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Franklin Roosevelt
was the president
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who had to face the Great
Depression and World War II.
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The only thing we have
to fear is fear itself.
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He was ambitious and active.
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Incredibly privileged,
but he suffered.
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You've contracted
infantile paralysis.
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And he's had setbacks.
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But through pain
can come wisdom.
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The country is on
the edge of a cliff,
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but we're not going
to let it fall.
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What do you plan to
do with this policy?
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He has a vision to change
the very soul of America.
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I pledge myself to a New
Deal for the American people.
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American democracy
was literally
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resting on his shoulders.
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This was zero hour.
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[speaking german]
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Get everybody in here.
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He knew that he needed
to project real strength.
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He is the dealer in hope
for the entire free world.
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An invasion of France
is courting disaster.
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He took risks.
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Again and again, you see
these moments of great daring.
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Success may not come
with rushing speed,
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but we shall return
again and again.
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Roosevelt led the
grand alliance to victory
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over fascism.
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This was a tumultuous,
complicated period of time.
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It's a mistake to think that he
somehow got everything right,
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but there was something
about that voice,
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there was something
about that smile.
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That empathy, that
humility, that resilience,
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all those qualities that
FDR just had triumphantly
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built into his character.
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Take a deep breath, Franklin.
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It's perfectly natural
to feel anxious.
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Oh, I'm not anxious
about getting married.
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I'm very lucky.
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So what has you so nervous?
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[wedding march playing]
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He does.
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Take care of her.
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I will, Mr. President.
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Call me Uncle Ted.
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It's March 17th, 1905.
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The Roosevelts are probably
the most prestigious
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of the New York elite families.
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Teddy Roosevelt is president
of the United States.
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His niece, Eleanor, is
marrying Franklin Roosevelt.
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Eleanor and Franklin are
fifth cousins once removed,
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and they are so in
love at this point.
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She's 20 years old.
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He's 23 years old.
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And he tells his mother that
he's the happiest man alive.
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Eleanor wasn't simply part of
the debutante world that he was
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used to.
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She was working in a
settlement house in New York,
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finding a sense of
great fulfillment
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by helping other people.
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She had ambitions to do
something with her life,
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and he too had them,
but there's no question
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that knowing Teddy
Roosevelt was her uncle
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was part of his
attraction to Eleanor.
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The rock star in the United
States was Theodore Roosevelt.
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Every minute of
his adult life, FDR
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was always modeling himself
after Theodore Roosevelt.
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We see FDR as this
iconic, universally
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beloved, majestic
figure, but he was a man
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before he was a monument,
and Franklin Roosevelt
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did have something to prove.
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He wanted to achieve, but
it wasn't foreordained.
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Franklin Roosevelt is
born on January 30th, 1882
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during the Gilded Age.
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It is a time of massive
economic expansion marked
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by incredible
technological innovation.
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The great expansion
of the railroad,
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the telegraph, the
introduction of electricity.
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It was an age of progress,
progress, progress.
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And Franklin Roosevelt's
family is wealthy, privileged,
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and he has two parents,
James and Sara Roosevelt,
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who absolutely adore him
and surround him with love
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and affection and attention.
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To call Sara Delano Roosevelt
a doting mother is an insult
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to doting mothers everywhere.
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She was an extremely
stubborn and willful mother,
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who gave orders all the
time, loved him dearly,
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which he knew, but
at the same time,
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unless he developed
a will of iron,
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he was going to grow
up being her vassal.
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He grew up on this magnificent
property in Hyde Park, New York
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right on the Hudson
River, where he
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could walk through the woods.
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He was a naturalist.
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He loved birds.
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He was very, very
curious as a young boy.
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Franklin later said
that, "All that is in me
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goes back to the Hudson."
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And he meant the
unbounded love that he
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got from both of his parents.
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It's where his confidence
came from, his trust in people
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came from, his
optimism came from.
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But when he was eight, his
father had a heart attack.
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After the heart attack,
it was very important
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that he not trouble his father.
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He would put it facade on so
that his father wouldn't know
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that anything was wrong, and I
think this is something that he
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carried on later into his life.
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There's no question that
that projection of confidence
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and optimism and things
are going to be all right
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later became an enormous part
of his leadership strengths.
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But for a man who
became the greatest vote
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getter in the history of
the American presidency,
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he was not a universal favorite.
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Some people thought
he was too fancy.
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Some people thought of
him as a lightweight.
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When he goes off to
Harvard, he's pretty bright,
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but it's not like he's
particularly studious.
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He was a flirt.
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He was a good golfer.
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He was a Harvard pretty boy.
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After Harvard, he goes
to Columbia Law School.
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He ends up practicing
law for a while,
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but he's not all that
interested in it.
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He's sort of bored, not
sure what his next step is
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going to be, fantasizing about
following in his cousin Teddy's
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footsteps.
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In 1910, there's a
group of law clerks
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that are sitting around his
firm when he's 28 years old
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and they're all speculating what
they might want to be in life.
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Franklin comes up with,
I'd like to I think become
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a member of the
state legislature,
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and then maybe I'd like
to be Assistant Secretary
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of the Navy, and
then maybe governor,
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and then maybe if I'm
lucky, I could be president.
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Exactly the path that
Teddy Roosevelt had taken.
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Franklin believed
he'd been born to serve.
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Someone who believed that
who much is given, much
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is expected.
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And I think that's a key
part of Roosevelt's ambition.
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And for Franklin Roosevelt,
the Roosevelt name was useful,
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because at that point in 1910,
it's the most potent name
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in American politics.
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Because of his name, the
Democratic Party in New York
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comes to him and says, we
want you to run for the state
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legislature.
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It wasn't because the
Democratic bosses saw in him
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the makings of a leader.
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They saw in him somebody
whose mother was wealthy
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and who could
support the campaign
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and maybe fund the
Democratic Party.
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His mother is
horrified at the idea
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that he's going to
become a politician.
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Sara thinks that Franklin should
just be a landed gentleman
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in Hudson Valley.
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In 1910, he runs for
state senate in New York.
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And it's at the time
not the sort of thing
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where people are, you
know, knocking on doors,
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but he gets himself this
big Maxwell touring car
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and starts campaigning.
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He was the first person to
use this newfangled gadget,
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the car, during the campaign.
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He loved to break precedent.
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Franklin Roosevelt ran on
a campaign of cleaning up
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the government, having
an honest government.
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But what he's really
out there doing,
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he's just convincing people
that he cares about them.
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Hello there.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt
running for state senate.
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Eleanor said when he
first started speaking,
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he spoke so slowly
that there were
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big pauses between
everything he said,
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and she was afraid he would
never go on with the speech.
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Hello.
How are you?
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- This is my niece.
- Your niece?
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Hello.
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But then after a while,
when he got comfortable
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and he kept talking
and talking, she
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was afraid he'd
never stop speaking.
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Hello, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
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DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN: He
not only found his voice
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in that campaign, but
he found his vocation.
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He knew there was something
inside of him that
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wanted to make other
people's lives better.
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Roosevelt managed
to win as a Democrat
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although this was a very
conservative Republican area.
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Roosevelt was not expecting
to serve in the New York State
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Senate for the next 40 years.
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What he was doing was following
in the footsteps of Uncle
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Teddy.
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Roosevelt realized that to be
successful in American policy,
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you have to show that
you can do something
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for the national party.
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So in 1912, when Woodrow Wilson
has running for president,
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in those pre-radio,
pre-television days, when
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candidates required
proxies, Franklin Roosevelt
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is promoting Woodrow Wilson.
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And he's campaigning against
his cousin Teddy, the man
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that he idolizes.
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He realized this was a great
opportunity for the Democrats
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to win the election, but more
importantly, that this would
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give him an inside track into
getting it into Washington
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and getting out of
the state legislature.
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In 1912, there were
three candidates.
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William Howard Taft, who
was the incumbent president,
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former president Theodore
Roosevelt, and governor
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of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson.
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The Democrats win the
election, Woodrow Wilson
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becomes president, and
now Franklin D. Roosevelt,
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having supported Wilson,
gets a slot in the Wilson
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administration.
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FDR supports Woodrow Wilson
without infuriating Uncle Teddy
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and pleases Wilson
to such an extent
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that Wilson is willing
to give him his wish
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to become Assistant
Secretary of the Navy.
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That's political talent
at a very young age.
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As the Assistant Secretary
of the Navy, the same position
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his cousin Teddy
Roosevelt had, Franklin
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is elevated to the national
stage at a crucial point
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in history.
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In August 1914, World
War I breaks out in Europe.
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And it's hard to imagine in
1914 that the US would ever
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get involved.
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As Assistant
Secretary of the Navy,
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Franklin is
perpetually impatient.
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He's convinced during the
early years of World War I
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that America in general, and the
Navy department in particular,
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are just not doing enough
to get ready for war.
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Franklin is constantly
pushing to expand the Navy,
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sometimes going around his
superiors' instructions
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to do so.
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In 1915, the Germans
sink the Lusitania,
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one of the most famous and
luxurious passenger liners
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of the time, and there's
nearly 2,000 people onboard,
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and nearly 1,200
of those perish,
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including 123 Americans.
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This almost causes
war, but there's,
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you know, a real pushback
inside the United States
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about going to war.
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Then in 1917, the Germans send
a telegram to the government
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of Mexico, saying, if you
declare war in the United
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States, we will give you support
to take back the lands you lost
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in the Mexican-American War.
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Woodrow Wilson finally was
out of options for neutrality,
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and the United States joined
World War I in April of 1917.
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But there's a lot of pressure
on FDR to go to war the same
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way Teddy Roosevelt had done
during the Spanish-American
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War.
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Franklin wanted desperately
to be a soldier himself
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and went to Wilson and asked
the president, can I go?
250
00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:16,958
And he said, no, you're more
important than staying here.
251
00:13:17,042 --> 00:13:20,333
So even so, he wanted at least
to be able to go over and visit
252
00:13:20,458 --> 00:13:21,208
the troops.
253
00:13:24,208 --> 00:13:25,875
When Franklin and Eleanor
Roosevelt move to Washington
254
00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:30,500
D.C., Eleanor was a
little overwhelmed.
255
00:13:30,625 --> 00:13:34,250
Eleanor had to take care of
five very dynamic children,
256
00:13:34,375 --> 00:13:38,542
so she decided to hire a social
secretary, a young woman named
257
00:13:38,708 --> 00:13:40,125
Lucy Mercer.
258
00:13:40,208 --> 00:13:43,583
She's very organized, she's very
pretty, the children loved her,
259
00:13:43,708 --> 00:13:46,000
but Eleanor's own
insecurities came out,
260
00:13:46,125 --> 00:13:49,333
and Eleanor eventually
ended up firing Lucy.
261
00:13:49,417 --> 00:13:52,333
And then Lucy went to
work in the Navy department.
262
00:13:52,458 --> 00:13:53,417
Oh, wait, your tie.
263
00:13:53,542 --> 00:13:57,333
DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN:
Working under Roosevelt.
264
00:13:57,417 --> 00:14:00,667
Let me, Eleanor.
265
00:14:00,792 --> 00:14:03,125
What would Franklin
do without you?
266
00:14:03,208 --> 00:14:05,208
Be wandering the
streets, I think.
267
00:14:10,125 --> 00:14:13,917
So in 1918, FDR
arrives in France
268
00:14:14,042 --> 00:14:16,750
and tours a number
of these battlefields
269
00:14:16,875 --> 00:14:22,000
and was immersed in
the horrors of the war.
270
00:14:22,083 --> 00:14:23,167
NEWSREADER: And saw
with his own eyes
271
00:14:23,292 --> 00:14:25,125
and heard with his own
ears the savage onslaughts
272
00:14:25,250 --> 00:14:28,917
of the Germans
against the allies.
273
00:14:29,042 --> 00:14:30,833
There are a lot of weapons
systems that are introduced
274
00:14:30,917 --> 00:14:32,625
in World War I for
the first time.
275
00:14:32,708 --> 00:14:39,750
Airplanes, tanks, machine guns,
and the other artillery pieces,
276
00:14:39,875 --> 00:14:42,167
which are so powerful
and so destructive
277
00:14:42,292 --> 00:14:46,458
that they can literally
vaporize people.
278
00:14:46,542 --> 00:14:49,708
It's an unprecedented level of
killing and an unprecedentedly
279
00:14:49,875 --> 00:14:52,875
gruesome level of killing.
