Franklin D. Roosevelt
 |
32nd President of the United States
Under the Constitution of 1787
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945
FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT was born on January 30, 1882 on his
family’s estate Hyde Park, in Dutchess County, New York. His father, James was
descended from Nicholas Roosevelt, whose father had emigrated from Holland in
the 1640's. One of Nicholas' two sons, Johannes, was an ancestor of President
Theodore Roosevelt. The other son, Jacobus, was James' great-great-grandfather.
James had graduated from Union College and Harvard Law School, married, had a
son, and took over his family's extensive holdings in coal and transportation.
In 1880, four years after the death of his first wife, James met and married
Sara Delano who was a sixth cousin and at 26 years, she was half her husband’s
age. She brought to the marriage a fortune that was a great deal larger than
that of James. The Delano family had prospered in trading with China and her
father was one of James’ business associates.
Students and Teachers of US History this is a video of Stanley and Christopher Klos presenting America's Four United Republics Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. The December 2015 video was an impromptu capture by a member of the audience of Penn students, professors and guests that numbered about 200.
Young Roosevelt spent his early years in a pleasant and sociable
home with loving parents and congenial rather aristocratic companions at Hyde
Park. His half-brother was an adult when he was born and his childhood was
secure and tranquil. He was often taken on summers in Europe and spent much
time at his father’s vacation home on Campobello Island in New Brunswick,
Canada. Young Roosevelt developed a love for natural history and sailing and
was an expert swimmer. His mother supervised his schooling with governesses and
private tutors until he was 14 and he was a voracious reader. In 1896, his
parents sent him to Groton School in Massachusetts, where most students were of
the privileged classes. His education there instilled him with a belief that
children of the upper classes had a duty to society.
For More Information go to
America's Four United Republics
America's Four United Republics
Roosevelt entered Harvard in 1899, where he was an above average
student and devoted a great deal of his time to extracurricular activities. He
completed his course work for his B.A. in only three years and returned for the
fourth year as editor of the Crimson, the college newspaper. He joined a young
Republican club in 1900 in enthusiasm for Theodore Roosevelt, the
vice-presidential candidate and his distant cousin. While at Harvard, he fell
in love with Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, his fifth cousin once removed. She had had
a difficult childhood, being orphaned at the age of ten. She lived with her
maternal grandmother and felt rejected and ill at ease in society, thinking
herself ugly. When Roosevelt, a handsome Harvard man two years her senior, paid
her attention, she was flattered. In 1904, Roosevelt cast his first vote in a
presidential election for his cousin, who was running for reelection after
having become president with the assassination of President McKinley in 1901.
Roosevelt entered Columbia University Law School in New York City
in 1904. He passed the New York bar examination and began clerking for a Wall
Street law firm, Carter, Ledyard and Milburn, foregoing his degree from
Columbia. On March 17, 1905, President Roosevelt gave his niece Anna Eleanor
away in marriage to Franklin D. Roosevelt. The marriage was successful on the
surface, within the next eleven years they produced six children (one of which
died in infancy): Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1906 – 1975); James Roosevelt (1907 –
1991); Elliott Roosevelt (1910 – 1990); Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. (1914 –
1988) and John Aspinwall Roosevelt (1916 – 1981).
However, Sara Roosevelt’s possessive and domineering attitude
toward her son caused much strife early in their marriage. In addition,
Eleanor’s later discovery of Franklin’s affair with her social secretary, Lucy
Mercer, staggered her. Despite these problems, Eleanor remained a supportive
spouse.
Roosevelt found work at the law firm tedious, much of the firm’s
practice was in corporate law and he felt irritated by the routine. In 1910, at
the age of 28, he was approached by the Democratic leaders to run for the New
York State Senate. They felt he would succeed because of his name, local
prominence and his wealth. Anxious to escape the law practice, he accepted, and
campaigned hard, stressing his deep personal interest in conservation and his
strong support of honest and efficient government. He showed skill at making
himself agreeable to voters, he was open and adaptable and he listened to the
advice he was given by political veterans. He won impressively and made an
immediate impact in the state legislature. He soon became a dedicated social
and economic reformer and was reelected in 1912, in spite of a case of typhoid
fever that kept him from campaigning.
He entered national politics by taking
part in Woodrow Wilson’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for president.
