Franklin Roosevelt :: essays research papers

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, New York on January 30th, 1882, the son of James Roosevelt and Sara Delano Roosevelt. His parents and private tutors provided all of Franklinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s formative education. Roosevelt attended Groton, a prestigious preparatory school in Massachusetts between the years 1896-1900; he received a BA degree in history from Harvard University in only three years (1900-1903). Franklin next studied law at New Yorkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Columbia University. When he passed the bar examination in 1907 he left the school without taking a degree. It wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t until 1910 that he entered politics and was elected to the New York State Senate as a Democrat. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“He became the leader of a group of insurgent Democrats who prevented the Tammany candidate, William F. Sheehan, from being chosen for the U.S. Senate.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Goldberg) Roosevelt allied himself with Woodrow Wilson in election of 1912. Because of his efforts Woodrow Wilson appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he held that position from 1913 to 1920. In 1920 he ran as a vice presidential nominee with James M. Cox who lost overwhelmingly to Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. The summer after while vacationing at Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Roosevelt contracted à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?(Watts) He never regained the use of his legs. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“He established a foundation at Warm Springs, Georgia to help other polio victims, and inspired, as well as directed, the March of Dimes program that eventually funded an effective vaccine.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Goldberg) In July 1932, Roosevelt was chosen by the Democratic Party as its presidential candidate to run against the Republican incumbent, Herbert C. Hoover. In November, Roosevelt was overwhelmingly elected President. He entered the White House at the worst of times, the economic structure of the country severely damaged. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Fear and despair hung over the nation.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Rooseveltà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s inaugural speech had words of hope for the troubled country---à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itselfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?---à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“This Nation asks for action, and action now. We must act and act quickly.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? And act quickly he did in what became known as the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hundred Days.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? He and his administration rushed a series of anti-depression measures through congress; all of these changes to the American economy became called the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“New Deal.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Some of the m ajor changes included Government agencies, most notably the Agricultural Administration and the Public Works Administration were setup to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“reorganize industry and agriculture under controls and to revive the economy by a vast expenditure of public funds.