Franklin D. Roosevelt: Relationship Between Citizens And The Government

Throughout the history of the United States, the relationship between its citizens and the government has always been rocky. Many events such as the War for Independence, territorializing the country, and abolishment of slavery caused a distance that saw very little change until Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected into office. This being said, this relationship from the late 1800s into the 20th century went from being disconnected, due to very little representation, to being closer and more reliant through the years of the New Deal and Cold War, which then turned into frustration and a break of trust because of issues such as Watergate.

In the late 1800’s the United States was still very much divided. With the influx of immigrants, as well as,

They felt as if they had no one left to turn to. Desperate for change, the citizens looked to the 1932 elections for relief. Democratic candidate, Franklin D. Roosevelt was known to be a man of the people. Not only was his personality alluring, but his mysterious plan of a New Deal drew people out to the voting booths. Once elected, his plans were quickly put into action, such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Public Works, and Social Security. These programs made the government more intimately involved with the citizens than ever before. The people became so reliant on the government and the new programs, FDR was elected four times! This relationship was so unconventional that people even accused FDR of being a communist because of his over involvement. This reliance on the government carried on into the Cold War Era. When the United States first dropped the nuclear bomb, they thought little of the ability of another country to be able to recreate the weapon any time in the near future. In 1949, when the Soviet Union tested their first nuclear weapon, it caught the United States by surprise and the citizens became scared. They again turned to the government for action to protect themselves and their families. In response, the government formed agencies such as the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency to stress national

Starting with the Holocaust, then the Soviet Union using Jim Crow as propaganda, some citizens as well as parts of the government started to see the need for transformation of the country’s regulations. Civil Rights became the center of interest with cases such as Brown vs. The Board of Education and the overturn of Plessy vs. Ferguson; this is where the citizen’s frustration began. On one side of the argument, citizens did not want to desegregate and felt betrayed by the government because of the changes being implemented. The other side of the argument showed support of pushing for equality that became frustrating because of the slow pace of change. This gave these supporters the feeling that the government wasn’t committed to change. No matter what side of the argument an individual was on, they shared a mutual dissatisfaction with those who had the power to implement these changes. This relationship torn by frustration carried into the Vietnam War. With the free speech movement in full swing, individuals began openly speaking out against the government about their opposition to the war. During these protest, people were beaten, arrested, and even killed, causing the American people’s frustration to increase. Distrust also came with frustration when they discovered that Nixon had