After Wilson was elected, he appointed Roosevelt Assistant Secretary of the
United States Navy. In 1913, he resigned his state senate seat and moved to
Washington to take the position that his cousin, Theodore, had once held. His
seven years of service gave him administrative experience and he made many
excellent contacts in Washington and in the Democratic party. He remained in
his post until August 1920, when he resigned to campaign as the Democratic
candidate for vice president. When Harding and Coolidge decisively beat the
Democrats in November, he returned to private life. He had campaigned
vigorously and made friends among Democratic leaders across the country. He was
a widely recognized public figure, and being under the age of 40, he felt he
could afford to wait.
 |
| Louis, Eilleen, Christopher, Nicholas, Alexandra, Mariesha, Zachary, and Kathleen Klos at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington DC. |
He formed a law firm in New York City and became vice president of Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, a surety bonding company. At Fidelity, he was in charge of the New York office of one of the most important companies handling bonds for public officials. His wide circle of contacts continued to expand. However, in August 1921, after an unfortunate delay, he was diagnosed with poliomyelitis. Completely unable to walk and in great pain, Roosevelt seemed to have reached the end of his political career. His domineering mother wanted him to return to Hyde Park for a peaceful and quite life. Under the care of his wife and his friend and campaign manager, Louis McHenry Howe, Roosevelt fought back. Although never able to walk again without leg braces and canes, he became president of the American Construction Council in 1924, while Howe remained close, planning for his return to public life.
For the rest of his life, Roosevelt refused to accept that he was permanently paralyzed. He tried a wide range of therapies, including hydrotherapy, and, in 1926, he purchased a resort at Warm Springs, Georgia, where he founded a hydrotherapy center for the treatment of polio patients, one which still operates as the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. After he became President, he helped to found the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now known as the March of Dimes)
At the time, Roosevelt was able to convince many people that he was getting better, which he believed was essential if he wanted to run for public office again. Fitting his hips and legs with iron braces, he laboriously taught himself to walk a short distance by swiveling his torso while supporting himself with a cane. In private, he used a wheelchair, but he was careful never to be seen in it in public. Great care was also taken to prevent his being portrayed by the press in a way which would highlight his disability. Only two photographs are known to exist of FDR which were taken while he was in his wheelchair; only four seconds of film exist of the "walk" he achieved after his illness. He usually appeared in public standing upright, supported on one side by an aide or one of his sons. FDR used a car with specially designed hand controls, providing him further mobility.
Roosevelt made an inspiring nominating speech for Alfred E. Smith at the 1924 Democratic National Convention in Madison Square Garden. In 1928 at Smith’s urging and against the advice of Eleanor and Howe, Roosevelt agreed to run for governor of New York. Roosevelt won by a narrow margin in an otherwise Republican election year. During his two terms, he battled a Republican legislature, naming skilled people to important positions. As a reform governor, he established a number of new social programs, and was advised by Frances Perkins and Harry Hopkins.
In May 1930, as he began his run for a second term maintaining "that progressive government by its very terms, must be a living and growing thing, that the battle for it is never ending and that if we let up for one single moment or one single year, not merely do we stand still but we fall back in the march of civilization."
During the campaign a scandal broke because Roosevelt was directly involved in making a court appointment of a Tammany Hall man who was alleged to have paid $30,000 for the position. His Republican opponent, however, could not press the issue because Roosevelt had set up a judicial investigation into the corrupt sale of offices. He was elected to a second term by a margin of fourteen percent.
In 1932 Roosevelt was a leading contender for the Democratic presidential candidacy and he took the nomination on the fourth ballot. In November, Roosevelt captured 22,821,857 votes to incumbent President Hoover’s 15,761,841 and 472 Electoral College votes to 59.
 |
| February 1, 1934 White House photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt waving a check that represents the proceeds from the first Birthday Ball at the White House. |
When
Roosevelt was inaugurated on March 4, 1933, 25% of the U.S. workforce was
unemployed. Agriculture prices and Industrial production were half of 1929’s
record numbers. Two million citizens were homeless and 32 states, as well as
the District of Columbia, had closed their banks. The New York Federal Reserve
Bank was unable to open on the March 5th, due to a run on the banks by panicky customers
in previous days. Roosevelt, in his inaugural address, blamed the economic
crisis on bankers and financiers, the quest for higher yields, and the hedonistic
basis of capitalism. Against this banking
crisis Roosevelt, believing the citizen panic had greatly exasperated the financial
challenges, proclaimed: "The only thing we have to fear is fear
itself."
The
very next day he declared a "bank holiday" and called for a special
session of Congress to start March 9, at which Congress passed the Emergency
Banking Act. This was his first proposed step to recovery. To give Americans
confidence in the banks, Roosevelt signed championed the Glass–Steagall Act
that created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Roosevelt’s
government relief strategy, with a super Democratic majority in Congress, was fruitful
in his first 100 days as President. Roosevelt
relied on Senators George Norris, Robert F. Wagner, and Hugo Black, as well as
his Brain Trust of academic advisers to propose his programs to Congressional
Committees. Together, they sent Congress a record number of bills, all of which
passed easily. Bills
included the continuation of Hoover's major relief program for the unemployed
under its new name: Federal Emergency
Relief Administration. The most popular of all New Deal agencies – and
Roosevelt's favorite – was the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC), which hired 250,000 unemployed young men to work
on rural local projects. His mobility hampered by
polio, he reached millions by radio in his “fireside chats” while Eleanor
tirelessly toured the country.
