Compare And Contrast Franklin And Hoover

Document Based Essay 2 James Madison once wrote, “But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” Throughout every era in history, nations establish a government with the responsibility of safeguarding the principles, morals, and ideals of mankind. Unfortunately, this establishment seemingly abandons that responsibility and further magnifies the corruption within human individuals and society as a whole. The Great Depression era is a prime example of a period when Americans re-evaluated the definitions of liberty and freedom, principles that America had established from the beginning of the nation’s creation in 1776. Both Herbert Hoover and Franklin

One can attribute these differences to the former presidents’ definitions of freedom. Hoover viewed freedom as highly individualistic and openly criticized the New Deal policies. At the Republican National Convention in 1936, Hoover’s attitude was condescending as he described the New Deal as “a muddle of a spoils system”. This statement proves that Hoover questioned the authenticity of Roosevelt’s intentions and viewed the New Deal as nothing more than an empty promise. He interpreted the policies as overly intrusive and counterproductive measures. Specifically, Hoover mentions the consequent debt accumulated by “gigantic expenditures”. While Roosevelt’s motive for spending money was to fund programs of direct relief and provide economic security, Hoover reiterated that the debt would have to be repaid and insisted that the “freedom to work for himself is changed into a slavery of work for the follies of government”. Hoover seemingly portrayed FDR as a fraudulent person that was only making economic matters worse. He believed that the government administration was paradoxically jeopardizing the freedom it claimed to

Roosevelt concluded his speech by quoting English judge as saying “Necessitous [needy] men are not free men”. The message he was trying to convey is that the workers of America were receiving less than the bare minimum. Americans only worked to survive and put food on the table; they made just “enough to live by”. There was no greater purpose or motivation to live or work. According to FDR, this sense of emptiness existed within the laborer because “liberty was no longer real” and “men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness”. He strongly upheld the belief that the standard of living had been controlled by corporate enemies that sought to pre-determine the fate of Americans. It is apparent that the public would have agreed with this sentiment because they did, in fact, feel exploited. In 1936, Chairman of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, John L. Lewis, represented the collective view of millions. In this radio address, one can automatically notice how his language parallels Roosevelt’s. They both used terms such as dictatorship and tyrant to describe the oppressive employers. Lewis scoffed at the “economic tyrant” for acting in a self-sabotaging manner and failing to realize that the workers they oppressed are the foundation of companies “upon whose toil the whole structure depends”. He urges