280
00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,583
He describes being
on the battlefield
281
00:14:55,708 --> 00:14:59,000
and hearing the whistle
of German shells
282
00:14:59,125 --> 00:15:03,125
flying overhead and
exploding nearby.
283
00:15:03,208 --> 00:15:07,000
VOICEOVER: We passed on to the
south slopes of Fort Duama.
284
00:15:07,125 --> 00:15:09,000
A quarter of a mile beyond.
285
00:15:09,125 --> 00:15:12,458
And sure enough, the long,
winding whistle of a shell
286
00:15:12,542 --> 00:15:17,083
was followed by the dull
boom of the explosion.
287
00:15:21,958 --> 00:15:25,083
This was a deeply
moving experience for him.
288
00:15:25,208 --> 00:15:27,167
Franklin Roosevelt truly
believed that America
289
00:15:27,333 --> 00:15:29,500
had a moral
responsibility as well
290
00:15:29,583 --> 00:15:34,542
as a political responsibility to
be a player on the world stage.
291
00:15:40,375 --> 00:15:43,333
In 1918, as FDR is returning
to the United States,
292
00:15:43,500 --> 00:15:46,083
he has a slight fever,
he gets on a boat
293
00:15:46,208 --> 00:15:48,667
and comes down with a very,
very serious cases of pneumonia
294
00:15:48,792 --> 00:15:52,667
caused by the Spanish flu.
295
00:15:52,750 --> 00:15:58,375
More American soldiers died of
the Spanish flu than in combat.
296
00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:00,083
It must have been
terrifying for Eleanor
297
00:16:00,208 --> 00:16:03,333
to have this young husband
who was so very sick.
298
00:16:11,167 --> 00:16:12,167
And she took care of him.
299
00:16:12,333 --> 00:16:13,583
She was there day and night.
300
00:16:27,125 --> 00:16:29,708
When Eleanor was
unpacking the suitcase,
301
00:16:29,833 --> 00:16:33,458
she came upon love letters
that Lucy had written to him.
302
00:16:36,375 --> 00:16:43,000
Imagine the sense of
betrayal she must have felt.
303
00:16:43,083 --> 00:16:44,500
It must have been devastating.
304
00:16:55,042 --> 00:16:55,958
Thanks, Babs.
305
00:17:01,792 --> 00:17:02,417
There's something--
306
00:17:02,542 --> 00:17:04,167
Is it about Elliott?
307
00:17:04,292 --> 00:17:06,583
I hear he's been a right
devil while I was gone.
308
00:17:09,542 --> 00:17:10,250
Do you love her?
309
00:17:22,250 --> 00:17:23,250
Then we must get a divorce.
310
00:17:32,542 --> 00:17:34,333
I believe I love her.
311
00:17:34,458 --> 00:17:38,792
That's very sweet, but
you sound like an idiot.
312
00:17:38,917 --> 00:17:44,583
I've spent my life doing
everything that was asked me,
313
00:17:44,708 --> 00:17:47,667
but Lucy makes me happy.
314
00:17:47,792 --> 00:17:52,958
It sounds ridiculous, I
know, but I feel free.
315
00:17:53,083 --> 00:17:56,500
Louis Howe is Franklin
Roosevelt's closest
316
00:17:56,583 --> 00:17:58,500
political advisor.
317
00:17:58,625 --> 00:18:03,458
He is in so many ways
Franklin's opposite.
318
00:18:03,583 --> 00:18:06,667
He's small, he's
perpetually dirty,
319
00:18:06,833 --> 00:18:13,417
his hands are blackened from
cigarette ash and newsprint.
320
00:18:13,542 --> 00:18:17,042
And FDR really relied on
Louis Howe as a great confidant,
321
00:18:17,208 --> 00:18:20,792
a great advisor to him.
322
00:18:20,875 --> 00:18:23,542
You want to talk
about being free?
323
00:18:23,667 --> 00:18:25,917
Right now you have the
freedom to do whatever
324
00:18:26,042 --> 00:18:28,167
you want with your career.
325
00:18:28,292 --> 00:18:30,958
Run for office,
build a reputation.
326
00:18:31,083 --> 00:18:33,042
The sky's the limit.
327
00:18:33,167 --> 00:18:36,875
If you do this, if
you leave your wife,
328
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:38,125
there'll be a scandal.
329
00:18:38,250 --> 00:18:39,875
It'll be all over the papers.
330
00:18:40,042 --> 00:18:41,667
You'll have to resign.
331
00:18:41,792 --> 00:18:45,583
I'll survive all that.
332
00:18:45,708 --> 00:18:48,500
Besides, it's Eleanor
who's asking for a divorce.
333
00:18:51,375 --> 00:18:52,375
What about your mother?
334
00:18:55,333 --> 00:19:00,375
You think she'll accept
a divorced Roosevelt?
335
00:19:00,542 --> 00:19:03,667
She's going to cut
you off, disown you.
336
00:19:03,833 --> 00:19:05,917
You'll be on your own.
337
00:19:06,042 --> 00:19:07,250
Think about that, Frank.
338
00:19:07,375 --> 00:19:09,625
Really think about
what that means.
339
00:19:14,375 --> 00:19:19,333
You may be in love, Frank, but
you've got to make a choice.
340
00:19:19,500 --> 00:19:23,292
Do you want to be happy or do
you want to be the president
341
00:19:23,375 --> 00:19:24,500
of the United States?
342
00:19:30,958 --> 00:19:33,583
FDR makes a practical
decision that he will stay
343
00:19:33,708 --> 00:19:37,333
in the marriage so as to
not lose his social status
344
00:19:37,458 --> 00:19:41,958
and his political career, and
Eleanor goes along with it.
345
00:19:42,083 --> 00:19:43,458
I think for the
sake of the family,
346
00:19:43,583 --> 00:19:46,208
divorce was a huge
scandal at that time,
347
00:19:46,375 --> 00:19:49,167
she agreed to stay
with him in marriage.
348
00:19:49,292 --> 00:19:50,625
Evidently they
would never really
349
00:19:50,708 --> 00:19:54,167
have intimate
relationships again.
350
00:19:54,333 --> 00:19:56,750
Shortly after the
affair was discovered,
351
00:19:56,875 --> 00:19:57,917
the war came to an end.
352
00:20:00,583 --> 00:20:03,667
In 1918, the Allies
win World War I,
353
00:20:03,792 --> 00:20:06,917
and the impact was felt
most severely in Europe,
354
00:20:07,042 --> 00:20:11,375
where you're looking at 40
to 50 million casualties.
355
00:20:11,542 --> 00:20:14,167
About half of those are
deaths and about half
356
00:20:14,292 --> 00:20:16,750
of those are wounded.
357
00:20:16,875 --> 00:20:19,667
The Americans come
back from World War I
358
00:20:19,792 --> 00:20:23,042
and they see Europe
descending into violence.
359
00:20:23,167 --> 00:20:26,125
There's outbreaks of
near revolution in most
360
00:20:26,208 --> 00:20:27,417
of the European countries.
361
00:20:27,542 --> 00:20:31,542
And they say, what did we
intervene in this war for?
362
00:20:31,708 --> 00:20:34,292
But at the same time, a lot
of the unsolved problems
363
00:20:34,375 --> 00:20:37,500
of America remain
below the surface.
364
00:20:37,583 --> 00:20:39,667
Men have to return to jobs.
365
00:20:39,792 --> 00:20:42,042
Some of these jobs
are still available.
366
00:20:42,208 --> 00:20:44,917
Some of them aren't.
367
00:20:45,042 --> 00:20:49,750
And labor wars are erupting
all over manufacturing centers
368
00:20:49,875 --> 00:20:51,208
in the United States.
369
00:20:51,333 --> 00:20:54,542
And for returning
African-Americans, what they
370
00:20:54,708 --> 00:20:56,958
discovered was that
the reign of Jim Crow
371
00:20:57,083 --> 00:20:58,875
was even more entrenched.
372
00:21:02,292 --> 00:21:05,458
In 1919, Woodrow Wilson
suffers a terrible stroke
373
00:21:05,542 --> 00:21:07,083
and he's essentially
incapacitated
374
00:21:07,208 --> 00:21:08,708
for the rest of his term.
375
00:21:08,875 --> 00:21:12,417
Franklin's hero Teddy
Roosevelt has recently died,
376
00:21:12,542 --> 00:21:15,250
and Franklin is looking
at what is his next step.
377
00:21:20,417 --> 00:21:22,500
In 1920, women had
just gotten the vote.
378
00:21:25,042 --> 00:21:26,667
FDR was good looking.
379
00:21:26,833 --> 00:21:29,000
The Democrats wanted
a good-looking guy
380
00:21:29,083 --> 00:21:33,042
to run for vice president,
and so FDR got on the ticket
381
00:21:33,208 --> 00:21:37,458
with Governor Cox in Ohio,
the Democratic candidate, who
382
00:21:37,542 --> 00:21:40,917
probably knew he
was going to lose.
383
00:21:41,042 --> 00:21:45,000
For a young Assistant
Secretary of the Navy to leap
384
00:21:45,167 --> 00:21:48,750
from that job to the national
ticket as candidate for vice
385
00:21:48,875 --> 00:21:51,667
president, this was
the gift of all times,
386
00:21:51,750 --> 00:21:54,875
because Roosevelt knew
that even if Cox lost,
387
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,250
FDR would be a well-known
presidential figure
388
00:21:58,375 --> 00:22:00,667
of the future.
389
00:22:00,792 --> 00:22:03,917
This is also a moment when
Eleanor emerges as something
390
00:22:04,042 --> 00:22:07,333
of a political observer,
because Louis Howe,
391
00:22:07,458 --> 00:22:11,042
FDR's political advisor, has
Eleanor traveling with him
392
00:22:11,208 --> 00:22:14,500
on the train on this
whistle stop tour.
393
00:22:14,625 --> 00:22:18,292
The 1920 campaign is
Franklin Roosevelt traveling
394
00:22:18,375 --> 00:22:20,250
the country, places
he's never been,
395
00:22:20,375 --> 00:22:23,333
giving speech after speech,
thousands of speeches
396
00:22:23,458 --> 00:22:24,833
over the course of three months.
397
00:22:24,958 --> 00:22:25,875
So he can try things.
398
00:22:26,042 --> 00:22:27,125
He can be bold.
399
00:22:27,208 --> 00:22:31,375
He can really test his message
and evolve and improve.
400
00:22:31,500 --> 00:22:33,500
It's all the skills that
he's going to need later
401
00:22:33,583 --> 00:22:35,208
on in his political career.
402
00:22:35,375 --> 00:22:37,625
It's the perfect
testing ground for him.
403
00:22:37,708 --> 00:22:42,875
He's learning what works and
that he genuinely liked people.
404
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:50,833
I am certain that America
will choose the path of progress
405
00:22:50,958 --> 00:22:57,333
and set aside the
doctrines of despair.
406
00:22:57,417 --> 00:23:01,667
May the guiding
spirit of our land
407
00:23:01,750 --> 00:23:08,500
keep our feet on the broad road
that leads to a better tomorrow
408
00:23:08,667 --> 00:23:14,042
and gives us the
strength to carry on.
409
00:23:14,208 --> 00:23:15,625
[applause]
410
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,000
What do you think?
411
00:23:21,167 --> 00:23:22,000
Me?
412
00:23:22,083 --> 00:23:22,833
Yes, you.
413
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,000
Do you like the speech?
414
00:23:25,167 --> 00:23:26,667
It was good.
415
00:23:26,792 --> 00:23:28,042
You think it could
have been better?
416
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,125
It was a little vague.
417
00:23:33,208 --> 00:23:34,000
Yeah?
418
00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:41,708
Well, I suppose he should
consider his audience.
419
00:23:41,875 --> 00:23:45,167
I imagine that people
from farms and small towns
420
00:23:45,333 --> 00:23:49,292
might feel rather distant from
what happens in Washington
421
00:23:49,375 --> 00:23:52,292
or New York City.
422
00:23:52,375 --> 00:23:56,875
People want to feel special.
423
00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:59,792
They want to know that
they've been understood.
424
00:24:04,208 --> 00:24:06,167
What is it?
425
00:24:06,292 --> 00:24:09,000
Maybe I have the
wrong candidate.
