Реферат: FDR Essay Research Paper FDR
FDR Essay, Research Paper
FDR’s Influence as president Some have called him the best president yet.
Others have even claimed that he was the world’s most influential and successful
leader of the twentieth century. Those claims can be backed up by the
overwhelming support that he received from his citizens throughout his four
terms in office. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt began a new era in American
history by ending the Great Depression that the country had fallen into in 1929.
His social reforms gave people a new perspective on government. Government was
not only expected to protect the people from foreign invaders, but to protect
against poverty and joblessness. Roosevelt had shown his military and diplomatic
skill as the Commander in Chief during World War II. This wartime leadership and
international relations policy won him an award in the hearts of many Americans.
Roosevelt threw his hat in the ring in 1931 in order to prepare for the election
of 1932. Democratic Party chairman James A Farley directed his campaign. He
started a nationwide radio address, outlining a program to meet the economic
problems of the nation. He coined the term «forgotten man» to mean all
of those who had been hard hit by the evils of the depression. These radio
addresses were the start to what he called the «fireside chats».
Overall, Roosevelt was the most energetic and dynamic candidate, and he was
nominated by the party on the fourth ballot. Although he displayed excellent
characteristics, his competition was fairly tough. He was up against John Nance
Garner of Texas (who would be his Vice Presidential running mate); Newton D.
Baker of Ohio, who was former Secretary of War; and former Governor Alfred E.
Smith of New York. For three ballots, Roosevelt held a large lead, but lacked
the two- thirds margin necessary for victory. Farley then promised John Garner
the vice presidential nomination, which he accepted grudgingly. Then FDR took
the presidential nomination on the fourth ballot. One of the purposes of the
national convention is to bring the party together in a movement of support
behind the nominated candidate. Although there was rough competition during the
choosing process, most party leaders were happy with the Roosevelt choice. It
would help pull votes from the urban-Eastern region of the country. Also,
Roosevelt made a dashing introduction at the Chicago convention by being the
first nominee to ever write an acceptance speech. In this speech, he brought
emotions from the audience in his last line, «I pledge to you, I pledge to
myself, to a new deal for the American people.» During the November
campaign against Hoover, Roosevelt suggested a few parts of the so called
«New Deal». He spoke of relief and public works money. He wanted to
develop a plan to cut agricultural overproduction. He was for public power,
conservation and unemployment insurance. The repeal of prohibition and stock
exchange regulation were also big items on his platform. However, other than the
aforementioned items, Roosevelt was quite vague about other plans. He mentioned
little about his plans for industrial recovery or labor laws. As much foreign
policy experience as he had, he talked very little of it during the campaign.
Many believe that he was simply trying to home in on the problems that the
American public saw most prominent at the time. When it came to election day,
Roosevelt was the only viable alternative to Hoover, who many blamed for the
Great Depression, although critics argue that it was the presidents preceding
the Hoover Administration. The outcome reflected this thinking: Roosevelt won
22,821,857 votes compared to Hoover’s 15, 761,841. Roosevelt also won the
electoral 472 to 59. The voters had sent large majorities of Democrats to both
houses as well, which would enable Roosevelt to accomplish more by pushing
through more bills. Roosevelt’s second election was in 1936. The Democratic
National Convention re-nominated him by acclamation– no vote was even taken.
Vice President Garner was also nominated. The Republican opponents were Governor
Alfred M. Landon of Kansas and Frank Knox, a newspaper publisher. Republicans,
seeing Roosevelt’s overwhelming popularity, were reaching for a tomato to throw.
They claimed that he had not kept his promise to the people to balance the
budget. Roosevelt replied by pointing to the actions of fighting the depression
and returning the nation to prosperity to precedence over the budget. As
expected, Roosevelt won by a landslide. He received 27,751,491 popular votes and
carried 46 states with 523 electoral votes. His opponent only received
16,679,491 popular votes and 2 states with 8 electorals. This reflected the
nation’s confidence in the man and his leadership ability. However, the nation
still had a long way to go. He stated in his inauguration address, «I see
one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, and ill-nourished». After
another over-all successful term, Roosevelt ran again in 1940. The Democratic
Party broke precedent with his re-nomination. There were some party members that
felt it was unfair to elect him again, so his margins of popularity fell
slightly. This time, he was not the only one up for the nomination. There was
James Farley, who received 72 13/30 votes, previous Vice President John Nance
Garner, receiving 61 votes; Millard Tydings of Maryland, receiving 9 1/2 votes;
and Cordell Hull, former Secretary of State, who received only 5 2/3 votes.
Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace was chosen as a Vice Presidential
running mate. The Republicans nominated Wendell Wilkie of Indiana, a corporation
president, to oppose the Roosevelt/Wallace team. The two candidates had some
similar views. Wilkie supported Roosevelt’s foreign policy and favored many New
Deal programs already in effect. However, Wilkie opposed the controls that the
Democratic Administration had put on business. To obtain more Republican support
for this campaign, Roosevelt used his executive power of appointment to appoint
two republicans to his Cabinet in 1940. The first was Henry L. Stimson for
Secretary of War, who held the office under the Taft Administration. He also
held the office of Secretary of State under President Hoover. Stimson replaced
Harry Woodring who was regarded as isolationist. Roosevelt’s previous opponent
who ran for as Vice President on the republican side, newspaper publisher Frank
Knox, was placed as the Secretary of the Navy. The Republicans based their
campaign on the tradition that no President had ever gone for a third term in
succession. To counter this, Roosevelt put the spotlight on his administration’s
achievements. Because of the risky situation abroad, many felt that Roosevelt’s
expertise was needed if war occurred. The election results were closer this time
than the previous two times. Roosevelt received 27,243,466 popular votes and 449
electoral votes. Wilkie received 22,334,413 popular votes and 82 electoral
votes. When it was time for Roosevelt’s third term to end, he initially said he
wanted to retire. However, he later declared that he felt it was his duty to
serve if his country called on him. Much of this feeling was based on the idea
that it would be a bad thing for the country to change leadership in the middle
of the war. Many of the president’s advisors felt he would not live through a
fourth term, considering his heart disease, hypertension, and other cardiac
problems. Because of his condition, the Vice President nomination for the 1944
election was of utmost importance. Roosevelt was persuaded to drop Henry
Wallace, whom many regarded as too liberal and emotionally unsuited to be
president. Harry Truman of Missouri was chosen to fill the spot. Although
Roosevelt received party nomination on the first ballot, there were two other
candidates: Harry Byrd (89 votes) and James Farley–again– (1 vote). The
Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey of New York for President and John Bricker of
Ohio for Vice President. Again, their argument was term length. No President
should serve for 16 years, they declared. The opposing argument by the Democrats
was that no country should «change horses in mid-stream». Roosevelt
drove around the streets of New York City in a rainstorm and then made a speech
to show that his health was not a major issue. The election outcome was even
slimmer this time, but Roosevelt still captured a hearty vote. Roosevelt
received 25,602,505 votes and 432 electoral votes and his Republican opponent
received 22,013,372 popular votes and 99 electoral votes. Many of the advisers
who helped Roosevelt during his presidential campaigns continued to aid him
after he entered the White House. Below are the four cabinets: By the time
Roosevelt was inagurated on March 4, 1933, the economic situation was desperate.
Between 13 and 15 million Americans were unemployed. Of these, between 1 and 2
million people were wandering about the country looking for jobs. Thousands
lived in cardboard shacks called «hoovervilles». Even more were
standing in bread lines hoping to get a few crumbs for their family.
Panic-stricken people hoping to rescue their deposits had forced 38 states to
close their banks. The Depression hit all levels of the social scale– heads of
corporations and Wall Street bankers were left on the street begging–
«brother, can you spare a dime?» became the catch phrase of the era.
Roosevelt’s action would be two parted: restore confidence and rebuild the
economic and social structure. In one of his addresses, he pushed confidence
with his statement, «the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself».
It is here where he would push his presidential powers farther than almost any
other president in history during peacetime. He made the bold request to
Congress to allow him «broad executive power to wage a war against the
emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were invaded by
a foreign foe.» One of his first steps was to take action upon the bank
problem. Because of the Depression, there were «runs» to the bank that
people were making to pull their deposits out in return for paper cash and gold.
Many banks were not fit to handle this rush. Roosevelt declared a «bank
holiday» that began on March 6, 1933 and lasted for four days. All banks in
the nation were closed until the Department of Treasury could examine each one’s
fiscal situation. Those that were determined to be in sound financial condition
were allowed to reopen. Those that were questionable were looked at more deeply.
