How Eleanor Roosevelt Changed The World

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In 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt became First Lady of the United States. Her efforts not only drastically changed our country but earned her the title, “First Lady of the World.” As an activist, she promoted rights for people around the globe. As a leader in the United Nations, she took responsibility for the welfare of the human community. As a diplomat, she worked as the eyes and ears of her polio-stricken husband throughout his presidency. Because of her dedication to the people of America and the world, she was able to empower minorities, fight segregation, and establish human rights for everyone. While some leaders sit back and let the world take control, Eleanor Roosevelt did whatever possible to further the development of the United States …show more content…

When her husband won a seat on the New York Senate, she was initiated into the position of “official wife.” Today, we often take for granted the amount of work and responsibility that our First Ladies carry out. Michelle Obama, for example, promoted healthier food regulations in schools. In Eleanor’s time, the official wife’s job was to attend and host formal parties and make social calls. A curious, active woman like Eleanor Roosevelt was obviously bored by these tedious duties. She knew she could do more, and that’s where her reformation began. During her 12 years as First Lady, she became as controversial as her husband. Eleanor’s breadth of works and liberal advocacy was unprecedented; she completely changed the responsibility and role of women in power, particularly the position of First Lady. One example of her defiant work occurred in 1939 when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let Marian Anderson, an African American singer, perform in Constitution Hall. Eleanor Roosevelt promptly resigned from the organization and held a concert at the nearby Lincoln Memorial for Anderson. It turned into a large outdoor event with over 75,000 in attendance. It may have seemed a small thing for Eleanor to do, but it made a big statement: Turning the other way cannot solve the world’s problems. In the book You Learn by Living she says, “I honor the human race. When it faces life head-on, it can almost remake itself.” Roosevelt developed and built the United States through her vision for