426
00:24:09,167 --> 00:24:12,500
Don't be so ridiculous.
427
00:24:12,625 --> 00:24:16,167
Eleanor Roosevelt had a
comfort with everyday people,
428
00:24:16,292 --> 00:24:19,708
an ability to connect to
people who were really living
429
00:24:19,833 --> 00:24:22,667
at the very margins
of American society,
430
00:24:22,833 --> 00:24:27,375
and so Eleanor Roosevelt is key
in the presidential campaign
431
00:24:27,542 --> 00:24:31,125
of 1920.
432
00:24:31,208 --> 00:24:33,708
Eleanor becomes more involved,
but it's also important
433
00:24:33,875 --> 00:24:38,583
because FDR now starts listening
to Eleanor in a different way.
434
00:24:41,167 --> 00:24:43,208
James Cox loses.
435
00:24:43,333 --> 00:24:45,208
It was a disaster
for the Democrats,
436
00:24:45,375 --> 00:24:48,333
but Roosevelt comes out,
he's now this national figure
437
00:24:48,458 --> 00:24:50,375
and everybody knows
him, and he is
438
00:24:50,500 --> 00:24:52,167
seen as one of the most
appealing Democrats
439
00:24:52,292 --> 00:24:53,083
in the country.
440
00:24:55,917 --> 00:24:59,000
In the summer, after the
Democrats lose the election,
441
00:24:59,125 --> 00:25:01,958
FDR is deeply involved with
the Boy Scouts of America
442
00:25:02,042 --> 00:25:05,333
and he goes to the jamboree that
they're having in upstate New
443
00:25:05,417 --> 00:25:06,708
York.
444
00:25:06,875 --> 00:25:09,292
He then continues on up to
his family's vacation home up
445
00:25:09,417 --> 00:25:10,458
in Campobello.
446
00:25:15,792 --> 00:25:18,417
What's all this yelling about?
447
00:25:18,542 --> 00:25:19,292
Come on.
448
00:25:19,417 --> 00:25:20,542
Dinner is ready.
449
00:25:20,667 --> 00:25:23,833
August of 1921 was going
to be this rare treat
450
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:28,042
for an extended family
holiday, and in the end
451
00:25:28,208 --> 00:25:29,208
they got one day.
452
00:25:29,333 --> 00:25:30,125
Franklin?
453
00:25:35,417 --> 00:25:37,208
Franklin?
454
00:25:37,333 --> 00:25:38,042
Are you all right?
455
00:25:51,583 --> 00:25:53,625
All right, let's
try the left one.
456
00:26:02,542 --> 00:26:04,792
That's fine.
457
00:26:04,917 --> 00:26:08,875
Mr. Roosevelt, you've
contracted infantile paralysis.
458
00:26:15,375 --> 00:26:16,167
Polio.
459
00:26:19,458 --> 00:26:22,667
I don't believe it.
460
00:26:22,792 --> 00:26:25,500
Polio is contagious, isn't it?
461
00:26:25,583 --> 00:26:28,000
Should we be worried
about the children?
462
00:26:28,125 --> 00:26:30,708
Your husband's been
sick for weeks already.
463
00:26:30,833 --> 00:26:31,833
If they were going
to get it, they
464
00:26:31,958 --> 00:26:33,083
would have gotten it by now.
465
00:26:36,167 --> 00:26:36,917
This can't be right.
466
00:26:41,083 --> 00:26:44,333
FDR got sick in 1921, and
it was a mysterious disease.
467
00:26:44,458 --> 00:26:46,167
They didn't really
know what caused it.
468
00:26:46,333 --> 00:26:48,917
They didn't know how to cure it.
469
00:26:49,042 --> 00:26:51,875
It seemed to affect children,
which, of course, is
470
00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:53,333
terrifying.
471
00:26:53,458 --> 00:26:55,833
When this strange
new disease spread
472
00:26:55,958 --> 00:26:58,833
throughout American cities
in the first decades
473
00:26:58,958 --> 00:27:03,042
of the 20th century, it's
terrifying to people.
474
00:27:03,167 --> 00:27:05,792
There were 6,000 deaths
in the United States,
475
00:27:05,875 --> 00:27:09,500
2,000 in New York City
alone, and tens of thousands
476
00:27:09,667 --> 00:27:12,083
of children who are
infected with it.
477
00:27:12,208 --> 00:27:15,625
It was very much seen
as a children's disease,
478
00:27:15,708 --> 00:27:18,250
not something a
healthy, vigorous adult
479
00:27:18,375 --> 00:27:19,583
would have to worry about.
480
00:27:24,750 --> 00:27:25,750
What can I do?
481
00:27:28,583 --> 00:27:31,417
Nothing.
482
00:27:31,542 --> 00:27:32,292
It's fine, Babs.
483
00:27:36,208 --> 00:27:37,125
Everything will be fine.
484
00:27:41,208 --> 00:27:44,333
When Franklin Roosevelt
is struck down by polio,
485
00:27:44,500 --> 00:27:46,667
he is 39 years old.
486
00:27:46,750 --> 00:27:49,708
He never walks again unaided.
487
00:27:49,833 --> 00:27:54,292
He goes from being totally
in control of everything
488
00:27:54,417 --> 00:27:58,000
to being dependent at all times.
489
00:27:58,167 --> 00:28:01,625
FDR felt physical pain,
and worse than physical pain,
490
00:28:01,708 --> 00:28:04,208
terror, the terror
of never knowing
491
00:28:04,333 --> 00:28:05,708
if you're going to walk again.
492
00:28:05,833 --> 00:28:07,833
Here's a guy with enormous
political ambitions,
493
00:28:07,958 --> 00:28:10,167
he's got a large
family, everybody's
494
00:28:10,250 --> 00:28:12,000
expecting great things
from him, and he's
495
00:28:12,125 --> 00:28:15,750
lying in a darkened
room and he can't move.
496
00:28:15,875 --> 00:28:19,958
He fell into a deep depression
upon discovering that he no
497
00:28:20,042 --> 00:28:23,250
longer had the use of his legs.
498
00:28:23,375 --> 00:28:27,833
In those days, people
weren't used to seeing folks
499
00:28:27,917 --> 00:28:28,833
with disabilities.
500
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,167
They didn't see
people in wheelchairs.
501
00:28:31,250 --> 00:28:35,083
And he feared that his
public life was over.
502
00:28:37,833 --> 00:28:39,125
In the beginning
they weren't even sure
503
00:28:39,208 --> 00:28:41,833
that he could recover
the upper body,
504
00:28:41,958 --> 00:28:43,667
but he did everything he could.
505
00:28:43,792 --> 00:28:46,750
He experimented with every
new gadget that came along
506
00:28:46,875 --> 00:28:49,792
that might help him walk better,
and that's what he would do
507
00:28:49,875 --> 00:28:51,000
when he becomes a leader.
508
00:28:51,125 --> 00:28:52,167
I'm going to experiment
with this one.
509
00:28:52,292 --> 00:28:53,875
If it doesn't work,
I'm going to admit it,
510
00:28:54,042 --> 00:28:56,917
and then I'll try
something else.
511
00:28:57,042 --> 00:29:01,833
FDR's effort in the wake of
polio is to remake himself,
512
00:29:01,917 --> 00:29:04,167
and against the advice of many
of his friends and family,
513
00:29:04,292 --> 00:29:06,958
including his mother, to
not retire to Hyde Park
514
00:29:07,083 --> 00:29:10,417
and live as a country gentleman
but to get back into politics
515
00:29:10,542 --> 00:29:12,500
and back into leadership.
516
00:29:12,625 --> 00:29:14,917
His experience of
being paralyzed
517
00:29:15,042 --> 00:29:19,208
gave him a sense of setting
one's mind to achieve goals,
518
00:29:19,333 --> 00:29:21,667
and understanding how
to overcome adversity
519
00:29:21,792 --> 00:29:23,375
becomes a key part
of his makeup.
520
00:29:27,042 --> 00:29:31,083
In 1924, Al Smith, a
fairly powerful politician
521
00:29:31,208 --> 00:29:35,000
in New York, asked FDR to become
the chairman of his campaign
522
00:29:35,125 --> 00:29:36,958
for president committee,
and then asked
523
00:29:37,042 --> 00:29:39,667
FDR to place his
name in nomination
524
00:29:39,750 --> 00:29:42,792
at the Democratic
National Convention.
525
00:29:42,917 --> 00:29:44,833
FDR was taking a big gamble.
526
00:29:44,917 --> 00:29:48,833
The gamble was that he
could appear in public,
527
00:29:48,958 --> 00:29:52,167
give a stirring speech
nominating Al Smith,
528
00:29:52,292 --> 00:29:55,750
and look like someone who
is in no way being held back
529
00:29:55,875 --> 00:29:59,542
by the fact that
he had had polio.
530
00:29:59,667 --> 00:30:02,250
Giving a speech on
the convention floor
531
00:30:02,375 --> 00:30:09,250
means Franklin needs to somehow
move across a stage apparently
532
00:30:09,375 --> 00:30:10,958
walking.
533
00:30:11,042 --> 00:30:13,833
This was not something
that he could do.
534
00:30:13,917 --> 00:30:17,750
He had these
incredibly heavy braces.
535
00:30:17,875 --> 00:30:21,708
It was excruciating
to just take a step.
536
00:30:21,833 --> 00:30:24,583
And yet he would practice
day after day after day.
537
00:30:24,708 --> 00:30:26,667
He would have his
son hold him and then
538
00:30:26,750 --> 00:30:29,000
he would have his
braces locked in place.
539
00:30:29,125 --> 00:30:30,875
He wasn't sure that
he could do it.
540
00:30:43,917 --> 00:30:44,792
That's 15 feet.
541
00:30:44,875 --> 00:30:47,917
It's the distance
to the podium.
542
00:30:48,042 --> 00:30:50,875
It doesn't seem so far.
543
00:30:51,042 --> 00:30:52,958
Can't we just wheel
Pa onto the platform?
544
00:30:53,083 --> 00:30:56,708
I walk or I back
out altogether.
545
00:30:56,875 --> 00:30:58,958
All right, now let's
give it a shot.
546
00:31:22,375 --> 00:31:23,667
Pa!
547
00:31:23,750 --> 00:31:25,250
[groans]
548
00:31:28,583 --> 00:31:29,375
I'm all right.
549
00:31:34,625 --> 00:31:35,375
Again.
550
00:31:51,875 --> 00:31:54,125
Want a break?
551
00:31:54,250 --> 00:31:59,500
No, it's just I need
to be able to walk alone.
552
00:32:03,333 --> 00:32:04,875
Elliott, grab me
the other crutch.
553
00:32:08,458 --> 00:32:09,167
That's a good boy.
554
00:32:45,167 --> 00:32:46,583
NEWSREADER: There never
was a political convention
555
00:32:46,708 --> 00:32:49,542
to match the Democratic
National gathering in 1924
556
00:32:49,667 --> 00:32:52,792
in New York with
drama and color.
557
00:32:52,875 --> 00:32:54,458
Imagine the scene.
558
00:32:54,583 --> 00:32:57,625
Thousands of people
packing this auditorium
559
00:32:57,708 --> 00:33:00,000
at Madison Square Garden.
560
00:33:00,125 --> 00:33:03,333
It took extraordinary
courage, and if he fell,
561
00:33:03,500 --> 00:33:06,917
it could really end his hopes
of going into public life.
562
00:33:07,042 --> 00:33:09,000
It would be a huge
humiliation, an embarrassment,
563
00:33:09,083 --> 00:33:11,167
and yet he dared.
564
00:33:11,250 --> 00:33:18,208
And now please welcome
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
565
00:33:18,375 --> 00:33:19,333
of New York.
566
00:33:19,458 --> 00:33:21,208
[applause]
567
00:33:44,958 --> 00:33:48,333
We forgot to check the podium.
568
00:33:48,458 --> 00:33:49,417
What do you mean?
569
00:33:49,542 --> 00:33:50,833
Someone needs to make
sure it's strong enough
570
00:33:50,958 --> 00:33:51,667
to support him.
571
00:34:08,708 --> 00:34:11,708
Joe, do me a favor
and shake the podium.
572
00:34:11,833 --> 00:34:15,500
Give it a shake now, will you?
573
00:34:15,583 --> 00:34:18,417
Good.
