As a young child, it is common to enter a library and discover illustrated biographies of famous Americans, some of them being about perhaps Abraham Lincoln, Neil Armstrong, or the Wright Brothers. However, another common biography largely published about a famous American is that of Eleanor Roosevelt, a native New Yorker and the First Lady of the United States during the presidency of her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945. The textbook mentions the person of Eleanor Roosevelt, but what did she do that granted her national recognition? What was unique about Eleanor Roosevelt was that she was instrumental in numerous progressive causes, particularly women' rights, prior to her assuming the role of First Lady. She worked as a service woman during the First World War as a part of the Red Cross, and from the early 1900s and later transitioning into the 1920s, Roosevelt had been a larger activist in democratic politics like that of her husband. Participating in groups like The League of Women Voters and the Women's Union trade League, Roosevelt's name was becoming spread with the reputation of her husband, and her reputation became associated with ideas of progress and positive change. During the same time as her work in supporting women's rights, she maintained the lasting and stable profession prior to 1933 as a teacher to women in the field of humanities during her time in New York. While her accolades and societal contributions speak for themselves, her real fame arrived when her husband was inaugurated as president and revealed his momentous New Deal that allowed for American citizens not to remain as impacted by the harsh effects of the ongoing Great Depression. Due to the initial handicap plaguing Franklin Roosevelt, his wife was put in charge of touring the entire country to examine the effects of the New Deal upon society as a whole and report back to Washington D.C. of its successes and failures. Not only did she assist in her husband's presidential efforts, but she also resonated with laborers of the day as well as minority races of the nation, including African-Americans and was one of the earliest public supporters of equal rights for black people. With the social norms of the 1930s, this was an unusual scene for a woman to be so influential in government politics, providing Eleanor Roosevelt with the description as being an icon in American history.
Roosevelt's legacy has prevailed through generations of Americans and has inspired women to take action in establishing new government policies and prove their own potential. The struggle of World War II stimulated Roosevelt to encourage further volunteerism and assistance to the fighting soldiers, and with popular support, she worked diligently to devise new methods in boosting the soldiers' morales during the difficult four years between 1941 and 1945. When her husband died in 1945, Roosevelt did not cease her involvement in resolving social issues, rather she assumed various positions including a delegate to the United Nations to help draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and continued to support the rights of African-Americans in the 1950s at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement until her eventual passing in 1962. Despite her death, Roosevelt's work for human justice and peace lives on, and she has now set the common trend for all succeeding first ladies from her time to present day to be committed to a particular cause in ensuring the preservation of all American liberties.
Resources:
http://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/eleanor-roosevelt
http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-roosevelt-9463366#synopsis
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