Timeline:
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Pearl Harbor Speech: |
1.) On January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born.
2.) Roosevelt went on to achieve an education and graduated from Harvard in 1904. Roosevelt then continued on to Columbia Law School. 3.) Roosevelt married Eleanor Roosevelt, his distant cousin, in 1905. 4.) In 1910 Roosevelt was elected to the New York Senate. 5.) March 4, 1933 Roosevelt took office, but he took office during a time when the U.S. was in terrible shape. 6.) December 7, 1941 Japan bombed U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. This ensured that the U.S. would now become involved in WWII. 7.) On December 11, 1941, a few days after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy officially declared war on the United States, so the U.S. joined the Allied forces. 8.) By late 1943 the Allies were confident in defeating the Axis, and winning the war. Soon talk turned to what would happen after the war was over. 9.) In early 1945 Roosevelt traveled to Yalta, Ukraine, to meet with Stalin and Churchill.; here they talked about what the Soviets would do after the war had ended. 10.) On April 12, 1945 Franklin Roosevelt died from a massive stroke. |
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Early Life:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. Roosevelt was the only child of James Roosevelt and Sara Ann Delano Roosevelt, and the family was very wealthy. Roosevelt was a privileged child growing up in Springwood, New York, and his parent's wealth brought him only the best of tutors. At the age of 14 Roosevelt entered Groton School for boys. It was here that he discovered he did not fit in with the other students, but he did strive to please the adults; especially headmaster Endicott Peabody. After graduating from Groton, Roosevelt continued to pursue his education and entered Harvard, and later studied law at Columbia University Law School. Roosevelt did not find law practice very interesting, so instead he went on to accomplish his much bigger dreams.
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Political Beginnings:
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Living With Polio:
During the summer of 1921, while Franklin Roosevelt and his family were enjoying their vacation in their summer home on Campobello Island, Roosevelt fell ill to Polio. At the young age of 39 Roosevelt lost use of both of his legs. Roosevelt felt that this would mark the end of his career, but his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, and his political confidante, Louis Howe, encouraged him to continue on. Roosevelt worked hard to make sure the public would not find out about his paralysis; he taught himself to walk short distances, learned to use a cane, and would not be seen in his wheelchair in public. Roosevelt searched for a relief to his pain, which he found in a spa in Warm Springs, Georgia. This spa helped him so much that he later turned it into a polio treatment center to help others suffering from the disease.
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When Franklin Roosevelt was 28 he got an invitation to run for New York state senate. Roosevelt was running Democrat in a district that had been voting Republican for the past 32 years, but he beat the odds and won. Roosevelt was reelected again in 1912, and during this time he passed many farm and labor bills, and a social welfare program. Roosevelt continued to want to get bigger and better jobs, so in 1914 he decided to run for the U.S. Senate seat for New York. Roosevelt stood no chance in winning fore he lacked support of the White House. It was later on in 1920 when Roosevelt accepted the nomination to be James M. Cox's Vice President. The two Democrats were greatly defeated by Republican Warren G. Harding in the general election. Although Roosevelt lost the election, the experience gained him national exposure.
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Final Years: |
U.S. Presidency:
Opportunity struck Franklin Roosevelt when Republicans were being blamed for the Great Depression. Roosevelt took his chance and started his run for presidency; he took a positive, friendly, and charming approach and used this to win over the nation. Roosevelt defeated Republican Herbert Hoover, and took office in March of 1933. Franklin Roosevelt faced the tough challenge of pulling America out of the economic depression they had gotten into. Roosevelt was successful by passing "The New Deal", and forming a "Brain Trust", although these are only a few of the things Roosevelt did to guarantee success of ending the depression. Roosevelt would continue to serve three terms, end the depression, help end WWII, and improve the U.S. in multiple ways.
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Franklin Roosevelt was determined to run for a third term although the stress from the war, and running a nation was starting to wear him down. In February of 1945 Roosevelt attended the Yalta Conference to discuss post-war reorganization. On April 12, 1945, after returning to the U.S., Roosevelt suffered from a massive cerebral hemorrhage, and died. Roosevelt's death was a shock to America. People knew Roosevelt was getting older, and could see how tired he looked in pictures, but no one knew the extent of his health. It was hard for people to accept that the man who served as president for 12 years, led the U.S. out of a massive depression, and a major war, was gone so suddenly. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was buried at his family home in Hyde Park, New York.
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Fun Facts! |
Sources/References:
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1.) Collecting stamps was a lifelong hobby of Franklin Roosevelt.
2.) Franklin Roosevelt was the longest serving U.S. president. 3.) Roosevelt's fifth cousin was President Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the U.S.! 4.) Franklin Roosevelt was the first president to speak on television! 5.) Franklin Roosevelt's dog, Fala, outlived Roosevelt by 7 years. |