Also in
his first year as President, Prohibition was repealed. President Roosevelt
signed an official proclamation, accepting certification from Acting Secretary
of State Phillips that thirty-six States had ratified the repealing amendment,
he improved the occasion to address a plea to the American people to employ
their regained liberty first of all for national manliness. Roosevelt asked personally that saloons be barred
from the country.
"I ask especially, ask that no State shall,
by law or otherwise, authorize the return of the saloon, either in its old form
or in some modern guise."
He
enjoined all citizens to cooperate with the government in its endeavor to
restore a greater respect for law and order, especially by confining their
purchases of liquor to duly licensed agencies. This practice, which he
personally requested every individual and every family in the nation to follow,
would result, he said, in a better product for consumption, in addition to the
"break-up and eventual destruction of the notoriously evil illicit liquor
traffic" and in tax benefits to the government.
The
President thus announced the policy of his administration -- to see that the
social and political evils of the preprohibition era shall not be revived or
permitted again to exist. Failure of citizens to use their new freedom in
helping to advance this policy, he said, would be "a living reproach to us
all."
He
expressed faith, too, in the "good sense of the American people" in
preventing excessive personal use of relegalized liquor. "The objective we
seek through a national policy," he said, "is the education of every
citizen toward a greater temperance throughout the nation."
As a
means of enforcing his policy, the President has the Federal Alcohol Control
Administration ready to take control of the liquor traffic and regulate it at
the source of supply.
 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt Fireside Chat Microphone |
In 1936 he was re-elected by a top-heavy margin.
Feeling he was armed with a popular mandate, he sought legislation to enlarge
the Supreme Court, which had been invalidating key New Deal measures. Roosevelt
lost the Supreme Court battle, but a revolution in constitutional law took
place. Thereafter the Government could legally regulate the economy.
During this term, in an extraordinary correspondence between FDR and his
ambassador to Venezuela he writes just before the outbreak of World War II. "I
wish you could get me information about that area of Venezuela which lies on
high land north and south of the Orinoco River," Roosevelt writes
Gonzalez on 3 June 1938.
I am
told that a large part of this plateau land...is not only little explored but
is, as far as known, of great richness and capable of successful colonization
by the white races.
Roosevelt hopes the Venezuelan government will study:
the whole subject of immigration with the idea
of developing a virile, democracy loving white population over a period of four
or five generations. This means, of course, selective immigration....In the
long run a selective process among different nationalities would result, over a
period of a number of generations, in a mixed race just as such a large
proportion of our own population is.
Roosevelt
especially hoped to attract refugees from European fascism. The "best
type of people" from Spain, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria--even
those from "certain...crowded...areas of the United States” -- could
start a "fairly constant stream of emigrants to the unoccupied
parts of the world." But he did not want them clustering into
ethnic ghettos.
Venezuela
does not want a German colony in one place or an Italian colony in another
place or a Spanish colony in a third place or Jewish colony in a fourth place.
The incoming people should be thoroughly mixed up with each other as fast as
they arrive.
Roosevelt
wants Gonzalez to broach this subject with the utmost discretion.
Doubtless
there are some men in the Venezuelan government who would talk with you
somewhat in confidence about this subject. You should, of course, leave me out
of it altogether...In any event, you might think this over and put out some
feelers.
In another letter, a year later Roosevelt writes a Philadelphia friend about the chaos that is about to consume the world before the year is out.
March 25, 1939
Dear Gertrude,
Many thanks for the note. Never in my life have I seen things moving in the world with more cross currents or with greater velocity. Up to last summer I was willing to make mental bets that such a thing would happen and such and such a thing would not happen. Today, however I have stopped being a mental bookmaker because so many horses are scratched and so many other horses become added starters each twenty-four hours that we are not even certain that the trainers, jockeys and spectators may not end up in a "free-for-all" fight in which the grandstand will be burned down and most of the spectators, horses, trainers and jockeys go to the hospital of the cemetery.
What a day we live in!
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Roosevelt directed organization of the Nation's manpower and resources for global war.
 |
| "Day of Infamy" Speech DRAFT : Joint Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Japan - National Archives |
Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.
 |
| Chancellor Adolf Hitler during his speech before the Reichstag to declare war on the United States
Nazi Propaganda Photo Caption: The damning speech by the leader over Roosevelt. On Thursday afternoon, the leaders held the large and eagerly awaited speech to the feverish conjured up by the warmonger Roosevelt, War in the Pacific before the men of the German Reichstag . On the government benches (from right to left) you can see the leaders , Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop at his side Empire , Grand Admiral Reader , Field Marshal von Brauchitsch , Keitel and the Reich Minister Dr. Frick and Goebbels . In the second row (from right ): The Minister Count Schwerin - Krosigk , radio , Darré , Rust, Kerl , Dr. Frank , Dr. Dorpmüller , Dr. Seyss -Inquart and Dr. Todt. Behind it (from right) : Minister Rosenberg and the Minister of State Dr. Meissner and Dr. Popitz.