574
00:34:18,542 --> 00:34:20,000
[applause]
575
00:34:44,250 --> 00:34:47,167
And when he got to the
podium, he gripped that podium
576
00:34:47,333 --> 00:34:49,167
so hard that his
hand was shaking
577
00:34:49,292 --> 00:34:52,833
and his knuckles were white,
and yet he wore a huge smile.
578
00:35:03,875 --> 00:35:12,292
It gives me great pleasure to
meet again so many friends whom
579
00:35:12,375 --> 00:35:17,333
I have not seen since the last
Democratic National gathering.
580
00:35:17,458 --> 00:35:18,625
[applause]
581
00:35:19,875 --> 00:35:26,417
America needs a pathfinder,
a blazer of the trail
582
00:35:26,542 --> 00:35:32,250
to the high road, to
stand upon the ramparts
583
00:35:32,375 --> 00:35:36,500
and die for our principles.
584
00:35:36,667 --> 00:35:42,667
We offer one who
has the will to win,
585
00:35:42,833 --> 00:35:50,333
who not only deserves
success but commands it.
586
00:35:50,417 --> 00:35:57,500
The happy warrior,
Alfred E. Smith.
587
00:35:57,625 --> 00:35:59,583
[applause]
588
00:36:21,042 --> 00:36:21,875
The whole place erupts.
589
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:30,750
And when he describes Alfred
Smith as the happy warrior,
590
00:36:30,875 --> 00:36:34,000
it's really he who comes
off as the happy warrior,
591
00:36:34,083 --> 00:36:36,417
and by the end of
the convention,
592
00:36:36,542 --> 00:36:41,083
the press about his
speech is glowing
593
00:36:41,208 --> 00:36:43,333
and he has put himself
back on the map
594
00:36:43,500 --> 00:36:47,000
as a possible future
presidential contender.
595
00:36:47,125 --> 00:36:48,958
There was that great
sense of accomplishment.
596
00:36:49,042 --> 00:36:51,208
I think this was a
huge moment for him.
597
00:36:51,333 --> 00:36:53,667
He comes home that night
and he said, we did it.
598
00:36:53,833 --> 00:36:56,000
I did it.
599
00:36:56,125 --> 00:36:57,750
After the success
of the convention,
600
00:36:57,875 --> 00:37:01,167
FDR absolutely is committed
to recovering from polio,
601
00:37:01,250 --> 00:37:03,792
to being able to walk
again, to continuing
602
00:37:03,875 --> 00:37:04,917
his political career.
603
00:37:07,500 --> 00:37:09,500
His good friend
George Foster Peabody
604
00:37:09,667 --> 00:37:13,000
tells him about this
resort down in Georgia that
605
00:37:13,125 --> 00:37:18,667
has a reputation for miraculous
cures for polio survivors,
606
00:37:18,792 --> 00:37:22,708
and he feels that, OK, now I
finally have a path forward.
607
00:37:25,375 --> 00:37:27,542
1924, Franklin
makes his first trip
608
00:37:27,667 --> 00:37:31,208
to Warm Springs with
his personal valet
609
00:37:31,333 --> 00:37:32,542
and with Missy LeHand.
610
00:37:35,417 --> 00:37:36,667
Missy LeHand was
initially hired
611
00:37:36,750 --> 00:37:40,375
to help with the vise
presidential campaign in 1920.
612
00:37:40,500 --> 00:37:44,542
She was also this wise cracking,
extremely confident Irish girl
613
00:37:44,708 --> 00:37:48,667
from Boston, who didn't
take crap from anybody.
614
00:37:48,792 --> 00:37:51,000
She was as close
to a chief of staff
615
00:37:51,083 --> 00:37:53,792
as you can be in those days when
women weren't allowed to hold
616
00:37:53,875 --> 00:37:55,250
those kinds of positions.
617
00:38:00,333 --> 00:38:03,333
In the fall of 1924,
Franklin is swimming around
618
00:38:03,458 --> 00:38:07,292
in the water at Warm Springs,
and it does feel magical.
619
00:38:07,375 --> 00:38:10,917
He feels this power that
he hasn't felt at any point
620
00:38:11,042 --> 00:38:14,833
since his polio infection.
621
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:18,250
Franklin decides, you know
what, I can use this resort
622
00:38:18,375 --> 00:38:22,333
to benefit all polio
survivors, and he purchases it
623
00:38:22,417 --> 00:38:25,375
with about 50% of
his entire net worth
624
00:38:25,500 --> 00:38:28,667
and transforms it into the
preeminent rehabilitation
625
00:38:28,792 --> 00:38:29,667
center in the world.
626
00:38:34,875 --> 00:38:38,208
He becomes a leader among
the polio patients there.
627
00:38:38,333 --> 00:38:39,833
He was their camp counselor.
628
00:38:39,958 --> 00:38:43,583
He was Doc Roosevelt. He would
exercise with them in the pool,
629
00:38:43,708 --> 00:38:46,417
and he made them feel that they
had a purpose again in life.
630
00:38:46,542 --> 00:38:49,667
He made them feel that
they could have joy in life
631
00:38:49,792 --> 00:38:53,125
once again, and experiencing
that kind of leadership
632
00:38:53,208 --> 00:38:55,250
really made him feel,
I can be a leader.
633
00:38:55,375 --> 00:38:57,083
It doesn't matter if
I can't walk again.
634
00:38:57,208 --> 00:38:57,958
I can do this.
635
00:39:03,708 --> 00:39:06,917
The area around
Warm Springs was poor.
636
00:39:07,042 --> 00:39:10,667
It was poor white people
and poor Black people,
637
00:39:10,750 --> 00:39:12,542
and that was a
good thing for him
638
00:39:12,667 --> 00:39:15,083
to see how the other half lived.
639
00:39:15,208 --> 00:39:18,792
He was sensitive
to their suffering.
640
00:39:18,875 --> 00:39:22,500
And he would drive
all around the area.
641
00:39:22,625 --> 00:39:24,250
When he talked to
the local farmers,
642
00:39:24,375 --> 00:39:26,333
he could see that they
had no running water.
643
00:39:26,458 --> 00:39:27,250
They had no electricity.
644
00:39:27,375 --> 00:39:29,417
They had no food
to eat sometimes.
645
00:39:29,542 --> 00:39:34,500
And he understood what it
would do to your daily lives.
646
00:39:34,625 --> 00:39:37,458
Warm Springs is really the path
that leads to his leadership.
647
00:39:37,542 --> 00:39:39,667
That's the place where he
truly found a deeper sense
648
00:39:39,792 --> 00:39:43,500
of purpose, not just
wanting a series of titles
649
00:39:43,583 --> 00:39:46,500
to become a politician,
but wanting to do something
650
00:39:46,625 --> 00:39:49,250
with that leadership where you
could make people feel that you
651
00:39:49,375 --> 00:39:51,667
would change their lives.
652
00:39:51,750 --> 00:39:54,333
In the '20s, while Franklin
Roosevelt is recovering
653
00:39:54,417 --> 00:39:56,417
and plotting his comeback
into public life,
654
00:39:56,542 --> 00:40:00,500
it just seems America's
soaring into prominence.
655
00:40:00,625 --> 00:40:03,833
America is fast becoming the
world's dominant economy.
656
00:40:06,875 --> 00:40:10,625
And it's a time of tremendous
economic growth and also
657
00:40:10,750 --> 00:40:14,333
profound cultural changes.
658
00:40:14,417 --> 00:40:16,500
Investments are
through the roof,
659
00:40:16,625 --> 00:40:19,083
and it seems like the good
times are here and here to stay
660
00:40:19,208 --> 00:40:23,500
and that everybody's going
to make bank in the 1920s.
661
00:40:23,625 --> 00:40:27,667
It feels at one point like
money is falling from trees.
662
00:40:27,750 --> 00:40:30,958
The roaring '20s is
described as euphoric.
663
00:40:31,042 --> 00:40:35,333
Lip rouge, cigarettes,
and silk stockings
664
00:40:35,458 --> 00:40:37,667
were no longer the
sine of a hussy.
665
00:40:37,792 --> 00:40:40,958
LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR: People are
engaging in decadent behavior.
666
00:40:41,042 --> 00:40:43,000
Social mores are changing.
667
00:40:43,125 --> 00:40:45,333
Hemlines are getting shorter.
668
00:40:45,500 --> 00:40:46,958
People are buying stock.
669
00:40:47,042 --> 00:40:49,500
They're borrowing to
buy stock, but there's
670
00:40:49,583 --> 00:40:52,500
this kind of giddy
euphoria that seizes really
671
00:40:52,625 --> 00:40:53,750
the whole country.
672
00:40:53,875 --> 00:40:56,583
There's a sense in
America in the late 1920s
673
00:40:56,708 --> 00:41:00,000
that the party's
never going to end.
674
00:41:00,083 --> 00:41:01,167
But it all crashes.
675
00:41:05,917 --> 00:41:09,542
1928, Al Smith's going
to run for president again,
676
00:41:09,667 --> 00:41:12,792
but he still has
plans for Franklin.
677
00:41:12,875 --> 00:41:16,292
He's governor of New York, and
if he's going to be president,
678
00:41:16,375 --> 00:41:18,167
he wants Franklin
Roosevelt to take over
679
00:41:18,292 --> 00:41:19,667
as governor of New York.
680
00:41:22,083 --> 00:41:23,917
Al Smith was also sort
of thinking, well,
681
00:41:24,042 --> 00:41:26,417
if I lose the presidency,
then, you know,
682
00:41:26,542 --> 00:41:29,042
FDR would just be a
puppet and I'll still
683
00:41:29,208 --> 00:41:35,833
be power behind the throne as
the ex-governor of New York.
684
00:41:35,958 --> 00:41:37,792
When Roosevelt agreed
to run for governor
685
00:41:37,875 --> 00:41:40,792
of New York in 1928,
it was something
686
00:41:40,875 --> 00:41:42,833
of a testing of the waters.
687
00:41:42,917 --> 00:41:46,000
He wanted to know if he had the
energy to be the kind of leader
688
00:41:46,125 --> 00:41:52,542
he had been before, and it
turned out that the Roosevelt
689
00:41:52,708 --> 00:41:56,542
political skills, the ability
to tell a story, the ability
690
00:41:56,708 --> 00:41:59,833
to convey a vision, that was
still there, and in some ways
691
00:41:59,917 --> 00:42:02,125
it was more persuasive
than before.
692
00:42:02,250 --> 00:42:06,083
He seemed to be a deeper soul.
693
00:42:06,208 --> 00:42:10,375
He had the maturity of having
suffered through hard times.
694
00:42:10,500 --> 00:42:14,667
As it happened, Smith
loses the presidency,
695
00:42:14,792 --> 00:42:18,333
but Roosevelt wins
the governorship.
696
00:42:18,458 --> 00:42:21,917
Al Smith also thought that FDR
was a lightweight whom he could
697
00:42:22,042 --> 00:42:22,750
control.
698
00:42:31,375 --> 00:42:32,708
"New York Times"
wants to know,
699
00:42:32,833 --> 00:42:35,333
should they refer to you as
Governor Roosevelt or Governor
700
00:42:35,500 --> 00:42:36,417
Franklin Roosevelt?
701
00:42:36,542 --> 00:42:41,792
Governor Franklin
D. Roosevelt.
702
00:42:41,917 --> 00:42:47,125
Oh, by the way, remember, Al
Smith is still waiting for you.
703
00:42:47,250 --> 00:42:50,625
Al, good to see you.
704
00:42:50,750 --> 00:42:53,042
Thought I'd stop by and
hand over your speech.
705
00:42:59,042 --> 00:43:04,083
I'm sure this is swell, but
I've already written my speech.
706
00:43:12,500 --> 00:43:17,083
You know, Frank, you
should take it easy.
707
00:43:17,208 --> 00:43:19,042
Let me handle things.
708
00:43:19,167 --> 00:43:22,542
I actually think I can
do some good up here.
709
00:43:22,708 --> 00:43:24,167
Well, that's funny.
710
00:43:24,292 --> 00:43:27,542
You didn't even want to run.
711
00:43:27,708 --> 00:43:30,958
Yet here I am.
712
00:43:31,042 --> 00:43:33,958
And that's my chair
you're sitting in.
713
00:43:34,042 --> 00:43:37,333
This isn't about
whose chair it is.
