FDR: He Was Truly One of America's Greatest Presidents
Franklin D. Roosevelt was truly one of America's greatest presidents. Regardless of nay hindsight or revisionist historical perspectiveassaulting his choices he was an integral part of America's recovery fromtwo of the most devastating events of modern times, the Great Depressionand WWII. "FDR may be credited with holding the nation together during thecatastrophe of the Great Depression, patching together a welfare stateAmerican-style, and bringing a reluctant citizenry to support the embattlednations of Europe." [1] FDR was elected into challenging times and heprematurely left office, due to an untimely death during challenging times. The New Deal legislation that helped end the Great Depression was a hugechallenge overcome. Yet, arguably the most difficult times FDR faced wereassociated with WWII and especially the attack on Pearl Harbor. Public outcries were rampant as the news of Pearl Harbor hit themedia and began to spread through graphic photographs of U.S. ships burningand other visual atrocities. The death toll was a striking blow to theAmerican public, who had so adamantly attempted to remain isolationists
" [3] FDR knew going in to the debates that he was waging war oncongress in order to go to the long asked for and sorely needed aide ofBritain and France, and in the wake of the Japanese attack it would proveeven more difficult. Yet, America had never been attacked in such away, on its own soil. As political theorist and historian Fleming points out FDR had threepossible fights on his hands even before the real fighting began. FDR had many obstacles to overcome in hisbid to enter WWII, after such a long and dogged attempt to stay out of it. The Truman administration marked the end of the New Deal and thoughhe did do his utmost to continue to pursue FDR's policies he acted in hisown right as well, impacting the nation for many years to come. The challenge for FDR became confronting an outcryto respond to Japan's attack by declaring war on Japan or as Rooseveltbelieved would be wiser, wage war against Germany and deal with herJapanese ally at a later time. " [4] It did prove difficult, yet FDR sawthe broader need for intervention in WWII as an ally to Britain and Franceand he managed to convince congress of the need to act. Thomas Fleming, The New Dealers' War: FDR and the War within WorldWar II (New York: Basic Books, 2001), 25. Roosevelt and the American PoliticalTradition Franklin D. "To pile on a proposal for war against Germany mighttrigger an unthinkable possibility: a congressional rejection that wouldmake Adolf Hitler invulnerable. Thomas Fleming, The New Dealers' War: FDR and the War within WorldWar II (New York: Basic Books, 2001), 25.
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Acceptance Essays