All persons shown :
|
German Declaration of War with the United States :
December 11, 1941
(Including the circumstances of the delivery of the note as released to the press by the Department of State, December 11, 1941.)
The German Charge d'Affaires, Dr. Hans Thomsen, and the First Secretary of the German Embassy, Mr. von Strempel, called at the State Department at 8:00 A.M. on December 11, 1941. The Secretary, otherwise engaged, directed that they be received by the Chief of the European Division of the State Department, Mr. Ray Atherton. Mr. Atherton received the German representatives at 9:30 A.M.
The German representatives handed to Mr. Atherton a copy of a note that is being delivered this morning, December 11, to the American Charge d'Affaires in Berlin. Dr. Thomsen said that Germany considers herself in a state of war with the United States. He asked that the appropriate measures be taken for the departure of himself, the members of the German Embassy, and his staff in this country. He reminded Mr. Atherton that the German Government had previously expressed its willingness to grant the same treatment to American press correspondents in Germany as that accorded the American official staff on a reciprocal basis and added that he assumed that the departure of other American citizens from Germany would be permitted on the same basis of German citizens desiring to leave this country. He referred to the exchange of civilians that had been arranged at the time Great Britain and Germany broke off diplomatic relations.
The German Charge d'Affaires then stated that the Swiss Government would take over German interests in this country and that Dr. Bruggmann had already received appropriate instructions from his Government.
He then handed Mr. Atherton a note from the German Government. Mr. Atherton stated that in accepting this note from the German Charge d'Affaires he was merely formalizing the realization that the Government and people of this country had faced since the outbreak of the war in 1939 of the threat and purposes of the German Government and the Nazi regime toward this hemisphere and our free American civilization.
Mr. Atherton then said that this Government would arrange for the delivery of Dr. Thomsen's passports and that he assumed that we would very shortly be in communication with the Swiss Minister. He added that Dr. Thomsen must realize, however, that the physical difficulties of the situation would demand a certain amount of time in working out this reciprocal arrangement for the departure of the missions of the two countries. The German representatives then took their leave.
The text of the note which the German representatives handed to Mr. Ray Atherton, Chief of the European Division of the State Department, at 9:30 A.M., December 11, the original of which had been delivered the morning of December 11 to the American Charge d'Affaires in Berlin, follows:
MR. CHARGE D'AFFAIRES:
The Government of the United States having violated in the most flagrant manner and in ever increasing measure all rules of neutrality in favor of the adversaries of Germany and having continually been guilty of the most severe provocations toward Germany ever since the outbreak of the European war, provoked by the British declaration of war against Germany on September 3, 1939, has finally resorted to open military acts of aggression.
On September 11, 1941, the President of the United States publicly declared that he had ordered the American Navy and Air Force to shoot on sight at any German war vessel. In his speech of October 27, 1941, he once more expressly affirmed that this order was in force. Acting under this order, vessels of the American Navy, since early September 1941, have systematically attacked German naval forces. Thus, American destroyers, as for instance the Greer, the Kearney and the Reuben James, have opened fire on German sub-marines according to plan. The Secretary of the American Navy, Mr. Knox, himself confirmed that-American destroyers attacked German submarines.
Furthermore, the naval forces of the United States, under order of their Government and contrary to international law have treated and seized German merchant vessels on the high seas as enemy ships.
The German Government therefore establishes the following facts:
Although Germany on her part has strictly adhered to the rules of international law in her relations with the United States during every period of the present war, the Government of the United States from initial violations of neutrality has finally proceeded to open acts of war against Germany. The Government of the United States has thereby virtually created a state of war.
The German Government, consequently, discontinues diplomatic relations with the United States of America and declares that under these circumstances brought about by President Roosevelt Germany too, as from today, considers herself as being in a state of war with the United States of America.
Accept, Mr. Charge d'Affaires, the expression of my high consideration.
December 11, 1941.
RIBBENTROP.
US Declaration of War against Germany
December 11, 1941
The President's Message
To the Congress of the United States:
On the morning of Dec. 11 the
Government of Germany, pursuing its course of world conquest, declared war
against the United States. The long-known and the long-expected has thus taken
place. The forces endeavoring to enslave the entire world now are moving toward
this hemisphere. Never before has there been a greater challenge to life,
liberty and civilization. Delay invites great danger. Rapid and united effort
by all of the peoples of the world who are determined to remain free will
insure a world victory of the forces of justice and of righteousness over the
forces of savagery and of barbarism. Italy also has declared war against the
United States.
