A New President
FDR Takes Office
The History Behind the Man
• FDR- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• Came from a wealthy and influential family
• Attended Harvard University and Columbia Law
School
• 1905- Married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
• Served as assistant secretary of the navy during
WWI
• Democratic candidate for Vice President in 1920
• 1921- Roosevelt was stricken with a severe case of
polio- legs were totally paralyzed
• 1928- elected governor of NY
• 1932- Democrat presidential candidate
Called to Action
• Breaks a lot of tradition around
elections
• Proclaims “I pledge myself to a new deal
for the American people.”
• In campaigning, promised to help the
jobless, poor farmers, and elderly
• Won a landslide victory
First Steps
• Saving the banks
– Declares a bank holiday on his second day in office
– Closed all banks for four days and passed the Emergency
Banking Relief Act
– Allowed only banks with enough funds to meet depositors’
demands could reopen
• Fireside Chats
– Roosevelt speaks to Americans by radio
– Gives 30 speeches by radio
• New Laws
– 15 major new laws passed in first 100 days in office
– Bills make up FDR’s plan to get out of the Depression
The New Deal
• Roosevelt’s plan to help the nation
• Three main goals
– Relief
• Help for jobless
– Recover
• Plans to help the economy recover from the
issues
– Reform
• Changes to prevent another depression