"The
test of our progress is not whether we add more to the
abundance of those who have much; it is whether we
provide enough for those who have little" -
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
This month is the 60th anniversary of the death of
one of the greatest presidents of American history.
Serving nearly four terms, FDR came into office in 1933
with the country in the throes of the Great Depression.
He was the first and only wheelchair-disabled
president. He took great strides to hide his disability
from the public and was very successful.
During a speaking engagement in 1932, Steve Neal
notes that Roosevelt moved away from the podium, lost
his balance and fell. Aides got him to his feet, and
Roosevelt immediately resumed the speech at the point he
had been cut off. The crowd was very impressed.
Roosevelt was able to win the cooperation of reporters
in playing down the extent of his disability and was
generally photographed from above the waist. There are
only a few photos of him in a wheelchair.
Throughout his presidency, rumors of poor health were
constantly in circulation. Roosevelt squelched such
rabble-rousing by changing the direction of the country
with his three Rs: relief, recovery and reform. He
coined the term "New Deal" when he stated:
"I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for
the American people."
Roosevelt proclaimed, "The only thing we have to
fear is fear itself" in his inauguration speech on
March 4, 1933. In 1937, Roosevelt delivered "The
Quarantine Speech" in Chicago. He compared the
outbreak of international violence to a communicable
disease needing to be quarantined. This speech began
debates over just how much the United States should be
concerned with international diplomacy. During this
time, Roosevelt addressed the nation with many
"Fireside Chats."
Of the various reform programs initiated by the
Roosevelt administration, the most far-reaching and
influential was the institution of the Social Security
system to provide support for low-income and elderly
citizens. For the first time the poor and elderly didn't
have to live in economic fear.
Roosevelt showed elements of bigotry and racism.
During World War II he created the Japanese
concentration camps, ignoring those of German and
Italian descent. He also failed to do anything to
disrupt the early Nazi operations in perpetrating the
Holocaust, despite having intelligence of the atrocity.
Overall, his disability had little effect on his
ability to run the country during some of the more
tumultuous times in history.
Roosevelt's main contributions were the instituting
of major economic and social assistance programs,
leading the country through a successful involvement in
World War II and helping to form the United Nations.
We need a president who believes progress is
providing for all Americans, by reinstating the three Rs:
relief, recovery and reform.
You can e-mail Barbara J. McKee at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.
Her column runs on Tuesdays.