I therefore request the Congress to
recognize a state of war between the United States and Germany, and between the
United States and Italy.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The War Resolution
Declaring that a state of war exists
between the Government of Germany and the government and the people of the
United States and making provision to prosecute the same.
Whereas the Government of Germany has
formally declared war against the government and the people of the United
States of America:
Therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate
and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled, that the state of war between the United States and the Government
of Germany which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally
declared; and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the
entire naval and military forces of the government to carry on war against the
Government of Germany; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination,
all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the
United States
Roosevelt, with anti-war sentiment gone, mobilized of the U.S. economy to support the Allied war effort. As an active military leader, Roosevelt implemented an overall war strategy on two fronts that ended in the defeat of the Axis Powers and the development of the world's first atom bomb. In 1942 Roosevelt ordered the internment of 100,000 Japanese American civilians. Unemployment dropped to 2%, relief programs largely ended, and the industrial economy grew rapidly to new heights as millions of people moved to new jobs in war centers, and 16 million men and 300,000 women were drafted or volunteered for military service.that the future peace of the world would depend upon relations between the United States and Russia, he devoted much thought to the planning of a United Nations, in which, he hoped, international difficulties could be settled.
At the Tehran Conference, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met for five days from November 28 to December 1, 1943. According to the State Department:
During the Conference, the three leaders coordinated their military strategy against Germany and Japan and made a number of important decisions concerning the post World War II era. The most notable achievements of the Conference focused on the next phases of the war against the Axis powers in Europe and Asia. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin engaged in discussions concerning the terms under which the British and Americans finally committed to launching Operation Overlord, an invasion of northern France, to be executed by May of 1944. The Soviets, who had long been pushing the Allies to open a second front, agreed to launch another major offensive on the Eastern Front that would divert German troops away from the Allied campaign in northern France. Stalin also agreed in principle that the Soviet Union would declare war against Japan following an Allied victory over Germany. In exchange for a Soviet declaration of war against Japan, Roosevelt conceded to Stalin's demands for the Kurile Islands and the southern half of Sakhalin, and access to the ice-free ports of Darien (Dalian) and Port Arthur (Lashun Port) located on the Liaodong Peninsula in northern China. The exact details concerning this deal were not finalized, however, until the Yalta Conference of 1945.
At Tehran, the three Allied leaders also discussed important issues concerning the fate of Eastern Europe and Germany in the postwar period. Stalin pressed for a revision of Poland's eastern border with the Soviet Union to match the line set by British Foreign Secretary Lord Curzon in 1920. In order to compensate Poland for the resulting loss of territory, the three leaders agreed to move the German-Polish border to the Oder and Neisse rivers. This decision was not formally ratified, however, until the Potsdam Conference of 1945. During these negotiations Roosevelt also secured from Stalin his assurance that the Republics of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia would be reincorporated into the Soviet Union only after the citizens of each republic voted on the question in a referendum. Stalin stressed, however, that that the matter would have to be resolved "in accordance with the Soviet constitution," and that he would not consent to any international control over the elections. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin also broached the question of the possible postwar partition of Germany into Allied zones of occupation and agreed to have the European Advisory Commission "carefully study the question of dismemberment" before any final decision was taken.
Broader international cooperation also became a central theme of the negotiations at Tehran. Roosevelt and Stalin privately discussed the composition of the United Nations. During the Moscow Conference of the Foreign Ministers in October and November of 1943, the United States, Britain, China, and the Soviet Union had signed a four-power declaration whose fourth point called for the creation of a "general international organization" designed to promote "international peace and security." At Tehran, Roosevelt outlined for Stalin his vision of the proposed organization in which the future United Nations would be dominated by "four policemen" (the United States, Britain, China, and Soviet Union) who "would have the power to deal immediately with any threat to the peace and any sudden emergency which requires action."
Finally, the three leaders issued a "Declaration of the Three Powers Regarding Iran." Within it, they thanked the Iranian Government for its assistance in the war against Germany and promised to provide it with economic assistance both during and after the war. Most importantly, the U.S., British, and Soviet Governments stated that they all shared a "desire for the maintenance of the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Iran."
Roosevelt secured many of his objectives during the Conference. The Soviet Union had committed to joining the war against Japan and expressed support for Roosevelt's plans for the United Nations. Most importantly, Roosevelt believed that he had won Stalin's confidence by proving that the United States was willing to negotiate directly with the Soviet Union and, most importantly, by guaranteeing the opening of the second front in France by the spring of 1944. However, Stalin also gained tentative concessions on Eastern Europe that would be confirmed during the later wartime conferences.
