FDR: The Greatest President Essay Example

but also for writers, artists, musicians, etc… the Social Security Act which provided unemployment compensation and a program for elderly people and survivors benefits” (FDR Presidential Library and Museum 2). The WPA was a brilliant program that provided many jobs for people, healing the economy even more.The Social Security act aided many people with government relief. These 2 acts helped to boost the economy.

President Roosevelt’s many daring projects proved to pay off in the end because many people regained jobs. Roosevelt’s New Deal basically ended the great depression altogether because of his many government aid projects and employment agencies. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the best commander-in-chief of America also because he was the best leader our country has ever seen. FDR was a calm, brilliant person who made everyone around him believe he knew everything.

According to a biography on FDR, “Feeling the future world peace would depend on the relations with America and Russia, he devoted much thought to planning of the United Nations, in which he hoped international difficulties could be settled” (Digger history FDR biography 2). FDR always put the future of his country before anything else and he always knew what would be best, both important traits of great leader. FDR knew that having peace with Russia would be important in preventing future world wars.Roosevelt devoted much time in ensuring that world peace and because there is still no mass world war today, it would seem Roosevelt’s United Nations Plan is still working today.

Roosevelt was also a great leader because he knew what to do in wartime. Roosevelt wasn’t exactly a great general, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t know any war

tactics and strategies. The FDR Presidential Library and Museum says, “Roosevelt exercised his powers as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, a role he actively carried out.He worked with and through his military advisors… and took an active role in choosing field commanders and in making decisions regarding wartime strategy” (FDR Presidential Library and Museum 3). A great leader should not only be able to take care of his country’s financial and domestic problems on the home front, he should be able to lead his country to victory during wartime. Roosevelt was obviously successful in both of these areas.

As a result of his great leadership, Roosevelt is believed as the greatest president of all time.Another reason Roosevelt was the greatest president was he was loved by the people of the U. S. Most people who had never even seen or met Roosevelt loved him. Studs Terkel, a person who lived during the time of Roosevelt’s death, remembers, “I’m walking south along Michigan Boulevard and I can’t stop crying. Everybody is crying” (Baker 1). This shows the mutual sadness all people in the U. S. felt when President Roosevelt died. People on the streets, people who had never even seen Roosevelt, cried when he died. Roosevelt had caused such an impact on people’s lives; some people couldn’t even leave their houses.For example, Kevin Baker writes, “The radio went still for a time and carried no commercials for 4 days.

Newspapers carried no advertisements. Buses, streetcars, automobiles stopped where they were. Movie theatres and grocery shops close” (Baker 2). Life seemed to stop with the unbelievable death of the greatest president. All people around the country mourned the loss

of their president. An account of the day stated by William Manchester says, “That Saturday afternoon was the quietest of the war” (Baker 2). John Gunter also recalls, “Outright strangers said to me, I never met him but I feel as if I lost my best friend” (Baker 2).People all over the country loved Roosevelt so much; they took him as a friend, even though they hadn’t met him. Roosevelt had always made sure the people of the U. S.

knew what was going on and were assured. He did this mostly with his popular radio talks, called fireside chats. These fireside chats addressed the issues of the country and what Roosevelt was planning on doing. Therefore, lots of evidence proved most people of the U. S. loved Roosevelt, another reason he was the greatest president.

In conclusion, Roosevelt was the greatest president in U.S. history because of many reasons. First, he enacted the New Deal, a program that ended the Great Depression. Second Roosevelt was a great leader, both on the home front and on the war front.

Lastly, Roosevelt was the greatest president because he was widely loved by basically the whole of the U. S. people. If only more people could realize how President Franklin D.Roosevelt revolutionized the country and led the U. S. through its hardest times, then people would see Roosevelt is and always will be the greatest president America has ever seen.

Works Cited

1. Baker, Kevin “Why America Loved Roosevelt” Kevin Baker Online 2/11/08 www. kevinbaker. info/a_wp_walr. html
2. Franklin Delano Roosevelt; FDR. Only 4 terms U. S. President ever. Roosevelt Online 2/5/08 www. diggerhistory. info/pages-leaders/ww2/roosevelt. html
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt
   

Presidential Library and Museum Online 2/5/08 www. fdrlibrary. marist. edu/fdrbio. html