Those banks who had been badly operated were not allowed to reopen. During the
FDR administration, 5,504 banks had closed and deposits of nearly $3.5 billion
dollars were lost. Shortly after the President restored confidence in the banks,
what is now known as the «100 days» began on March 9 and ended on June
16, 1933. The President at once began to submit recovery and reform laws for
congressional approval. Congress passed nearly all the important bills that he
requested, most of them by large majorities. The fact that there was a
Democratic party majority in both houses helped speed things along. What emerged
from these 100 days was a 3-fold focus, RELIEF-RECOVERY-REFORM. One of the
relief actions was known as the Emergency Relief Act. This established the
Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and he pushed an appropriation of
$500 million to be spent immediately for quick relief. Harry Hopkins was
appointed to the head of FERA as the Federal Relief Administrator. The
Reforestation Act of 1933 killed two birds with one stone. First it helped stop
and repair some of the environmental damage that had occurred as a result of the
industrial revolution. More importantly, however, it created the Civilian
Conservation Corps, which eventually employed more than 2 1/2 million men at
various camps. Projects included reforestation, road construction, soil erosion
and flood control as well as national park development. The Agricultural
Adjustment Act (AAA) was designed to raise crop prices and raise the standard of
living for American farmers. Production was cut to increase demand, therefore
raising the price. Also, various subsides were set up to add to the farmers
income. It also gave the president the power to inflate the currency by
devaluating its gold content or the free coinage of silver and issue about $3
billion in paper currency. The AAA was later struck down as unconstitutional by
the US Supreme Court– US vs. Butler. The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA),
another recovery measure, was designed to balance the interests of business and
labor and consumers/workers and to reduce unemployment. This act set codes of
anti-trust laws and fair competition, as well as setting a new standard–
minimum wage. Section 7A of the law guaranteed collective bargaining rights to
workers. NIRA also established the Public Works Administration (PWA), which
supervised the building of roads and public buildings at a cost of $3.3 billion
to Uncle Sam. A new idea came about in those 100 days, it was known as the
federal corporation. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was the first agency
to work much like a private enterprise. The goal of the TVA was to reform one of
the poorest parts of the country, the Tennessee River Valley. The TVA was
responsible for the construction and management of power plants, dams,
electricity, flood control systems and the development of navigation systems.
The Federal Securities Act required the government to register and approve all
issues of stocks and bonds. This act also created the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), which regulates exchanges and transactions of securities.
Other reforms included the Home Owners Refinancing Act, which established
mortgage money for homeowners to refinance and the Banking Act of 1933, which
created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. It was empowered to guarantee
individual bank deposits up to $5000. After the initial 100 days, reform
continued throughout the first part of the Roosevelt Administration. In
November, 1933, the Civil Works Administration was created by executive order,
which provided temp jobs during the winter of 1933-34. The Gold Reserve Act
helped fix some of the problems of the economy at the roots. First all gold was
transferred from the Federal Reserve to the National Treasury. FDR was also
empowered to fix the values of the dollar by weighing its value in gold. He
later set the price of gold at $35 per ounce, which in turn stabilized markets.
The Silver Purchase Act followed, allowing the government to have not only gold
in the Treasury, but Silver as well– valued at 1/3 the price of gold. The
Communications Act of 1934 established one of the most active federal agencies
today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It general purpose was to
monitor radio, telegraph, and telephone communications. In Roosevelt’s Annual
Address to Congress on January 4, 1935, he outlined phase two of the New Deal,
whose main component would be the establishment of the modern welfare system.
The federal government would withdraw from the direct relief, leaving it up to
state and local governments. A program of social reforms would also be included
in the second half of the New Deal. This would include social security for the
aged, unemployed and ill, as well as slum clearance and better housing. One of
the first acts of the New Deal, Phase II was the Emergency Relief Act. By
Executive Order, Roosevelt created three new relief agencies in 1935. The first
would be the Work Progress Administration (WPA), which would spend $11 billion
on temporary construction jobs. Schools, theaters, museums, airfields, parks and
post offices were constructed as a result. This increased the national
purchasing power. Another part of the Emergency Relief Act was the Resettlement
Administration (RA). Its goals were to improve the condition of farm families
not already benefiting from AAA, prevent waste by unprofitable farming
operations or improper land use and projects such as flood control and
reforestation. This agency also resettled poor families in «subsistence
homestead communities». These were basic suburbs constructed for the city’s
poor workers. Many times, these communities were known as «greenbelt
towns» because of their proximity to open space. Two model suburbs were set
up– Greenbelt in Washington DC and Greenhills in Cincinnati. Another aid to the
farmer was the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). Its goals were to
provide electricity to isolated areas where private utility companies did not
see it profitable to run lines and set up service. The year of 1935 brought with
it numerous reform efforts. These were the final efforts of the New Deal before
the nation geared up for war. Included in this was the National Labor Relations
Act, whose most important function was to set up the National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB), which monitored corporations to ensure worker rights and safety.
