is why without polio; he may
never have become president. FDRs own suffering was an advantage over his
political opponents as he understood what it was to suffer and to be
disadvantaged.
FDR never properly regained the use of his legs. Although, did manage to
develop a method that looked a lot like walking, which he needed to make a
speech nominating Al Smith as a democrat candidate. If he fell, his political
career would be over, however he did not fall, and the speech was a huge
success and viewed a sort of come back after his many years of recovery. *e was
elected Governor of New York State in 1928 and just a year after he was elected,
the Wall Street crash happened. The whole country fell into economic depression
as so much of peoples social wellbeing depended on the stock market. The
Republican government, who were in power, were not pro-active in their
approach to the crisis, believing that the economy would straighten itself out.
kventually, the government would set up schemes to help those who had
nothing at all, by providing clothes, food and shelter. FDR responded to the crisis
very differently and showed that he understood the fears and concerns of the
people. So it was not very surprising, after the success he had had in New York
State, that he stood for, and won the presidency in 1932.
In conclusion, through FDRs upbringing, background and character, he could
understand the fears and concerns of the American public. The biggest
contributor however, was when he caught polio. Without polio he would
never have been able to understand and empathise with ordinary people and
the disadvantaged. This empathy that he felt, was unusual for somebody of his
class and background and without this he would not have gone down in
history as one of the greatest presidents ever, or may never have made it to
the presidency at all.