714
00:43:37,417 --> 00:43:41,042
This is about doing my duty
to the people of New York.
715
00:43:41,208 --> 00:43:45,667
Now, I've got a pile
of problems left over
716
00:43:45,792 --> 00:43:49,708
from your administration,
so if you'll excuse me,
717
00:43:49,875 --> 00:43:51,208
I've got a lot of work to do.
718
00:44:08,125 --> 00:44:12,375
Roosevelt was elected
governor in 1928,
719
00:44:12,542 --> 00:44:16,667
and he is following his
plan just like Uncle Teddy.
720
00:44:16,750 --> 00:44:18,708
He's been in the state
legislature, Assistant
721
00:44:18,875 --> 00:44:24,083
Secretary of the Navy, and
now governor of New York.
722
00:44:24,208 --> 00:44:29,875
But suddenly comes the
stock market crash.
723
00:44:30,042 --> 00:44:32,000
NEWSREADER: The tremendous
crowds, which you see gathered
724
00:44:32,125 --> 00:44:35,708
outside the Stock Exchange,
are due to the greatest crash
725
00:44:35,875 --> 00:44:37,750
in the history of the
New York Stock Exchange
726
00:44:37,875 --> 00:44:40,167
in market prices.
727
00:44:40,333 --> 00:44:43,792
The stock market crashed in
1929 because Americans believed
728
00:44:43,875 --> 00:44:45,125
in fairy tales.
729
00:44:45,250 --> 00:44:47,625
People get invested
with unreasonable
730
00:44:47,708 --> 00:44:50,833
hope that they can keep on
making money for nothing.
731
00:44:50,958 --> 00:44:53,042
When it crashed, it
took down millionaires,
732
00:44:53,208 --> 00:44:56,667
but it also took down plumbers,
carpenters, manufacturing
733
00:44:56,833 --> 00:44:59,333
workers, farmers,
and many others.
734
00:44:59,417 --> 00:45:00,667
And there's a lot of fear.
735
00:45:00,792 --> 00:45:02,000
People are worried.
736
00:45:02,125 --> 00:45:04,000
They're worried about
a lot of things.
737
00:45:04,125 --> 00:45:08,958
And what follows is a steadily
worsening economic situation
738
00:45:09,042 --> 00:45:12,500
with high unemployment and
then sky high unemployment.
739
00:45:12,583 --> 00:45:15,500
Business failures,
bank failures.
740
00:45:15,667 --> 00:45:16,792
It's a real crisis.
741
00:45:23,167 --> 00:45:26,583
And the mood of
the country, 1929 on
742
00:45:26,708 --> 00:45:29,458
forward is one of
bleakness and despair.
743
00:45:33,208 --> 00:45:35,167
And at the beginning of
the Great Depression,
744
00:45:35,292 --> 00:45:37,333
we have a president,
Herbert Hoover,
745
00:45:37,458 --> 00:45:40,125
who firmly believes that
it's not the government's job
746
00:45:40,208 --> 00:45:43,583
to take care of the
American people.
747
00:45:43,708 --> 00:45:46,708
He says, this is the
job of aid societies,
748
00:45:46,875 --> 00:45:48,833
the Red Cross and food banks.
749
00:45:51,292 --> 00:45:53,750
But as governor of
New York, FDR says,
750
00:45:53,875 --> 00:45:57,000
this is a unique and
tragic circumstance
751
00:45:57,167 --> 00:45:58,875
and the government
has to do something
752
00:45:59,042 --> 00:46:01,875
to help the people
who are suffering.
753
00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:04,750
FDR believed in bold
experimentation.
754
00:46:04,875 --> 00:46:07,542
He would try anything, and
he would say repeatedly,
755
00:46:07,708 --> 00:46:08,708
try something.
756
00:46:08,833 --> 00:46:10,083
If it doesn't work,
try something else,
757
00:46:10,208 --> 00:46:12,208
but do something.
758
00:46:12,333 --> 00:46:15,375
He understood that the
nation was in crisis.
759
00:46:15,500 --> 00:46:18,333
And so some leaders would
think that that was the moment
760
00:46:18,417 --> 00:46:21,000
to be timid, but he understood
that this was a call
761
00:46:21,167 --> 00:46:22,208
to be bold.
762
00:46:22,333 --> 00:46:25,333
So he brought in academics
to talk to him, to help
763
00:46:25,500 --> 00:46:28,083
him explain what was going on.
764
00:46:28,208 --> 00:46:30,542
This was somewhat of
a radical proposal,
765
00:46:30,708 --> 00:46:33,375
because most politicians, they
brought in political advisors,
766
00:46:33,542 --> 00:46:38,292
not academics, and they were
nicknamed the Brains Trust.
767
00:46:38,375 --> 00:46:41,333
I'm sure you're
wondering why you're here.
768
00:46:41,458 --> 00:46:43,167
I need your help.
769
00:46:43,250 --> 00:46:45,708
I need to know what you know
about the current economic
770
00:46:45,875 --> 00:46:46,750
situation.
771
00:46:51,375 --> 00:46:54,000
Today would be nice.
772
00:46:54,125 --> 00:46:57,167
Some think the decline is
a result of under consumption
773
00:46:57,292 --> 00:46:59,708
and inadequate
demand, and this has
774
00:46:59,875 --> 00:47:02,875
led to a decline in
industrial production
775
00:47:03,042 --> 00:47:06,708
as manufacturers experience
an unintended surplus.
776
00:47:06,833 --> 00:47:10,042
Whoa, whoa, I need you
to speak my language.
777
00:47:10,208 --> 00:47:11,292
Sir?
778
00:47:11,417 --> 00:47:13,542
If I can't understand it,
how are the American people
779
00:47:13,667 --> 00:47:14,833
going to?
780
00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:17,958
The bottom line is, people
are buying less stuff,
781
00:47:18,083 --> 00:47:20,125
so factories are
making less stuff.
782
00:47:20,208 --> 00:47:23,875
And if they're making less,
they don't need as many workers.
783
00:47:24,042 --> 00:47:26,667
And if a man's not
working, he's not buying.
784
00:47:26,833 --> 00:47:29,458
There's your real
problem, unemployment.
785
00:47:33,167 --> 00:47:35,792
Franklin Roosevelt
doesn't read book after book
786
00:47:35,875 --> 00:47:37,667
to learn about a subject.
787
00:47:37,792 --> 00:47:39,583
He listens to people.
788
00:47:39,708 --> 00:47:41,917
He'll ask really
probing questions
789
00:47:42,042 --> 00:47:44,083
and try to get to the heart
of the matter that way.
790
00:47:47,417 --> 00:47:51,042
One thing has never
been clear to me.
791
00:47:51,167 --> 00:47:54,583
If the people are expected to
follow laws and do their duty
792
00:47:54,708 --> 00:47:58,792
to the country, why doesn't the
country have a duty to them?
793
00:47:58,875 --> 00:48:01,833
The country has a
duty to JP Morgan.
794
00:48:01,958 --> 00:48:03,208
[laughter]
795
00:48:03,833 --> 00:48:06,083
That's the problem.
796
00:48:06,208 --> 00:48:08,042
Think about your forgotten man.
797
00:48:08,167 --> 00:48:10,458
Been working his whole life.
798
00:48:10,583 --> 00:48:13,667
Now just when he needs some
help, he's out of luck.
799
00:48:13,750 --> 00:48:16,167
Yeah, but people
don't want handouts.
800
00:48:16,250 --> 00:48:17,833
Well, that's right Frances.
801
00:48:17,958 --> 00:48:19,167
They want jobs.
802
00:48:19,292 --> 00:48:20,792
They want to earn their money.
803
00:48:20,875 --> 00:48:22,917
But there are no jobs.
804
00:48:23,042 --> 00:48:25,667
So we'll create jobs.
805
00:48:25,792 --> 00:48:31,333
FDR is challenging the core
assumption that government has
806
00:48:31,417 --> 00:48:33,792
no role in helping
the common man,
807
00:48:33,917 --> 00:48:36,208
that the government's role is
to help banks and big business,
808
00:48:36,375 --> 00:48:38,958
and he is saying that
the forgotten man is
809
00:48:39,083 --> 00:48:40,333
who the government
should be helping.
810
00:48:40,417 --> 00:48:43,417
This is his motivation for what
he's trying to do in New York
811
00:48:43,542 --> 00:48:44,667
State to provide relief.
812
00:48:44,792 --> 00:48:47,583
More importantly, it forms
the foundation of everything
813
00:48:47,708 --> 00:48:50,625
he does after.
814
00:48:50,708 --> 00:48:52,875
How do you think you're going
to convince Albany to put up
815
00:48:53,042 --> 00:48:53,875
that kind of money?
816
00:48:58,375 --> 00:49:02,500
They can say no
to me, but they
817
00:49:02,625 --> 00:49:04,000
can't say no to the people.
818
00:49:07,208 --> 00:49:10,250
FDR is a great political
leader in a sense
819
00:49:10,375 --> 00:49:13,500
that he understands how to
read the public mood, how
820
00:49:13,667 --> 00:49:15,583
to motivate people.
821
00:49:15,708 --> 00:49:18,375
And FDR realizes
that if he wants
822
00:49:18,500 --> 00:49:21,917
to reach the great masses,
that the radio provides
823
00:49:22,042 --> 00:49:24,167
an incredible
opportunity to do that.
824
00:49:33,083 --> 00:49:37,167
I don't have to tell you
how important the speech is.
825
00:49:37,333 --> 00:49:39,208
Just relax.
826
00:49:39,375 --> 00:49:43,875
Talk just like you're in their
living rooms, because you are.
827
00:49:44,042 --> 00:49:44,958
It's time.
828
00:49:55,167 --> 00:49:58,458
In my judgment, my
friends, my calm judgment,
829
00:49:58,583 --> 00:50:07,167
the nation faces today a more
grave emergency than in 1917.
830
00:50:07,333 --> 00:50:12,833
It has been said that Napoleon
lost the Battle of Waterloo
831
00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:15,542
because he forgot his infantry.
832
00:50:15,667 --> 00:50:19,375
Roosevelt had the perfect
conversational voice, a voice
833
00:50:19,542 --> 00:50:22,542
that seemed intimate, could
make people feel he was talking
834
00:50:22,708 --> 00:50:25,250
directly to them.
835
00:50:25,375 --> 00:50:30,833
The present administration in
Washington provides, I think,
836
00:50:30,958 --> 00:50:33,083
a close parallel.
837
00:50:33,208 --> 00:50:38,458
It has forgotten the infantry
of our economic army,
838
00:50:38,542 --> 00:50:46,833
but I say we must put our faith
once more in the forgotten man
839
00:50:46,958 --> 00:50:51,208
at the bottom of the
economic pyramid.
840
00:50:51,375 --> 00:50:56,500
It is high time to admit,
with courage, that we
841
00:50:56,583 --> 00:51:04,167
are in the midst of an emergency
at least equal to that of war.
842
00:51:04,292 --> 00:51:07,167
Let us mobilize to meet it.
843
00:51:11,708 --> 00:51:14,708
You can't overemphasize
how important this speech is
844
00:51:14,833 --> 00:51:17,167
to his entire career.
845
00:51:17,292 --> 00:51:24,208
When you talk like that, you
sound like a president, Frank.
846
00:51:24,375 --> 00:51:25,833
I don't think you
can escape being
847
00:51:25,917 --> 00:51:28,958
the next Democratic nominee.
848
00:51:29,042 --> 00:51:35,000
If I'm throwing my
hat in, I intend to win.
849
00:51:35,125 --> 00:51:36,583
First we take care
of the opposition.
850
00:51:39,917 --> 00:51:42,167
You know what to do.
851
00:51:42,292 --> 00:51:43,208
Let them have it.
852
00:51:49,292 --> 00:51:50,500
As the New York
governor, Roosevelt
853
00:51:50,625 --> 00:51:55,083
had an opportunity to test
drive ideas at the state level
854
00:51:55,208 --> 00:51:59,708
to see if they work, to
see if they're popular.
855
00:51:59,875 --> 00:52:02,667
Franklin Roosevelt launched
a number of programs.
856
00:52:02,750 --> 00:52:05,292
One of the most famous was
called TERA, the Temporary
857
00:52:05,375 --> 00:52:08,042
Emergency Relief Act, which
put money into the hands
858
00:52:08,167 --> 00:52:09,875
of the unemployed.