 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt Big Three Stalin Churchill Yalta photo |
It became apparent by January 1944 that the Allies would ultimately defeat the Axis and the world leaders began to plan for the postwar future of Europe and Asia. Prime Minister Churchill warned that Stalin sought a dictatorial dominance eastern Europe and western Asia. The U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union William Christian Bullitt, Jr.'s agreed and his thesis prophesied the "flow of the Red amoeba into Europe". Roosevelt responded to Bullitt, Jr. with a statement summarizing his rationale for war time relations with Stalin:
During Roosevelt’s campaign for his fourth term in 1944, he was pale, thin and old. His doctors knew that he was suffering from heart disease, hypertension and cardiac failure. His advisers persuaded him to accept the U.S. Senator from Missouri, Harry Truman for the vice presidency, feeling him suited for the presidency. His campaign and election were a strain on Roosevelt and in the early spring of 1945, he went to Warm Springs, Georgia in an effort to recapture his flagging health. He died there on April 12, 1945 of a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Harry Truman took the oath of office to become president that same day.
"I just have a hunch that Stalin is not that kind of man. ... not and that he doesn't want anything but security for his country, and I think if I give him everything I possibly can and ask for nothing in return, noblesse oblige, he won't try to annex anything and will work with me for a world of democracy and peace”
During Roosevelt’s campaign for his fourth term in 1944, he was pale, thin and old. His doctors knew that he was suffering from heart disease, hypertension and cardiac failure. His advisers persuaded him to accept the U.S. Senator from Missouri, Harry Truman for the vice presidency, feeling him suited for the presidency. His campaign and election were a strain on Roosevelt and in the early spring of 1945, he went to Warm Springs, Georgia in an effort to recapture his flagging health. He died there on April 12, 1945 of a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Harry Truman took the oath of office to become president that same day.
WORCHESTER
Telegram & Gazette
Telegram & Gazette
Roosevelt's legacy is "an inspiration" Union Station houses FDR museum
Pamela H. Sacks - T&G STAFF
Sunday, July 25, 2004
WORCESTER- Nick R. Roosevelt, a great-grandson of former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, stood by with a wide, Kennedy-esque smile yesterday as his uncle, James R. Roosevelt Jr., cut the ceremonial gold ribbon opening the Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center Museum in Union Station.
Presidential scholar and author Stanley L. Klos last night gave the keynote address for the event. In a telephone interview earlier in the week, Mr. Klos said that the FDR center and its museum are important because "history is a crystal ball of the future."
"What were the challenges of the past and what worked and what didn't?" Mr. Klos said. "No one went through more perilous times than FDR."
Mr. Klos said that one of the key accomplishments of FDR was the electrification of America. When he took office, 90 percent of homes had no electricity, prompting people to forsake rural areas for the cities. FDR created the rural electrical authorities, which brought power to the countryside.
"He understood the key to prosperity was inexpensive power," Mr. Klos said. "He bottled up the natural resources."
FDR also was the impetus behind the Manhattan Project, which split the atom, led to the development of the atom bomb and ultimately harnessed nuclear power as an energy source. Today, Mr. Klos said, demands on energy and oil are skyrocketing, as people around the world seek to have disposable income and the type of life we know in the United States, with automobiles and other modern conveniences.
"Germany is only second behind us in oil consumption," Mr. Klos said. "If China reaches the proportion of people with cars that we have in the U.S., that will exhaust OPEC's oil reserves. As our needs grow for more and more energy, we are going to be in an extremely competitive field."
What would Roosevelt do?
"He would realize that the world is now a global economy, and there is a war of economics," Mr. Klos said. "Yes, we're in a terrorist war right now, but the global war has shifted to a competition for natural resources and quality of life."
In Mr. Klos' view, FDR would realize the key is weaning ourselves off oil and its importation. He would be aware that the electrical grid he put together wastes enormous amounts of energy because it has not been upgraded and fails to make use of superconductivity.
"We could do what Japan, France and Germany have done and use the next generation of breeder reactors that are so efficient," Mr. Klos said. "FDR would be calling another Manhattan Project to see, with our greatest minds, if we could find a third form of energy and supply the needs of the United States and prepare the country for the oil shortage that is coming in the next 20 years."
As the morning's activities drew to a close, Worcester writer and photographer Idamay Arsenault was presented with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by Mr. McGovern. Through her photography, Mrs. Arsenault is credited with spearheading the renaissance at Union Station. Mr. McGovern also presented Dr. Plaud with a flag flown over the Capitol.
Later, as guests milled around munching doughnuts and cookies, Nick Roosevelt stood to one side while his uncle signed autographs. The young Mr. Roosevelt is 18 and grew up in Berkeley, Calif. He was headed to the Democratic National Convention in Boston to serve as a volunteer. He is entering the University of Pennsylvania in the fall and intends to major in history and government.
