ipl-logo

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The Only President To Contract Polio

858 Words4 Pages

Who was the only president to serve four terms? Who was the only president to contract Polio? Thats right, FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. Franklin was the only child to James and Sara Roosevelt. Franklin 's father was a wealthy man, but not of vast sums of wealth. Franklin was home schooled at Hyde Park until he was fourteen. When he was fourteen, his parents sent him to a school called Groton School. The Groton School was an exclusive private school for wealthy, American families. The school was very strict and aimed to instill mental and physical toughness and a desire to serve the public. The school’s social hierarchy also rewarded children for their athletic abilities and children with a rebellious streak. Franklin, was not popular at his school due to his non athletic abilities and his non rebelling behavior. In 1900, after graduating from the Groton School, Franklin went to Harvard. After about two weeks at Harvard, Franklin 's father passed away. During …show more content…

The biggest obstacle that he faced was contracting polio. The virus left him unable to walk. The administration managed to keep the disability a secret from the public. Anytime Franklin was shown on tv, it was from the head to waist. His full body was never shown, so no one knew he had polio. A paralyzed president would have shown signs of weakness during that day and age. Despite having been left without the ability to walk, he still managed to serve as the 32 American president. While in office, he created the Social Security Act which provided general welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-age benefits, and by enabling several states to make more adequate provisions for aged persons, blind persons, dependent and crippled children, maternal and child welfare, public health, and the administration of their unemployment compensation

Open Document