*Includes pictures of FDR, Eleanor and important people, places,
and events in their lives.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt might be America's greatest 20th century
president, but there's no question that he was the most unique. A
well-connected relative of Theodore Roosevelt, FDR was groomed for
greatness until he was struck down by what was widely believed to
be polio at the time. Nevertheless, he persevered, rising through
New York politics to reach the White House just as the country
faced its greatest challenge since the Civil War, beginning his
presidency with one of the most iconic lines ever spoken during an
inaugural address. For over a decade, President Roosevelt threw
everything he had at the Great Depression, and then threw
everything the country had at the Axis powers during World War II.
Ultimately, he succumbed to illness in the middle of his fourth
term, just before the Allies won the war.
If Dolley Madison was instrumental in molding the role of First
Lady in the 19th century, credit can be given to Eleanor Roosevelt
for revolutionizing the political nature of the role in the 20th
and 21st centuries and making it possible for presidents like Bill
Clinton to enlist their wives to handle political duties. At the
same time, history might remember Eleanor more for what she did
outside of the White House, as she became a critically acclaimed
and world famous international author and advocate of civil rights,
women's rights. By the time she had finished working for the United
Nations, working on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
President Truman rightly called her "The First Lady of the World."
Eleanor is one of her country's most famous and admired First
Ladies, an ironic fact considering she was worried being the wife
of a successful politician would force her to take on what she
considered to be irrelevant ceremonial roles. But Franklin's
offices and illnesses made it possible for her to run in the social
and political circles that interested her, and she began wielding
substantial influence both for herself and on behalf of her
husband. Much like Hillary and Bill Clinton, the Roosevelts'
marriage evolved into one of friendship and political convenience
as Eleanor became a political power player herself. By the end of
the 1940s, Eleanor's name was being bandied about for positions
like governorships, the U.S. Senate, and even the Vice Presidency,
which was still completely unprecedented for a woman in those
times.
FDR & Eleanor chronicles the amazing lives and careers of one
of America's greatest presidents and one of America's greatest
First Ladies, while humanizing the couple and looking at the
evolving nature of their marriage. Along with pictures of important
people, places, and events in their lives, you will learn about
Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt like you never have
before, in no time at all.