Roosevelt's Fireside Chats

During the depression, many relied on entertainment such as movies, sports and most common and cheapest of all, radio. Anyone who had owned a radio before the crash could listen for free. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first democratic president to be elected in 12 years. He had ideas of reform and sought to help people in the depression. One his most famous was the New Deal, which was a series of social liberal programs including laws passed by both Congressional and and presidential executive order.

To spread his idea throughout the country, Roosevelt would use radio broadcasting. Almost every house and every store had a radio and this enabled everyone to listen to his ideas. These broadcasts were called fireside chats. Roosevelt gave his first speech from behind his desk on May 7, 1933 and 10 PM eastern time. The term 'fireside chat' was a CBS reporter, Harry Butcher's idea of the talk. It later became popularized because of the warm and informal feel that the radio broadcasts invoked. It helped the people relax and enjoy the chat as if they would be sitting next to the fire and talking to him in person. Basically, it changed the people and their attitude towards life during the Great Depression. they began to have hope for a better future. 

He used many different methods to make his chats more interesting to listen. He would use dramatization and rhetoric to divert the people's focus and give them a morale boost. He had many scriptwriters for his talks, but his was very actively involved in creating them. He insisted on invoking the legacies of the Founding Fathers and willed the people to have faith and hope in God or Providence.