"All the Roosevelts, we all love history," he said, flashing a grin
The Congressional Evolution of the United States of America
Continental Congress of the United Colonies Presidents
Continental Congress of the United States Presidents
July 2, 1776 to February 28, 1781
202-239-1774 | Office
202-239-0037 | FAX
Dr. Naomi and Stanley Yavneh Klos, Principals
Continental Congress of the United Colonies Presidents
Sept. 5, 1774 to July 1, 1776
September 5, 1774
|
October 22, 1774
| |
October 22, 1774
|
October 26, 1774
| |
May 20, 1775
|
May 24, 1775
| |
May 25, 1775
|
July 1, 1776
|
Commander-in-Chief United Colonies & States of America
George Washington: June 15, 1775 - December 23, 1783
Continental Congress of the United States Presidents
July 2, 1776 to February 28, 1781
July 2, 1776
|
October 29, 1777
| |
November 1, 1777
|
December 9, 1778
| |
December 10, 1778
|
September 28, 1779
| |
September 29, 1779
|
February 28, 1781
|
Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled
March 1, 1781 to March 3, 1789
March 1, 1781 to March 3, 1789
March 1, 1781
|
July 6, 1781
| |
July 10, 1781
|
Declined Office
| |
July 10, 1781
|
November 4, 1781
| |
November 5, 1781
|
November 3, 1782
| |
November 4, 1782
|
November 2, 1783
| |
November 3, 1783
|
June 3, 1784
| |
November 30, 1784
|
November 22, 1785
| |
November 23, 1785
|
June 5, 1786
| |
June 6, 1786
|
February 1, 1787
| |
February 2, 1787
|
January 21, 1788
| |
January 22, 1788
|
January 21, 1789
|
Presidents of the United States of America
D-Democratic Party, F-Federalist Party, I-Independent, R-Republican Party, R* Republican Party of Jefferson & W-Whig Party
(1789-1797)
|
(1933-1945)
| |
(1865-1869)
| ||
(1797-1801)
|
(1945-1953)
| |
(1869-1877)
| ||
(1801-1809)
|
(1953-1961)
| |
(1877-1881)
| ||
(1809-1817)
|
(1961-1963)
| |
(1881 - 1881)
| ||
(1817-1825)
|
(1963-1969)
| |
(1881-1885)
| ||
(1825-1829)
|
(1969-1974)
| |
(1885-1889)
| ||
(1829-1837)
|
(1973-1974)
| |
(1889-1893)
| ||
(1837-1841)
|
(1977-1981)
| |
(1893-1897)
| ||
(1841-1841)
|
(1981-1989)
| |
(1897-1901)
| ||
(1841-1845)
|
(1989-1993)
| |
(1901-1909)
| ||
(1845-1849)
|
(1993-2001)
| |
(1909-1913)
| ||
(1849-1850)
|
(2001-2009)
| |
(1913-1921)
| ||
(1850-1853)
|
(2009-2017)
| |
(1921-1923)
| ||
(1853-1857)
|
(20017-Present)
| |
(1923-1929)
|
*Confederate States of America
| |
(1857-1861)
| ||
(1929-1933)
| ||
(1861-1865)
|
United Colonies Continental Congress
|
President
|
18th Century Term
|
Age
|
Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison Randolph (1745-1783)
|
09/05/74 – 10/22/74
|
29
| |
Mary Williams Middleton (1741- 1761) Deceased
|
Henry Middleton
|
10/22–26/74
|
n/a
|
Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison Randolph (1745–1783)
|
05/20/ 75 - 05/24/75
|
30
| |
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (1747-1830)
|
05/25/75 – 07/01/76
|
28
| |
United States Continental Congress
|
President
|
Term
|
Age
|
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (1747-1830)
|
07/02/76 – 10/29/77
|
29
| |
Eleanor Ball Laurens (1731- 1770) Deceased
|
Henry Laurens
|
11/01/77 – 12/09/78
|
n/a
|
Sarah Livingston Jay (1756-1802)
|
12/ 10/78 – 09/28/78
|
21
| |
Martha Huntington (1738/39–1794)
|
09/29/79 – 02/28/81
|
41
| |
United States in Congress Assembled
|
President
|
Term
|
Age
|
Martha Huntington (1738/39–1794)
|
03/01/81 – 07/06/81
|
42
| |
Sarah Armitage McKean (1756-1820)
|
07/10/81 – 11/04/81
|
25
| |
Jane Contee Hanson (1726-1812)
|
11/05/81 - 11/03/82
|
55
| |
Hannah Stockton Boudinot (1736-1808)
|
11/03/82 - 11/02/83
|
46
| |
Sarah Morris Mifflin (1747-1790)
|
11/03/83 - 11/02/84
|
36
| |
Anne Gaskins Pinkard Lee (1738-1796)
|
11/20/84 - 11/19/85
|
46
| |
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (1747-1830)
|
11/23/85 – 06/06/86
|
38
| |
Rebecca Call Gorham (1744-1812)
|
06/06/86 - 02/01/87
|
42
| |
Phoebe Bayard St. Clair (1743-1818)
|
02/02/87 - 01/21/88
|
43
| |
Christina Stuart Griffin (1751-1807)
|
01/22/88 - 01/29/89
|
36
|
Constitution of 1787
First Ladies |
President
|
Term
|
Age
|
April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797
|
57
| ||
March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801
|
52
| ||
Martha Wayles Jefferson Deceased
|
September 6, 1782 (Aged 33)
|
n/a
| |
March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817
|
40
| ||
March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825
|
48
| ||
March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829
|
50
| ||
December 22, 1828 (aged 61)
|
n/a
| ||
February 5, 1819 (aged 35)
|
n/a
| ||
March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841
|
65
| ||
April 4, 1841 – September 10, 1842
|
50
| ||
June 26, 1844 – March 4, 1845
|
23
| ||
