The President That Left the Boldest Mark on American History
Several great men who helped to shape national and world history with their leadership skills have occupied the presidency of the United States. Since Andrew Johnson, 26 men have ruled the country. Out of these, the man whose presidency left the boldest mark on American history is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He assumed office in March 1933 during the Great Depression, the nation’s worst economic crisis (Faragher, Buhle, Czitrom, & Armitage, 2009). He was also president during the Second World War, in which the U.S. played a leading role in delivering victory to the allied powers (Black, 2003). It was his wise and bold decisions that helped to steer the country through these trying times.
FDR was born in 1882 at Hyde Park, New York and attended Harvard University and Columbia Law School (Black, 2003). At the age of 39, he was struck with polio, and he put in a lot of personal effort to overcome this affliction (Gunderson, 2003). President Wilson appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1913. In this position, he helped to build a large and efficient navy that proved very useful in the First World War. In 1920, he ran for the position of vice-president with James M. Cox, but lost by a big margin. He was elected Governor of New York in 1928 and again in 1930 (Black, 2003).
Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as president for four terms, and is the only U.S. president to be elected for more than two terms (Gunderson, 2009). When he took office at the start of his first term, there were 13 million unemployed Americans and the banking sector had collapsed almost entirely. He introduced sweeping measures to spur recovery in business and agriculture. He managed to bring relief to the unemployed masses and citizens on the brink of losing their homes and farms. He introduced sweeping reforms, mainly the Tennessee Valley Authority, which facilitated eventual economic recovery (Black, 2003).
By 1935, the economy had recovered significantly, but FDR’s New Deal Program met stiff resistance from businesses and bankers. FRD responded by introducing a new program of reform that provided social security and heavier taxes on the wealthy (Black, 2003). It also brought a major work relief program for the unemployed and tight controls over banks and public utilities. These measures increased his popularity, and he got re-elected in 1936 by a very big margin (Gunderson, 2009). Buoyed by his big win, he tried to expand the Supreme Court but failed. However, he managed to introduce constitutional reforms that allowed the government to regulate the economy.
During the Second World War, FDR tried to keep America neutral as much as possible. However, he provided weapons, supplies and financial assistance to the allied forces. With the approval of Congress he provided Lend-Lease aid to countries that fought alongside Britain against Nazi Germany ((Faragher, Buhle, Czitrom, & Armitage, 2009). When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Roosevelt led the nation into war (Black, 2003). He was an active military leader, and his war strategy eventually brought victory to the allies. The atomic bomb was manufactured while he was a president.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt remained a dominant figure in the American political scene throughout his twelve years as president and even after that. His New Deal Coalition brought together labor unions, white southerners, African Americans and big city residents. On the international front, he played a major role in the formation of the United Nations to oversee world affairs and maintain peace ((Faragher, Buhle, Czitrom, & Armitage, 2009).
References
Black, C. (2003). Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of freedom. New York: Public
Affairs.
Faragher, J. M., Buhle, M. J., Czitrom, D., & Armitage, S. H. (2009). Out of many: A history of the American people, Volume II (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Gunderson, M. M. (2009). Franklin D. Roosevelt. Edina, Minn: ABDO Pub. Co.
