Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s political success was in large part due to the aid provided to him by his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. Her contribution to the nature and effectiveness of her husband politics gave him a hand up in many aspects. As one of FDR’s greatest assets, she commanded enormous popularity and influence throughout his presidency. Eleanor would become the champion of the disposed and the “conscience of the New Deal.” Her main fronts included the impoverished and oppressed, which placed her in wonderful favor with the liberals, but nearly condemned her with the conservatives. Unlike any first lady before her, she physically involved herself in many of the political activities of her husband. Not only did she travel with him, and often as representative of him, but she also reached out through different mediums. Through speeches and a syndicated newspaper column, she powerfully influenced the policies of the national government.

            The defining political policies of FDR were the New Deal legislation engineered to help the country out of the depression. The New Deal aimed at achieving three goals: relief, recovery, and reform. Each aspect was crucial to the success of his political career and also that of the country itself. Armed with a very bravado perspective, FDR sought to wage war on the Great Depression, coining the phrase, “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” With a Congress just as panicky as the rest of the nation, it was not too bothersome to implement the organizations of the New Deal in a short time. With a careful combination of short-term goals (relief and immediate recovery) and long-term goals (permanent recovery and reform) provided promise to the withering nation. Granted any plan gave the nation promise, but FDR seemed to have a well-constructed plan of attack against an ill that appeared to be insurmountable.

            FDR began the implementation of his plans by closing the banks and initiating the Emergency Banking Relief Act. Now armed with the power to regulate banking transactions and foreign exchange, he could now provide the nation with solvent banks once again. Continuing the process, he created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which provided jobs to over 3 million young men. Future acts and initiations, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) and the Tennessee Valley Act (TVA) brought forth needed reforms. The list of acts and organizations created runs long, but some of the major ones include the National Recovery Administration (NRA), which boosted the industrial industry. Also, the Wagner Act made great strides for American labor. New unions, including the American Federation of Labor (AF of L) and the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) made unions a feasible option and provided great protection from the evil management that had persisted previously in the industry. Although the New Deal wasn’t the solution to the Great Depression, it did move America in the right direction. WWII finally gave the nation the upsurge it needed, but that is not to demean the overall intent and importance that the New Deal provided in the early stages of reinforcing into a viable power. 

Chapter 34 Part 1:

             Eleanor Roosevelt was the niece of Theodore Roosevelt and the very distant cousin of her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  She was a great influence throughout her husband’s political career.  By doing this, she was able to put her ideas on how to fix the government into action.  Some even say that she was the “conscience of the New Deal.”    

Eleanor Roosevelt greatly helped her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, throughout his political career.  One way she helped was by traveling with Roosevelt during his travels to other places.  Eleanor joined him throughout all of his campaigns.  The first campaign she did this was when Roosevelt was running for the New York legislature, which was before World War I.  Sometimes she would even take the place of her husband because of his sickness that caused him to become less mobile than he previously was.

Before Roosevelt was attacked by infantile paralysis, he was an athletic, tall, handsome man.  Along with his good looks, he was charming and smart and was able to impress people listening to him.  However by 1921 the disease had taken over and had caused him to be immobile.  After a great deal of work, he was able to become mobile one again.  All of the hard work that was put into helping himself heal also helped in other ways; “… he schooled himself in patience, tolerance, compassion, and strength of will.  He once remarked that after trying for two years to wiggle one big toe, all else seemed easy.”  (796)

Eleanor Roosevelt greatly helped Franklin Delano Roosevelt not only by joining him on his travels, but also by greatly influencing the rest of the government of the United States.  Her newspaper column allowed her to publicly voice her opinions on various political topics.  Eleanor also gave speeches to help support her husband and his political policies.  Through her lobbying of her husband she was able to continue to influence the government and its policies.

Eleanor Roosevelt always fought to help the poor and the oppressed.  During one meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, she deliberately stood directly between the black seating section and the white seating section.  This made many people angry since she was going against the segregation statutes. 

Eleanor Roosevelt was a very influential person when concerning the government of the United States.  She helped her husband throughout his campaign and presidency.  She sometimes took the place of her husband during his campaign when he was not able to attend.  Even though Eleanor Roosevelt was very helpful to her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, their relationship was somewhat unsteady at times.  This was because of her husband’s unfaithfulness from time to time.  Eleanor was not only influential during her husband’s presidency, but also in later years when she continued to help many people. 

Chapter 34 Part 2:

            After Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s inauguration Day on March 4, 1933, Roosevelt worked very hard in order to help solve the many crises presenting themselves during the Great Depression.  On this day “he denounced the ‘money changers’ who had brought on the calamity and declared that the government must wage war on the Great Depression as it would wage war on an armed foe.  His clarion note was, ‘let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself’” (798).  Roosevelt’s solution to these many problems was his New Deal programs, many of which were created during the Hundred Days, or between March 9 and June 16 1933. 

            The New Deal programs were supposed to bring three R’s.  These three R’s are relief recovery, and reform.  This act was supposed to bring permanent recovery and reform.  It was also supposed to bring immediate recovery and relief. 

            Many of the acts that were passed during the hundred days were based on beliefs of the progressive movement.  Some of these progressive ideas were “unemployment insurance, old-age insurance, minimum- wage regulations, conservation and development of natural resources, and restrictions on child labor.” (800). 

