Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt contributed much more to American culture and ideals than most other First

Ladies that preceded her. As a strong advocate for many causes Eleanor was very much involved and interested in the social reformation of the country. As the longest First Lady she was in the public eye much longer than other woman in her role, and definitely was seen and heard from more often than her predecessors. Throughout her time as First Lady, she influenced not only causes she really believed in, but also aided her husband throughout his terms as president. Born into an old and reasonably wealthy family in the state of New York, Anne Eleanor Roosevelts birthday was on October, 11th 1884 (Adler). After losing both her parents and a brother at an early age, Eleanor and her brother hall moved in with and were raised by their mothers mother and other members of their family in that household. And although Eleanor struggled with issues of depression and insecurity, she worked through them as she got older. There in her grandmothers house was where she was first exposed to the love of helping the less fortunate. Her grandmother was the one to first introduce her to such activities and doing them as a child had a significant inspiration on her throughout her adult life . At the age of fifteen, Eleanor went to finishing school in London, and returned to the United States when she was seventeen (First). After returning Eleanor was very encouraged, without appreciation, by her grandmother to become more active in debutante society. She became prominent in the community, and from there became active in projects helping the less fortunate. And although some members of her family frowned upon women being so immersed in the public scene, Eleanor joined an organization called Junior League where she participat7d

in hands on assistance to people in the poorer parts of the city. Much of this was due to the influence of the Progressive Era, which at the time encouraged radical and a lot of social reform. Her relative, president incumbent Theodore Roosevelt, was a significant proponent of these ideals and Eleanor very much took after him in that area. Before Eleanors own debutante ball, she met a man named Franklin Delano Roosevelt on a train trip along the Hudson River. The pair was related, as fifth cousins once removed, and came from sides of the family which did not always get on. Franklins mother was entirely unsupportive and disapproving of the relationship. So his mother, Sara Ann, tried a forced separation of the two to discourage them. However, despite this opposition from relatives, the two married happily after a two year relationship. They married in a very lavish ceremony, with President Theodore Roosevelt giving the bride away. Once their marriage began, the couple moved into an extravagant apartment. However, this home was very close to that of Eleanors mother in law. The two women never saw eye to eye, Sara Anne feeling that Eleanor was unfit, and Eleanor feeling that her mother in law dictated her life, and her childrens, to her. Eleanor has said later in life that she never herself felt she was a natural mother, but still resented Sara Annes total control over the household and the familys lives. Eleanor greatly encouraged the civil rights movement and the reform of other issues. Activism was something she was involved from a young age. Even at only twenty years old, she participated in social justice programs, particularly in favor of immigrants. So as she became older, Eleanor still felt very connected to the service and aid for those who are struggling. Eventually, she became rather invested in the racial issues and divide in the United States.

During her husbands presidency, she was particularly involved. And many of the programs she supported greatly affected racial problems in the country at the time. She was a person who was so sympathetic to the daily struggles of many American citizens. Genuinely wanting to solve many of these problems, Eleanor used her time at the White House to do as much as possible. As she lived through the great depression, Eleanor was no stranger to the adversities suffered by a great percentage of the population. Travelling all over the country, she firsthand saw what people were going through. And because of her sympathetic nature, she felt compelled to help. And after a woman named Lorena Hickok shared reports she had made detailing the ineffectiveness of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and its programs, Eleanor was even more drawn to help rectify the situation (Eleanor). And even though she was certainly aware of the racism going on in many American institutions, Eleanor in many ways did not fully see the extent of the hardship until a while after her involvement. But throughout the presidency of Franklin, she advocated for better education, social reform, and a more just and equal treatment of all Americas people. Even though she was supportive of her husband, Eleanor was apprehensive about moving into the White House and becoming the first lady. At a point before his inauguration, she had said I never wanted to be a Presidents wife (Eleanor). Yet she became more involved than any other first lady had been before. In some ways, even more than her successors have been. During Franklins untraditionally long presidency his wife defied the traditions of her role as well. Even though we are used to the publicity of more recent first ladies, Eleanor was actually the first to lead her own press conference and spoke at national conferences. In fact, she made many of her press conferences accessible to women only, giving female journalists and media members more opportunities. She supported, very fervently, many of her husbands policies; in

particular the New Deal. Even more surprisingly and unheard of, Eleanor even spoke against and publicly opposed many of Franklins presidential actions. However she often times declined to attend public events if they did not seem purposeful to her. And because of her prominence in the support for civil rights for both women and the African American population, she even held a place in the presidents cabinet for African American Affairs. Unlike the wives of presidents before Franklin, Eleanor made use of the public exposure she had in order to influence causes and issues she held most important. After her husbands death, Eleanor did not leave the position she had held in the public for so long. President Truman chose her as the sole American female representation the United Nations. Her advocacy for trouble groups of people continued until her death in. For years she worked with groups like NAACP to increase equal rights among the citizens. And despite the call from many people to come to office, Eleanor chose to remain simply an aid and assistant to the Democratic Party and several advocacy groups. The actions Eleanor Roosevelt took as a first lady were incomparable to those of her predecessors. Woman in her position began to behave absolutely changed after Eleanors time in the White House. She was definitely a hard act to follow, because of the effect she had over so many for such a long period of time. In fact, years after he husbands presidency, President Harry S. Truman referred to Eleanor as the First Lady of the World because of the overwhelming impact she had over so many and the good that she did over her lifetime.

Works Cited Adler, David A., and Robert Casilla. A Picture Book of Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Holiday House, 1991. Print. "Eleanor Roosevelt and Civil Rights." Gwu.edu. The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. "First Lady Biography: Eleanor Roosevelt." Eleanor Roosevelt Biography. He National First Ladies' Library,, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.