Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in her autobiography that "It seems to me that America's objective today should be to try to make herself the best possible mirror of democracy that she can. The people of the world can see what happens here. They watch us to see what we are going to do and how well we can do it. We are giving them the only possible picture of democracy that we can: the picture as it works in actual practice. This is the only way other peoples can see for themselves how it works; and can determine for them selves whether this thing is good in itself, whether it is better than they have, better than what other political and economic systems offer them." cited in www.gwu.edu

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was born on the 11th of October, 1884 in New York City. She gradually grew into the one of the most active first ladies from a very shy and awkward child.

She was a daughter of Elliott Roosevelt, younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt, and Anne Hall, both came from the prestigious New York families. Eleanor was happy with her family till destiny separated her from her mother when she was only 8 years old; her father also died 2 years later left Eleanor and other children alone to live with their grand mother Hall. At the age of 15, she got an opportunity to go to England for studying in Allenswood Academy in London, to develop her self-confidence.

Initially Eleanor Roosevelt known as a diplomat, a journalist and a social and political activist, was thought by private tutors at home. After leaving U.S, she was supported by her school headmistress, Marie Souvestre in England where Eleanor found Marie as a model of an independent woman sensitive to social issues; the reality is that Souvestre was a first person who encouraged Eleanor to express her ideas made her to be one of the most famous American first ladies in the mind of the United States social and political history.

Being interested in social work young Eleanor backed to New York for making her first social debut where she fell in love with her fifth cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Although Theodore's mother was against their marriage and believed that they were too young but they married eventually on 17 March 1905, under the shadow of Sara (her mother-in-law) who even imposed her idea about the decoration of their house and hiring the servants. The result of their marriage was 6 children (one died in infancy) all were born within the first 11 years of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt’s marriage life.

Eleanor spent early years of her new life in the family estate in Hyde Park before moving to Albany where her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt selected as a Senator in the New York State Senate in 1911.
After playing her role as a mother for 10 years, Eleanor found this opportunity to get involved herself with the social and political works besides working inside the house. At a time of being in Washington during the World War I and presidential period of Woodrow Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt who had settled there for the sake of her husband's job, the assistant secretary of navy, started her activity for Red Cross, Navy League and other volunteer organizations in Washington D.C where Eleanor tried her best to save wounded soldiers many of them were kept in a hospital for the mental illnesses.

During the time of war which was a time of crisis for the world Eleanor Roosevelt faced with another crisis, this time in her private life when she discovered a love-letter that showed the secret relation between Franklin D. Roosevelt and her social secretary, Lucy Mercer. Although it was so hard for Eleanor to live with her husband but they reconciled in order to save the political reputation of her husband, but the reality is that Eleanor and Franklin's marriage intimacy destroyed for ever.

Her activity didn’t stop when she left Washington and returned to New York but continued and changed its direction to the social movements especially movements for woman equal rights with the hope of making their working condition better.

At a time that every thing seemed to be perfect in the eyes of the Eleanor Roosevelt, the social reformer, one event changed her role as a first lady. In the year of 1921, Franklin D. Roosevelt became permanently paralyzed by the disease of poliomyelitis. So to support her husband who was stricken a very hopeless condition physically and mentally and also to save his link with the American national and international policy, she very soon learned public speaking and became familiar with the system of political organizations. All theses events gave Eleanor confidence and courage to campaign for Democratic candidates in her hometown, New York in opposition with her Republican cousin, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. As a result of all her activities Eleanor became more famous than Franklin D. Roosevelt, her husband, who had quitted his political activities for 8 years. During that period Eleanor became a leader of the Women Voters League, the League of National Consumers and the Women's Division of the New York State Democratic Committee. She also helped Women's Democratic News as a writer and editor. Also Eleanor helped her friend, Dckerman to buy Todhunter. Todhunter was a private school exclusively for girls and a place Eleanor used to go there 3 times in a week to teach the students her modern beliefs about women and their rights.

After all 8 years being absent in the history of American policy, eventually Franklin D. Roosevelt came back to society by making himself candidate as a New York's governor with the help of his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt who became Franklin's ears and eyes for the rest of his political life. After being selected as a New York governor, Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to be a 32nd president of the United States, the dream which came true for him and made Eleanor Roosevelt also the American 32nd first lady.

At the time of entering to the White House, Eleanor Roosevelt showed her differences from all her predecessors identified the role of the first lady as a more socially active role. She herself during Roosevelt presidential period traveled to the most part of the country gave lectures on the behalf of women's right and wrote her opinion in the Syndicate newspaper in the May Day column.

After the presidential election of Franklin D. Roosevelt, he asked his wife, Eleanor, to work for him as a personal secretary and assistant what gave her an opportunity to play her most influential roles in U.S policy compared to all her predecessors. She was a person who brought the cause of the minority groups to Franklin's attention.

During the first days after the presidential election, Eleanor held her first news conference informed public that she would held meetings every week also she was so eager to hear about the problems and needs of women in her monthly magazine column. In the case of African American and Appalachian farmers, Eleanor as the American first lady helped them to reclaim their land and making African American sure to be supported by New Deal Programs.

Eleanor Roosevelt continued her social and political activity even after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945. She was appointed by President Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, to the first meeting of United Nations held in London as a chairperson of the Human Rights Commission.
Also during the presidential period of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Eleanor remained in her position at the United Nation started arguing for Civil Rights both inside and outside of the United States.
Eventually on November 7, 1962 Anne Eleanor Roosevelt, a powerful voice of democrats died in New York City.

Eleanor Roosevelt's selected books:
v Hunting Big Game in the Eighties: The Letters of Elliott Roosevelt, Sportsman. New York: Scribners, 1932.
v When You Grow Up to Vote. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1932.
v This Is My Story. New York: Harper, 1937.
v My Days. New York: Dodge, 1938.
v The Lady of the White House. London: Hutchinson, 1938. (British edition of This Is My Story.).
v This Is America. New York: Putnam's, 1942 (with Frances Cooke Macgregor).
v This I Remember. New York: Harper, 1949.
v Ladies of Courage. New York: Putnam's, 1954 (with Lorena Hickok)
v The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Harper, 1961.
Eleanor Roosevelt's selected Articles:

v "Common Sense versus Party Regularity." News Bulletin (League of Women Voters of New York State) (16 Sept. 1921).
v "Why I Am a Democrat." Junior League Bulletin 10 (Nov. 1923): 18-19.
v "How to Interest Women in Voting." Women's Democratic Campaign Manual, 1924. Washington: Democratic Party, National Committee 1924-1928, 1924. 102-3.
v "What I Want Most Out of Life." Success Magazine 11 (May 1927): 16-17, 70.
v "What Is a Wife's Job Today?" Good Housekeeping (August 1930): 34-35, 166, and 169-73.
v "Women in Politics." Women's City Club of New York Quarterly (Jan. 1930): 5-"What Are the Movies Doing to Us?" Modern Screen 4 (Nov. 1932): 26-27, 102.
v "Israel Will Become a Great Nation: The Mission of Israel. Ed. Jacob Baal-Teshuva. New York: Speller, 1963. 32.

References:
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/abouteleanor/er-quotes
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/abouteleanor/erarticles.cfm
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/abouteleanor/erbooks.cfm
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ar32.html
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761577012/Eleanor_Roosevelt.html
http://www.nndb.com/people/467/000022401/
http://www.edwardsly.com/rooseve.htm