This assignment presents me with a unique challenge: not how to find things to write, but how to squeeze so much into such a short paper.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt “FDR”, was the only person elected to the presidency four times. Coming from a wealthy family, he served as governor of New York and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He was reelected to the presidency in the midst of the great depression. He immediately began to make good on his promise of a New Deal” for the American people. He proposed and got passed legislation that provided loans to business and banks, allowed business to regulate prices and wages to some extent, paid farmers to plant less to raise prices, employed young men in government forestation and construction projects,
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Through his “fireside chats” and his public appearances, he provided hope and encouragement not only to the US and our citizens but to the allies as well. Although historians argue over his approach to the Soviet Union, he knew that the allies could no more afford to see the Soviet Union, with its vast resources, fall to Germany than it could see England and France become German possessions.
Throughout the war, FDR not only inspired his fellow countrymen, but adroitly maneuvered between the demands of the allies for American intervention in particular ways. One of his great talents was his selection of competent men to assist in leading the nation as well as in generals to direct the war.
Roosevelt died suddenly on April 12, 1945 after being elected for a fourth term as president, leaving his vice-president, harry S. Truman in charge.
If there is one criticism that I think is pretty accurate about FDR, is the absolute lack of help he gave to Truman as the vice-president. He only met with Truman twice privately, and very little of any substance was discussed. Truman was woefully unprepared to assume the presidency with a war still being waged. Truman knew nothing about the Manhattan Project, and had very little insight into the dealings that FDR had with Churchill and