The National Housing Act created the US Housing Authority (USHA) to administer
low-interest 60-year loans to small communities for slum clearance and
construction projects. This agency also gave subsidies to those landlords
willing to offer low-income housing. A Revenue Act of 1935 capped off the New
Deal with a tax on the rich, and a tax break on the middle classmen. One of the
most important and lasting effects of the Roosevelt Administration was his into
push for the Social Security Act of 1935. This was an innovative plan that was
supposed to lead to a nation-wide retirement system. It also established a
cooperative federal-state welfare system/unemployment system. A tax was levied
on the employee, which was met dollar for dollar by the employer. This tax went
into a special fund operated by the Social Security Administration. Later in
life, when a person reached retirement, they could draw the money out of this
account that they had placed in for the last few decades. The Supreme Court was
fairly conservative, and attempted to shoot holes in many of Roosevelt’s New
Deal Programs. It felt that Roosevelt had taken his legislative presidential
power to recommend legislation too far, and that Congress was equally
responsible for allowing him to usurp the powers for reasons of what Roosevelt
claimed was a «national emergency». In a statement made in May of
1935, one of the Supreme Court Justices announced that «Congress had
delegated virtually unfettered powers to the [Roosevelt] Administration.–
something truly inconsistent with the constitutional prerogatives and duties of
Congress.» The Supreme Court even went as far as to strike the entire AAA
program down, claiming that it violated state’s rights. FDR was infuriated at
the actions of the Court. He thought of them as nine old men who were living in
days gone by– far too conservative to see the economic and social needs of
today. He soon began to plan retribution, however in secrecy. Two days after
inviting the Justices to a formal social function at the White House, he called
upon his staff to write up the Judicial Reform Act of 1937. Essentially, this
document alleged that the Judicial Branch of the federal government was
overwhelmed. The Act described a desperate situation in which reform and
recovery issues were not flowing through government on a timely basis–simply
because the Supreme Court was backed up. His answer to solve the dilemma was to
use his executive power of appointment and place more Justices on the Court.
Another section of the Act suggested that at age 70 (most of the Justices were
above this age), each Justice would be supplemented with an additional Justice.
This meant up to 15 Supreme Court Justices serving at one time. Roosevelt hoped
to load the Court with social liberal Democrats who would not oppose his New
Deal Programs. This became known as his «Court Packing Scheme». The
President can appoint Justices, however, they must be approved by Congress.
After a long period of embarrassing debate, the Senate rejected Roosevelt’s
proposal. This, in turn, caused Roosevelt to reject the Senate. He set out on a
mission to purge the Democratic party of the moderate type thinker, replacing
him with the ultra-liberal. Roosevelt used his diplomatic and military powers in
the later part of his Administration nearly as much as he used his executive and
legislative powers in the first half. At the time Roosevelt took office, the
nation was suprisingly isolationistic. This started in the late nineteenth
century, and continued up to the Roosevelt Administration. When the Great
Depression hit in the 1930’s, America became even more concerned with its own
problems. However, seeing the importance of a global view and seeing the
possible impact of World War II, Roosevelt directed the country toward nations
abroad. Roosevelt described his foreign policy as that of a good neighbor. The
phrase came to be used to describe the US attitude toward the countries of Latin
America. Under the policy, the United States took a stronger lead in promoting
good will among these nations. The Platt Amendment of 1901 gave the US the right
to intervene in the affairs of Cuba. In May of 1934, the government repealed
this amendment. It also withdrew American occupation forces from some Caribbean
republics, and settled long- standing oil disputes with Mexico. Roosevelt was
the first to sign reciprocal trade agreements with the Latin American countries,
including Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and
Nicaragua. In 1935, the US signed treaties of non-aggression and conciliation
with six Latin American nations. This desire to spread ties across the Western
Hemispheres led to reciprocal trade agreements with Canada. Roosevelt also used
personal diplomacy by taking trips to various Latin American nations. In July,
1934, he became the first American president to visit South American in his trip
to Columbia. In 1936, he attended the Inter-American Conference for the
Maintenance of Peace, in Buenos Aires. Roosevelt used his diplomatic power of
recognition to resume trading between the Soviet Union and the US The
recognition was given to the Soviet government in November of 1933. This was the
first attempt at civil relations since the Russian Revolution in 1917. In 1933,
for the first time in 16 years, the two nations exchanged representatives. In
1937, Japan, at war with China, attacked a US river gunboat, the USS Panay, on
the Yangtze River, killing two US citizens. This event infuriated the American
public as well as the Roosevelt Administration. However, the US protested the
Japanese action rather than demanding action taken against them. Roosevelt used
his diplomatic power and refused to recognize the Japanese puppet state of
Manchukuo in Northern China until there was an official apology. Shortly after
Roosevelt’s statement, Japan made an official apology to the US and offend to
pay for the damages in full. Although Roosevelt set his sights upon a global
society, many Americans disagreed. This school of thought led to the Neutrality
Acts of the 1930’s. These acts, passed by Congress, prohibited the US from
furnishing weapons or supplies to any nation at war. President Roosevelt hoped
that any more of these laws that would be enacted in the future would allow more
flexibility. He disliked the fact that these Acts treated all nations the same,
whether a country had attacked another or not. World War II began on September
1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Still, many Americans did not agree that
the situation was as dangerous
30d