859
00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:12,000
And so when he announces
that he's running for president
860
00:52:12,125 --> 00:52:14,375
of United States in
1932, he can point
861
00:52:14,542 --> 00:52:17,708
to a record of accomplishment.
862
00:52:17,833 --> 00:52:20,458
Roosevelt could not have
been better positioned
863
00:52:20,583 --> 00:52:25,042
to get the Democratic
nomination for president.
864
00:52:25,208 --> 00:52:27,292
And he ran against a
president, Herbert Hoover,
865
00:52:27,417 --> 00:52:29,333
very conservative Republican.
866
00:52:29,417 --> 00:52:31,500
We have a perfect
day for this trip,
867
00:52:31,625 --> 00:52:34,042
and I'm very happy to
be going out to Chicago,
868
00:52:34,208 --> 00:52:36,625
and everybody knows the
reason why I'm so happy.
869
00:52:39,333 --> 00:52:41,583
When Roosevelt goes
to the convention
870
00:52:41,708 --> 00:52:44,875
and shows up where no
other nominee had shown up
871
00:52:45,042 --> 00:52:49,000
in the past to accept
the nomination,
872
00:52:49,167 --> 00:52:51,208
this is something
that is unprecedented.
873
00:52:51,333 --> 00:52:56,125
It's because he wants to
make a statement to say,
874
00:52:56,250 --> 00:52:58,917
I've been hobbled by my
physical constraints,
875
00:52:59,042 --> 00:53:01,500
but I'm going to
be your president.
876
00:53:01,625 --> 00:53:08,708
I pledge myself to a New
Deal for the American people.
877
00:53:08,833 --> 00:53:13,208
Give me your help not
to win votes alone
878
00:53:13,333 --> 00:53:19,792
but to win in this
crusade to restore America
879
00:53:19,875 --> 00:53:21,833
to its own people!
880
00:53:22,000 --> 00:53:23,417
[applause]
881
00:53:28,667 --> 00:53:32,708
In that nominating speech,
he says, I pledge a New Deal
882
00:53:32,833 --> 00:53:36,167
for the American people.
883
00:53:36,292 --> 00:53:38,125
He means he's going to
change the relationship
884
00:53:38,250 --> 00:53:40,875
between the federal
government and the common man,
885
00:53:41,042 --> 00:53:42,250
the common woman.
886
00:53:42,375 --> 00:53:46,500
Policy needs to be dominated
by the realities that we
887
00:53:46,583 --> 00:53:52,375
discover and by the national
services that we seek.
888
00:53:52,542 --> 00:53:55,417
Roosevelt was campaigning
on this New Deal.
889
00:53:55,542 --> 00:53:59,875
It was saying that, I as
governor was able to deliver
890
00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:03,000
for the people of my state.
891
00:54:03,167 --> 00:54:07,125
What if we did that
across the country?
892
00:54:07,250 --> 00:54:11,792
It was a campaign of optimism,
of hope about what can be done,
893
00:54:11,917 --> 00:54:14,917
rather than Hoover
saying, I feel your pain,
894
00:54:15,042 --> 00:54:19,083
but we're going to let someone
else manage how we come out
895
00:54:19,208 --> 00:54:21,667
of this.
896
00:54:21,792 --> 00:54:24,542
Herbert Hoover was
completely at a loss
897
00:54:24,708 --> 00:54:27,083
as how to deal with
the Depression.
898
00:54:27,208 --> 00:54:30,167
He believed in laissez-faire,
just let the government step
899
00:54:30,292 --> 00:54:32,292
back.
900
00:54:32,375 --> 00:54:35,333
He was negative,
he was pessimistic.
901
00:54:35,458 --> 00:54:37,333
He refused to acknowledge
that there were things
902
00:54:37,417 --> 00:54:39,667
that the government
should be doing.
903
00:54:39,833 --> 00:54:42,833
He was unlike FDR, who
was confident and vibrant.
904
00:54:42,958 --> 00:54:44,667
Every photograph you
see him in campaigning,
905
00:54:44,833 --> 00:54:46,042
he's standing tall.
906
00:54:46,208 --> 00:54:49,333
He projects absolute optimism
that the American public just
907
00:54:49,458 --> 00:54:52,625
flocked to him.
908
00:54:52,708 --> 00:54:56,792
And he wins the
election in a landslide.
909
00:54:56,917 --> 00:55:00,042
Franklin Roosevelt, he was
elected in an hour of crisis.
910
00:55:00,167 --> 00:55:06,625
Our fundamental economic
infrastructure had fallen apart
911
00:55:06,750 --> 00:55:13,875
and we were only, what, 150
years old at that point.
912
00:55:14,042 --> 00:55:20,458
And then, on January 30th, 1933,
FDR celebrates his birthday,
913
00:55:20,583 --> 00:55:23,500
and Adolf Hitler comes
to power in Germany.
914
00:55:27,917 --> 00:55:34,333
So in that season you have
Hitler and the Depression.
915
00:55:34,458 --> 00:55:36,292
In the 1930s,
people are looking
916
00:55:36,375 --> 00:55:38,167
for solutions to the
problem, not only here,
917
00:55:38,292 --> 00:55:39,000
but also in Europe.
918
00:55:39,083 --> 00:55:41,667
It's a global depression.
919
00:55:41,792 --> 00:55:45,542
In Germany and Italy,
Hitler and Mussolini said,
920
00:55:45,708 --> 00:55:48,375
there's a Great Depression,
people are suffering.
921
00:55:48,500 --> 00:55:51,375
It shows that democracy
is not a great idea.
922
00:55:51,542 --> 00:55:54,167
You need a strong leader
managing the economy
923
00:55:54,333 --> 00:55:56,833
and telling people what to do.
924
00:55:56,958 --> 00:56:00,125
There were many in the United
States who thought, well, maybe
925
00:56:00,250 --> 00:56:04,125
Hitler and Mussolini
have something.
926
00:56:04,250 --> 00:56:07,708
FDR knew enough
about world history
927
00:56:07,875 --> 00:56:12,458
to know that if he as president
did not pretty quickly solve
928
00:56:12,542 --> 00:56:15,042
the Great Depression or at
least give people the idea
929
00:56:15,167 --> 00:56:19,667
that help was on the way, that
they might turn to fascism.
930
00:56:19,833 --> 00:56:23,333
He knew that American
democracy was literally
931
00:56:23,500 --> 00:56:24,875
resting on his shoulders.
932
00:56:28,042 --> 00:56:30,292
Those weeks before he
takes the inauguration are
933
00:56:30,375 --> 00:56:32,000
extraordinarily
filled with panic.
934
00:56:35,583 --> 00:56:38,500
Somebody said to FDR, if you
make this work, if you get
935
00:56:38,625 --> 00:56:41,292
through the Depression, you'll
be one of the great presidents.
936
00:56:41,417 --> 00:56:42,875
If you don't, you'll
be one of the worst.
937
00:56:46,500 --> 00:56:49,000
He said, no, if it doesn't
work, I will be the last.
938
00:56:59,833 --> 00:57:02,125
After Franklin Roosevelt's
landslide victory in November
939
00:57:02,208 --> 00:57:05,500
of 1932, there's this long
period before he's actually
940
00:57:05,625 --> 00:57:10,250
inaugurated in March of
1933, and during this period,
941
00:57:10,375 --> 00:57:13,542
the country is suffering
catastrophic losses.
942
00:57:21,500 --> 00:57:24,708
By 1933, thousands
of banks have failed,
943
00:57:24,833 --> 00:57:27,083
thousands of businesses have
failed, thousands of farms
944
00:57:27,208 --> 00:57:30,292
have been foreclosed upon,
prices have collapsed,
945
00:57:30,375 --> 00:57:32,250
incomes have collapsed.
946
00:57:32,375 --> 00:57:35,458
It is an absolute
economic catastrophe,
947
00:57:35,542 --> 00:57:38,500
and people are experiencing
real suffering.
948
00:57:41,833 --> 00:57:45,500
You seen vast encampments
of homeless people.
949
00:57:45,625 --> 00:57:48,333
They call these Hoovervilles.
950
00:57:48,458 --> 00:57:50,250
It hit old people,
it hit young people,
951
00:57:50,375 --> 00:57:52,292
it hit rural people,
it hit urban people,
952
00:57:52,375 --> 00:57:53,375
and the people were afraid.
953
00:57:53,500 --> 00:57:55,375
They had no idea that
it would ever end.
954
00:57:55,500 --> 00:57:57,833
They couldn't see where
it was going to change.
955
00:57:57,917 --> 00:57:59,875
There was a feeling
of hopelessness,
956
00:58:00,000 --> 00:58:03,500
that people who lost jobs
would never work again,
957
00:58:03,583 --> 00:58:06,375
that their children
would always go hungry.
958
00:58:06,500 --> 00:58:08,917
There was no reason
to believe that it
959
00:58:09,042 --> 00:58:11,125
was going to get better.
960
00:58:11,208 --> 00:58:16,708
The charities in the
United States were bankrupt.
961
00:58:16,833 --> 00:58:22,458
There is no functioning
relief system.
962
00:58:22,542 --> 00:58:24,625
People don't have
money to buy food.
963
00:58:24,708 --> 00:58:27,375
You'd see thousands of people
in breadlines every day
964
00:58:27,542 --> 00:58:30,167
in cities waiting for
handouts for food.
965
00:58:30,292 --> 00:58:33,083
There were many Americans
living like scavengers
966
00:58:33,208 --> 00:58:36,750
in the cities, who would follow
vegetable trucks as they made
967
00:58:36,875 --> 00:58:40,125
their rounds in the hope that
a cabbage or a head of lettuce
968
00:58:40,208 --> 00:58:42,333
would fall off the truck.
969
00:58:42,417 --> 00:58:43,667
Children were malnourished.
970
00:58:43,792 --> 00:58:47,875
They sat glassy-eyed in
classrooms in the schools that
971
00:58:48,000 --> 00:58:49,917
were open.
972
00:58:50,042 --> 00:58:53,667
Immigrants were returning
to their home countries.
973
00:58:53,792 --> 00:58:58,583
100,000 Americans applied
for work in the Soviet Union.
974
00:58:58,708 --> 00:59:02,833
This is how dire the
circumstances were.
975
00:59:02,917 --> 00:59:04,458
And Americans
also were dealing
976
00:59:04,542 --> 00:59:06,708
with a lot of
terrible confusion,
977
00:59:06,833 --> 00:59:11,042
because most Americans are
able to say, but I was honest,
978
00:59:11,167 --> 00:59:14,167
I was hardworking, I was
sober, I pinched my pennies,
979
00:59:14,250 --> 00:59:17,042
I worked really hard
I overcame adversity,
980
00:59:17,167 --> 00:59:19,208
and here I am without
a job, without income,
981
00:59:19,333 --> 00:59:22,833
hungry children, losing
my home, losing my car.
982
00:59:22,917 --> 00:59:23,333
What?
983
00:59:23,417 --> 00:59:24,500
What has happened?
984
00:59:24,625 --> 00:59:28,625
Something has gone
terribly wrong.
985
00:59:28,750 --> 00:59:31,792
Roosevelt realized that
the American people needed
986
00:59:31,917 --> 00:59:34,667
to see that there were people
in Washington who were paying
987
00:59:34,792 --> 00:59:37,542
attention to them, who
were trying to fix things.
988
00:59:37,667 --> 00:59:40,375
I think he recognized
in some sense
989
00:59:40,500 --> 00:59:44,083
that results were important,
but they were less important,
990
00:59:44,208 --> 00:59:46,708
at least in the short
term, than the impression
991
00:59:46,833 --> 00:59:48,667
that he could give that
the government cared,
992
00:59:48,792 --> 00:59:51,458
that Washington cared
about people who lived
993
00:59:51,542 --> 00:59:53,542
in the parts of the
country that were hardest
994
00:59:53,667 --> 00:59:55,083
hit by the Depression.
995
00:59:58,083 --> 00:59:59,958
March 4th, 1933.
996
01:00:00,042 --> 01:00:02,542
FDR is finally going to be
inaugurated as president
997
01:00:02,667 --> 01:00:03,708
of the United States.
998
01:00:03,833 --> 01:00:07,208
400,000 people come out
for this transition.