            Acts that were placed during the Hundred Days in order to promote the recovery part of the New Deal were the emergency banking relief act, beer act, national industry recovery act (created National Recovery Administration and Public Works Administration) and the Glass-Steagall Act.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt also closed banks, ordered gold “surrender”, abandoned gold standard, and repealed the gold-payment clause.

            To assist the relief part of the New Deal the Unemployment Relief Act (created the Civilian Conservation Corps,) the Federal Emergency Relief Act (created the Federal Emergency Relief Administration), the Agricultural Adjustment Act, the home Owner’s Refinancing Act (created the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation), and the Glass-Steagall Act were created.  Along with these the Beer Act, the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, the National Recovery Administration, and the Public Works Administration were created to further assist the relief.

            To help reform the government the Beer and Wine Revenue Act, the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, the Federal Securities Act, the National Recovery Administration, and the Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act (created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) were all put into action. 

            Roosevelt the most popular of the New Deal programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps, also known as the CCC.  This provided jobs for many young men, about three million, who were in desperate need of jobs.  These positions were useful to the United States; “their work was useful- including reforestation, fire fighting (forty-seven lost their lives), flood control, and swamp drainage.  The recruits were required to help their parents by sending home most of their pay.  Both human resources and natural resources were thus conserved…” (801).   

            The main goal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal programs was to attain relief, recovery, and reform for the United States.  To do this he passed many acts.  He also used many beliefs of the progressive era.  These ideas were abandoned with the coming of World War I.       

            Eleanor was the “champion of the dispossessed” and was the most active First Lady in history. She influenced national government through her speeches and newspaper column, and always fought for the impoverished and oppressed. She was rejected by conservatives and embraced by liberals. The controversy she created left an indelible mark on American society.
            The New Dealers started with: unemployment insurance, old-age insurance, minimum-wage regulations, conservation and development of natural resources, and restrictions on child labor. The projects involving the conservation and development of natural resources gave many young men jobs. The work was useful, including fire fighting and flood control, and most of the money got sent back home to help their parents.   Many other useful welfare programs still vital today were formed during this desperate time. Social Security and the Federal Housing Administration are two things our nation still uses today.

Part 1: Unlike any other first lady in American history, Eleanor Roosevelt was very involved in her husband’s office. She was a lobbyist for her husband, and often a representative for him, due to his debilitating disease. She was a driving force behind the New Deal and an activist in her own right against segregation and other injustices in the country. She was politically influential in her newspaper column and she always fought for the poor and oppressed.

Part 2: Roosevelt ran on a platform that included a “New Deal”. The deal focused on accomplishing the three R’s: relief, recovery, and reform. Congress, under the leadership of Roosevelt, created agencies that would specialize in accomplishing the three goals. Immediate plans were meant for relief, and would make a change in the drowning economy. Whereas, long range plans were intended for reform in society, as well as, the economy. The

            For immediate relief, Congress came up with such laws and organizations as the Emergency Banking Relief Act, the Federal Emergency Relief Act and Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Agricultural Adjustment Act, the Public Works Administration, and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration. These acts and organizations did not serve a long-term purpose, nor were they intended to. They were put into place, merely, to make a quick and satisfying change for the American economy. The Emergency Banking Relief Act gave the president the power to regulate banking transactions and foreign exchange. This along with the Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act ended the series of bank failures in the country. They cancelled the gold-payment clause in contracts, which created a “managed currency” and relieved some American debtors. The Civilian Conservation Corps the Federal Emergency Relief Act and FERA were established to solve the enormous unemployment crisis. The Agricultural Adjustment Act gave millions of dollars to farmers for mortgages that they would otherwise be unable to meet. The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation refinanced mortgages on homes. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration helped to relieve farmers, who had long had a problem with surplus production. The organization paid the farmers for to reduce crop acreage. While all of these things helped the country, they were still too little. For the most part they were all done away with after Roosevelt left office, if not before.

            Organizations for reform, however, were more effective. They aided the country in unemployment insurance, minimum-wage regulations, conservation and development of natural resources, and restrictions on child labor. All of these changes were called for before the First World War, but were delayed. The Emergency Congress created the National Recovery Administration, which was unique for combining relief, recovery, and reform. Under the administration industries worked out guidelines for “fair competition”. Labor hours were reduced in order to provide work for more people. The NRA also guaranteed laborers the right to choose their own labor representatives, as opposed to, the industries making that choice for them. And they placed limitations on child labor. New Dealers created a project involving the electric-power industry. They saw the industry as taking advantage of its customers. The most impoverished part of the nation was also near the Tennessee River. By getting involved in hydroelectricity, particularly in this part of the country, they provided immediate relief by putting people to work on the development and reforming the power monopoly. The area eventually became one of the most thriving in the country, because of this project. The Social Security Act was the most innovative of the New Deal. European countries adopted such laws long before the United States. This act was the most expansive law to reach Congress. The only problem with this act was that it was largely responsible deficit, because it cut into paychecks. However, the most important thing was that such reform had never been seen before. Recovery usually fell somewhere between reform and relief. It usually, was second step in long-term projects that led to reform after relief.

            The three R’s served their purposes. To make a change in the country. Roosevelt was often criticized for being too experimental for with most of these projects. In the end they did not help the country out of the Depression, but they did push the country in a new some direction, which for most was a welcome change to the dormant state it was in during Hoover’s administration. Roosevelt was able to gain the people’s trust and igniting hope in an otherwise, pessimistic and defeated Americans, with the New Deal’s three R’s