March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849
|
41
| ||
March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850
|
60
| ||
July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853
|
52
| ||
March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1857
|
46
| ||
n/a
|
n/a
| ||
March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865
|
42
| ||
February 22, 1862 – May 10, 1865
| |||
April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869
|
54
| ||
March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877
|
43
| ||
March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881
|
45
| ||
March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881
|
48
| ||
January 12, 1880 (Aged 43)
|
n/a
| ||
June 2, 1886 – March 4, 1889
|
21
| ||
March 4, 1889 – October 25, 1892
|
56
| ||
June 2, 1886 – March 4, 1889
|
28
| ||
March 4, 1897 – September 14, 1901
|
49
| ||
September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909
|
40
| ||
March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913
|
47
| ||
March 4, 1913 – August 6, 1914
|
52
| ||
December 18, 1915 – March 4, 1921
|
43
| ||
March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923
|
60
| ||
August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929
|
44
| ||
March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933
|
54
| ||
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945
|
48
| ||
April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953
|
60
| ||
January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961
|
56
| ||
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
|
31
| ||
November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
|
50
| ||
January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974
|
56
| ||
August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977
|
56
| ||
January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981
|
49
| ||
January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
|
59
| ||
January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993
|
63
| ||
January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001
|
45
| ||
January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009
|
54
| ||
January 20, 2009 to date
|
45
|
Capitals of the United Colonies and States of America
Philadelphia
|
Sept. 5, 1774 to Oct. 24, 1774
| |
Philadelphia
|
May 10, 1775 to Dec. 12, 1776
| |
Baltimore
|
Dec. 20, 1776 to Feb. 27, 1777
| |
Philadelphia
|
March 4, 1777 to Sept. 18, 1777
| |
Lancaster
|
September 27, 1777
| |
York
|
Sept. 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778
| |
Philadelphia
|
July 2, 1778 to June 21, 1783
| |
Princeton
|
June 30, 1783 to Nov. 4, 1783
| |
Annapolis
|
Nov. 26, 1783 to Aug. 19, 1784
| |
Trenton
|
Nov. 1, 1784 to Dec. 24, 1784
| |
New York City
|
Jan. 11, 1785 to Nov. 13, 1788
| |
New York City
|
October 6, 1788 to March 3,1789
| |
New York City
|
March 3,1789 to August 12, 1790
| |
Philadelphia
|
Dec. 6,1790 to May 14, 1800
| |
Washington DC
|
November 17,1800 to Present
|
Book a primary source exhibit and a professional speaker for your next event by contacting Historic.us today. Our Clients include many Fortune 500 companies, associations, non-profits, colleges, universities, national conventions, PR and advertising agencies. As a leading national exhibitor of primary sources, many of our clients have benefited from our historic displays that are designed to entertain and educate your target audience. Contact us to learn how you can join our "roster" of satisfied clientele today!
Hosted by The New Orleans Jazz Museum and The Louisiana Historical Center
Hosted by The New Orleans Jazz Museum and The Louisiana Historical Center
Historic.us
A Non-profit Corporation
A Non-profit Corporation
Primary Source Exhibits
727-771-1776 | Exhibit Inquiries
202-239-1774 | Office
202-239-0037 | FAX
Dr. Naomi and Stanley Yavneh Klos, Principals
Naomi@Historic.us
Stan@Historic.us
Primary Source exhibits are available for display in your community. The costs range from $1,000 to $35,000 depending on length of time on loan and the rarity of artifacts chosen.
 |
| U.S. Dollar Presidential Coin Mr. Klos vs Secretary Paulson - Click Here |
The United Colonies of North America Continental Congress Presidents (1774-1776)
The United States of America Continental Congress Presidents (1776-1781)
The United States of America in Congress Assembled Presidents (1781-1789)
The United States of America Presidents and Commanders-in-Chiefs (1789-Present)
The United States of America Continental Congress Presidents (1776-1781)
The United States of America in Congress Assembled Presidents (1781-1789)
The United States of America Presidents and Commanders-in-Chiefs (1789-Present)