999
01:00:07,333 --> 01:00:10,792
It was an existential
hour, as important as 1861,
1000
01:00:10,875 --> 01:00:14,167
and what FDR brought is what
Lincoln brought to some extent,
1001
01:00:14,292 --> 01:00:16,875
which was a conviction that
democracy and capitalism must
1002
01:00:17,000 --> 01:00:21,625
survive, but a profound
flexibility on the means
1003
01:00:21,708 --> 01:00:22,917
to achieve those ends.
1004
01:00:23,042 --> 01:00:26,708
He was not ideologically rigid.
1005
01:00:26,833 --> 01:00:31,250
He was a juggler, he
was an improviser,
1006
01:00:31,375 --> 01:00:35,292
and it's what we needed.
1007
01:00:35,375 --> 01:00:39,417
But there's no escaping
the reality of disability
1008
01:00:39,542 --> 01:00:40,833
for Franklin.
1009
01:00:40,958 --> 01:00:42,875
From the moment he
wakes up, someone
1010
01:00:43,000 --> 01:00:44,417
has to pull him out of bed.
1011
01:00:44,542 --> 01:00:45,750
He needs help getting dressed.
1012
01:00:45,875 --> 01:00:48,125
He needs help getting
his braces on.
1013
01:00:50,917 --> 01:00:53,417
Big day.
1014
01:00:53,542 --> 01:00:55,667
That's for sure.
1015
01:00:55,792 --> 01:00:58,500
And his son Jimmy
is his constant source
1016
01:00:58,583 --> 01:01:02,292
of literal physical support, the
person whose arm he leans on.
1017
01:01:09,417 --> 01:01:14,458
I do sometimes wonder
if I'll have the strength
1018
01:01:14,583 --> 01:01:15,292
to do the job.
1019
01:01:19,042 --> 01:01:20,167
You'll do great.
1020
01:01:22,833 --> 01:01:24,542
I know everything
will be fine.
1021
01:01:24,667 --> 01:01:25,292
Don't worry.
1022
01:01:28,167 --> 01:01:29,875
In the 1930s, in
the Great Depression,
1023
01:01:30,000 --> 01:01:31,167
there's a lot of
fear in the air,
1024
01:01:31,292 --> 01:01:33,292
but there's a lot of questions
in the air too about,
1025
01:01:33,375 --> 01:01:34,792
is he up to the task?
1026
01:01:37,542 --> 01:01:38,167
Come here.
1027
01:01:40,833 --> 01:01:41,917
I'll pray for strength.
1028
01:01:44,792 --> 01:01:51,750
I'll pray for guidance to
do the job and do it right.
1029
01:01:55,542 --> 01:01:56,208
I know you will.
1030
01:02:07,375 --> 01:02:10,125
NEWSREADER: The cars proceeded
down toward the Capitol,
1031
01:02:10,208 --> 01:02:12,958
bearing with them the hopes
of the country for a New Deal.
1032
01:02:15,833 --> 01:02:18,917
The Depression was a
tumultuous, complicated period
1033
01:02:19,042 --> 01:02:21,917
of time, but
Franklin Roosevelt's
1034
01:02:22,042 --> 01:02:24,750
fundamental conviction
was that you
1035
01:02:24,875 --> 01:02:28,042
had to show that the
system could respond
1036
01:02:28,208 --> 01:02:32,833
and that therefore the
system was worth defending.
1037
01:02:32,958 --> 01:02:34,917
The fate of democracy
hangs in the balance.
1038
01:02:35,042 --> 01:02:37,333
This is not an understatement.
1039
01:02:37,500 --> 01:02:40,375
This is a moment in which
leadership is vitally
1040
01:02:40,542 --> 01:02:43,667
important.
1041
01:02:43,792 --> 01:02:48,167
This is a day of
national consecration.
1042
01:02:48,250 --> 01:02:55,708
First of all, let me assert my
firm belief that the only thing
1043
01:02:55,833 --> 01:02:59,750
we have to fear is fear itself.
1044
01:03:02,500 --> 01:03:08,000
This nation asks for
action, and action now.
1045
01:03:10,875 --> 01:03:16,000
The people of the United
States have not failed.
1046
01:03:16,125 --> 01:03:23,167
In their need they want
direct, vigorous action.
1047
01:03:23,250 --> 01:03:24,750
[applause]
1048
01:03:32,042 --> 01:03:34,583
His first inaugural, he
talks about how we cannot let
1049
01:03:34,708 --> 01:03:38,458
the Depression paralyze our
efforts or convert advance
1050
01:03:38,583 --> 01:03:39,792
into retreat.
1051
01:03:39,875 --> 01:03:42,000
I've always thought it was
fascinating that he used
1052
01:03:42,167 --> 01:03:47,292
the word paralyze, and I don't
know how conscious it was,
1053
01:03:47,417 --> 01:03:53,708
but it was a sign that he
saw the world as motion,
1054
01:03:53,875 --> 01:03:58,917
and he no longer
could move literally,
1055
01:03:59,042 --> 01:04:02,792
so he would use all of his
energies to help the country
1056
01:04:02,917 --> 01:04:05,333
move figuratively.
1057
01:04:11,167 --> 01:04:14,667
He sets up a expectation
for the American public
1058
01:04:14,833 --> 01:04:16,333
that you have to help me.
1059
01:04:16,458 --> 01:04:19,042
If you want to get through this
problem, I can do some things,
1060
01:04:19,167 --> 01:04:21,875
but you have to do other things.
1061
01:04:22,000 --> 01:04:23,917
And the most important
thing he did was to say,
1062
01:04:24,042 --> 01:04:26,750
the people are not responsible
for this depression.
1063
01:04:26,875 --> 01:04:30,000
The failure of leadership
is responsible,
1064
01:04:30,167 --> 01:04:33,167
and I am here to
give that leadership.
1065
01:04:33,292 --> 01:04:35,333
And with that leadership,
there would be hope.
1066
01:04:35,458 --> 01:04:38,000
There would be jobs.
1067
01:04:38,083 --> 01:04:41,208
Here is this paralyzed man who
was making the people who feel
1068
01:04:41,333 --> 01:04:43,708
paralyzed feel hope once again.
1069
01:04:43,833 --> 01:04:47,042
And he said, we need action
and we need action right now.
1070
01:04:47,167 --> 01:04:49,500
And if the Congress will
not give me what I need,
1071
01:04:49,625 --> 01:04:51,833
I will use the broad
powers of the executive
1072
01:04:52,000 --> 01:04:53,208
as if we were at a war.
1073
01:05:04,208 --> 01:05:07,750
It wasn't quite clear
what he was going to do,
1074
01:05:07,875 --> 01:05:10,250
but in that period he
and his brain trust,
1075
01:05:10,375 --> 01:05:14,875
the experts that he was
assembling around himself,
1076
01:05:15,000 --> 01:05:19,583
worked out a plan of bold,
unprecedented action.
1077
01:05:19,708 --> 01:05:20,667
His cabinet
includes Louis Howe
1078
01:05:20,750 --> 01:05:24,542
as chief of staff,
Democratic Party leader Steve
1079
01:05:24,708 --> 01:05:27,167
Early as press secretary.
1080
01:05:27,250 --> 01:05:30,083
For secretary of labor, Franklin
brings in Frances Perkins,
1081
01:05:30,208 --> 01:05:32,917
the first ever female
cabinet member.
1082
01:05:33,042 --> 01:05:36,042
He also brings in a progressive
Republican named Harold Ickes
1083
01:05:36,167 --> 01:05:39,500
to be secretary of the
interior, and Jim Farley
1084
01:05:39,625 --> 01:05:40,458
is postmaster general.
1085
01:05:43,208 --> 01:05:46,167
You all look great
from where I'm sitting.
1086
01:05:46,292 --> 01:05:47,500
Then you need glasses.
1087
01:05:47,667 --> 01:05:49,083
[laughter]
1088
01:05:50,042 --> 01:05:52,833
We all know what
we're up against,
1089
01:05:53,000 --> 01:05:55,625
but now it's our turn to fix it.
1090
01:06:00,333 --> 01:06:02,917
The economy has been
plunging for three years,
1091
01:06:03,042 --> 01:06:07,042
and it still hadn't
found bottom.
1092
01:06:07,208 --> 01:06:09,500
And the critical thing
at that particular moment
1093
01:06:09,583 --> 01:06:12,958
was that the banking
system had seized up.
1094
01:06:13,042 --> 01:06:14,833
One of the reasons
the banks failed
1095
01:06:14,958 --> 01:06:16,833
is the banks had
taken that money
1096
01:06:16,917 --> 01:06:18,375
and invested it in
the stock market.
1097
01:06:18,500 --> 01:06:20,167
And so when the stock
market went down,
1098
01:06:20,250 --> 01:06:22,333
they didn't have enough money
to pay their depositors,
1099
01:06:22,458 --> 01:06:24,917
so banks were simply closing.
1100
01:06:25,042 --> 01:06:26,375
They had already closed
by the thousands,
1101
01:06:26,500 --> 01:06:29,667
and it looked as
though America's
1102
01:06:29,792 --> 01:06:35,667
national financial system was
on the verge of utter collapse.
1103
01:06:35,792 --> 01:06:37,750
It's important to
realize there was no safety
1104
01:06:37,875 --> 01:06:39,000
net in those days.
1105
01:06:39,083 --> 01:06:41,000
If a bank collapsed,
the federal government
1106
01:06:41,167 --> 01:06:42,792
wasn't going to help you.
1107
01:06:42,917 --> 01:06:45,667
It is a real crisis, a
crisis that no one could ever
1108
01:06:45,792 --> 01:06:48,167
have imagined hitting
one of the wealthiest
1109
01:06:48,333 --> 01:06:50,625
countries in the world.
1110
01:06:50,750 --> 01:06:53,250
Was capitalism failing?
1111
01:06:53,375 --> 01:06:56,000
Had capitalism actually failed?
1112
01:06:56,125 --> 01:06:58,792
Many people thought the
United States of America
1113
01:06:58,875 --> 01:07:03,500
as a political entity was over,
that our capitalist system was
1114
01:07:03,583 --> 01:07:04,292
over.
1115
01:07:10,208 --> 01:07:13,000
The country's on
the edge of a cliff,
1116
01:07:13,125 --> 01:07:14,917
but we're not going
to let it fall.
1117
01:07:15,042 --> 01:07:16,333
The first thing
we're going to do
1118
01:07:16,417 --> 01:07:18,958
is to declare a banking holiday.
1119
01:07:19,042 --> 01:07:22,833
It'll prevent further runs and
buy time for Secretary Woodin
1120
01:07:22,958 --> 01:07:24,292
to draft some legislation.
1121
01:07:24,375 --> 01:07:28,000
You're going to have to expand
presidential authority if you
1122
01:07:28,083 --> 01:07:29,500
want to get anything done.
1123
01:07:29,583 --> 01:07:30,667
Precisely.
1124
01:07:30,792 --> 01:07:34,542
But first we have to figure
out which banks can be saved
1125
01:07:34,667 --> 01:07:36,833
and which have to close.
1126
01:07:36,958 --> 01:07:38,542
My team put this together.
1127
01:07:41,792 --> 01:07:44,042
Arrows are the banks.
1128
01:07:44,167 --> 01:07:46,542
Color denotes its status.
1129
01:07:46,667 --> 01:07:49,542
But where do we start?
1130
01:07:49,667 --> 01:07:52,500
Let's start in New York.
1131
01:07:52,625 --> 01:07:54,917
March 5th, essentially
his first act
1132
01:07:55,042 --> 01:07:55,917
as president of
the United States
1133
01:07:56,042 --> 01:07:59,500
is to close every
bank in America.
1134
01:07:59,625 --> 01:08:01,500
DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN: The banks
were going to close for a week.
1135
01:08:01,667 --> 01:08:03,417
They're going to
open Monday morning.
1136
01:08:03,542 --> 01:08:04,833
And he uses a
wonderful phrase.
1137
01:08:04,958 --> 01:08:06,333
He calls it a bank holiday.
1138
01:08:06,417 --> 01:08:08,917
And that gave Franklin
a chance to call Congress
1139
01:08:09,042 --> 01:08:11,042
into an emergency session.
1140
01:08:11,167 --> 01:08:13,583
And incredibly, in the
space of several hours,
1141
01:08:13,708 --> 01:08:17,125
they passed this huge
emergency banking bill.
1142
01:08:17,208 --> 01:08:19,000
Divide up the banks
into three categories.
1143
01:08:19,125 --> 01:08:20,833
Those banks that are
healthy enough to reopen,
1144
01:08:20,958 --> 01:08:23,500
those banks that can reopen
but are going to need help
1145
01:08:23,625 --> 01:08:25,458
from the federal government,
and those banks that
1146
01:08:25,542 --> 01:08:28,667
are so bad that there's not
much we can do about them.
1147
01:08:28,750 --> 01:08:30,917
NEWSREADER: New money
back buy real assets
1148
01:08:31,042 --> 01:08:33,667
from Uncle Sam's Treasury
to revitalize the country's
1149
01:08:33,792 --> 01:08:34,875
commerce.
1150
01:08:35,000 --> 01:08:36,583
This emergency
banking bill will
1151
01:08:36,708 --> 01:08:38,917
allow them to have currency
shipped to the banks that
1152
01:08:39,042 --> 01:08:40,708
are stable enough to handle it.
1153
01:08:40,833 --> 01:08:43,292
Planes are on the tarmac
ready to fly the currency
1154
01:08:43,375 --> 01:08:45,542
to each one of the banks.
1155
01:08:45,667 --> 01:08:49,333
Before Roosevelt, before this
moment in American history,
1156
01:08:49,458 --> 01:08:53,167
the federal government had never
taken it upon itself to bolster
1157
01:08:53,250 --> 01:08:55,333
an industry the way
the federal government
1158
01:08:55,458 --> 01:08:57,667
was bolstering the
banking industry.
1159
01:08:57,792 --> 01:09:01,167
It was quite a striking,
even a revolutionary thing
1160
01:09:01,250 --> 01:09:02,542
for the government to undertake.
1161
01:09:02,708 --> 01:09:05,625
Franklin is afraid that once
they've opened the banks again,
1162
01:09:05,708 --> 01:09:07,625
that people will then rush
to take their money out
1163
01:09:07,750 --> 01:09:09,250
because they haven't
had it for a whole week,
1164
01:09:09,375 --> 01:09:11,167
and then the whole
system would collapse.
1165
01:09:11,250 --> 01:09:13,250
This was zero hour.
1166
01:09:13,375 --> 01:09:18,250
So FDR has got the biggest
challenge for a leader, which
1167
01:09:18,375 --> 01:09:22,125
is make people feel a
little bit reassured,
1168
01:09:22,250 --> 01:09:24,708
and at the same time,
get them to do something
1169
01:09:24,833 --> 01:09:28,167
that their instincts tell
them not to, which is keep
1170
01:09:28,292 --> 01:09:31,833
your money in the banks.
1171
01:09:32,000 --> 01:09:33,708
Franklin decides
on a Sunday night
1172
01:09:33,875 --> 01:09:37,542
before the Monday opening, he's
going to give a fireside chat
1173
01:09:37,667 --> 01:09:39,333
to the people.
1174
01:09:39,417 --> 01:09:42,667
This is really the first
presidential fireside chat.
1175
01:09:42,750 --> 01:09:44,917
Nervous?
1176
01:09:45,042 --> 01:09:46,833
What's there to
be nervous about?
1177
01:09:46,917 --> 01:09:49,833
I just have to convince the
entire American public to trust
1178
01:09:49,958 --> 01:09:51,083
me with their life savings.
1179
01:09:51,208 --> 01:09:52,542
In 13 minutes.
1180
01:10:00,042 --> 01:10:01,500
[phone rings]
1181
01:10:03,167 --> 01:10:04,833
Got it.
1182
01:10:04,958 --> 01:10:06,750
NBC says ready to go.
1183
01:10:06,875 --> 01:10:09,000
CBS is live.
1184
01:10:09,125 --> 01:10:12,583
10 seconds, Mr. President.
1185
01:10:12,708 --> 01:10:14,583
In 5, 4.
1186
01:10:20,000 --> 01:10:23,750
Ladies and gentlemen, the
president of the United States.
1187
01:10:23,875 --> 01:10:29,000
My friends, I want to talk for
a few minutes with the people
1188
01:10:29,167 --> 01:10:32,917
of the United States
about banking.
1189
01:10:33,042 --> 01:10:36,833
I want to tell you what has
been done in the last few days
1190
01:10:36,917 --> 01:10:41,125
and why it has been done, and
what the next steps are going
1191
01:10:41,208 --> 01:10:43,667
to be.
1192
01:10:43,833 --> 01:10:47,917
This bank holiday,
while resulting
1193
01:10:48,042 --> 01:10:53,333
in great inconvenience, is
affording us the opportunity
1194
01:10:53,417 --> 01:10:59,208
to supply the currency
necessary to meet the situation.
1195
01:10:59,375 --> 01:11:04,333
It is possible that
when the banks resume,
1196
01:11:04,417 --> 01:11:08,000
people who have not
recovered from their fear
1197
01:11:08,167 --> 01:11:11,583
may again begin withdrawals.
1198
01:11:11,708 --> 01:11:16,042
Let me make it clear
that the banks will
1199
01:11:16,208 --> 01:11:19,333
take care of all needs.
1200
01:11:19,458 --> 01:11:23,125
I can assure you
that it is safer
1201
01:11:23,208 --> 01:11:30,833
to keep your money in a reopened
bank than under the mattress.
1202
01:11:30,958 --> 01:11:34,375
80% of the adult radio
audiences are listening,
1203
01:11:34,500 --> 01:11:36,500
and it was said that streets
were empty at the time
1204
01:11:36,583 --> 01:11:41,500
because everybody is sitting
staring at their radio.
1205
01:11:41,583 --> 01:11:45,875
We have provided the
machinery to restore
1206
01:11:46,042 --> 01:11:49,625
our financial situation.
1207
01:11:49,708 --> 01:11:54,583
It is up to you to
support and make it work.
1208
01:11:58,542 --> 01:12:04,208
It is your problem no
less than it is mine.
1209
01:12:04,333 --> 01:12:07,750
Together we cannot fail.
1210
01:12:10,792 --> 01:12:12,583
Remarkable piece
of work in a space
1211
01:12:12,708 --> 01:12:14,292
of just less than 15 minutes.
1212
01:12:14,417 --> 01:12:16,583
He calls on the American
people and he says,
1213
01:12:16,708 --> 01:12:19,208
basically, we have done what
we can do here in Washington.
1214
01:12:19,375 --> 01:12:23,958
Now we look to you,
and with your support,
1215
01:12:24,042 --> 01:12:26,125
our work will succeed.
1216
01:12:26,250 --> 01:12:28,667
And so he puts the
American people
1217
01:12:28,792 --> 01:12:31,958
essentially into
potential cooperation
1218
01:12:32,042 --> 01:12:33,500
with the administration.
1219
01:12:36,333 --> 01:12:38,458
Franklin gives his
address on Sunday night,
1220
01:12:38,542 --> 01:12:40,333
and the big question is,
what's going to happen tomorrow
1221
01:12:40,458 --> 01:12:41,792
morning when we
reopen the banks?
1222
01:12:44,417 --> 01:12:47,333
The next day would
be the true test.
1223
01:12:47,417 --> 01:12:49,792
Did this work?
1224
01:12:49,875 --> 01:12:53,417
If it fails, then it will mean,
the whole financial system
1225
01:12:53,542 --> 01:12:57,542
will fail in the very first
week of his presidency.
1226
01:12:57,667 --> 01:13:00,167
It is not an exaggeration
to say that the country is
1227
01:13:00,250 --> 01:13:01,042
on the verge of collapse.
1228
01:13:08,292 --> 01:13:09,917
Miss LeHand,
today's lunch menu.
1229
01:13:10,042 --> 01:13:11,292
Jellied bouillon.
1230
01:13:11,417 --> 01:13:13,375
Mrs. Nesbitt says
it's nutritious.
1231
01:13:13,542 --> 01:13:14,500
Don't like it.
1232
01:13:14,667 --> 01:13:15,667
Have you heard anything?
1233
01:13:15,792 --> 01:13:16,792
Not yet.
1234
01:13:16,875 --> 01:13:18,083
Maybe we should cancel
the president's lunch.
1235
01:13:18,208 --> 01:13:19,333
Because of the bouillon?
1236
01:13:19,458 --> 01:13:20,958
Well, now there's two reasons.
1237
01:13:21,083 --> 01:13:23,833
No, I'm concerned if things
don't go our way with banks.
1238
01:13:24,000 --> 01:13:25,833
They will.
1239
01:13:26,000 --> 01:13:28,667
They have to.
1240
01:13:28,792 --> 01:13:32,208
It's Monday morning and
there's long lines at the bank
1241
01:13:32,333 --> 01:13:33,375
again, and they panic.
1242
01:13:33,500 --> 01:13:36,000
Maybe they've come to
take their money out.
1243
01:13:36,167 --> 01:13:37,792
Did this work?
1244
01:13:37,917 --> 01:13:40,167
We should have heard
something by now.
1245
01:13:40,333 --> 01:13:43,000
Do you think it's a bad sign?
1246
01:13:43,167 --> 01:13:47,417
No news is no news.
1247
01:13:47,542 --> 01:13:49,000
[phone rings]
1248
01:13:58,333 --> 01:13:59,083
Yes?
1249
01:14:05,125 --> 01:14:06,458
I see.
1250
01:14:06,583 --> 01:14:07,583
Thank you.
1251
01:14:12,042 --> 01:14:15,292
They're standing in line.
1252
01:14:15,375 --> 01:14:17,875
They're bringing
their money back.
1253
01:14:18,042 --> 01:14:20,667
We're going to be OK.
1254
01:14:20,833 --> 01:14:22,917
They're actually
carrying satchels of money
1255
01:14:23,042 --> 01:14:24,833
to bring their money
back to the banks.
1256
01:14:24,958 --> 01:14:27,792
So that night, headlines,
confidence in banking system
1257
01:14:27,875 --> 01:14:28,333
resume.
1258
01:14:28,500 --> 01:14:31,583
Banking crisis over.
1259
01:14:31,708 --> 01:14:33,292
And the only thing
that has changed
1260
01:14:33,417 --> 01:14:35,833
is FDR's leadership
and his ability
1261
01:14:36,000 --> 01:14:38,750
to convince the American
public that he has solutions
1262
01:14:38,875 --> 01:14:42,208
that things will get better, and
it is an extraordinary moment
1263
01:14:42,375 --> 01:14:43,250
in American history.
1264
01:14:43,375 --> 01:14:47,375
FDR essentially ends
the banking crisis
1265
01:14:47,542 --> 01:14:51,500
in one simple radio broadcast.
1266
01:14:51,583 --> 01:14:53,792
The immediate resolution
of the banking crisis
1267
01:14:53,917 --> 01:14:57,167
instantly lifted
spirits, and that
1268
01:14:57,292 --> 01:15:01,750
began to suggest that Franklin
knew what he was doing
1269
01:15:01,875 --> 01:15:05,792
and that, in fact, the
system would endure.
1270
01:15:05,875 --> 01:15:09,000
And then he decides, hey,
this momentum is pretty good.
1271
01:15:09,125 --> 01:15:11,208
Maybe I'll keep
Congress in session.
1272
01:15:11,375 --> 01:15:14,667
They stay for 100 days, and
that's where the famous 100 day
1273
01:15:14,750 --> 01:15:17,208
marker comes, and every
president has said, why do we
1274
01:15:17,333 --> 01:15:18,375
have to be compared to this?
1275
01:15:18,542 --> 01:15:20,583
It's not fair.
1276
01:15:20,708 --> 01:15:23,417
No president and no Congress
had ever passed so much
1277
01:15:23,542 --> 01:15:24,917
legislation so quickly.
1278
01:15:25,042 --> 01:15:30,000
In those 100 days, FDR will
sign into law 15 massive pieces
1279
01:15:30,125 --> 01:15:31,208
of legislation.
1280
01:15:34,333 --> 01:15:36,500
If you were somebody who
paid attention to politics,
1281
01:15:36,667 --> 01:15:38,750
this was indeed the most
exciting time in history,
1282
01:15:38,875 --> 01:15:40,833
because nothing had
ever happened this fast.
1283
01:15:40,958 --> 01:15:46,042
Big programs were being
passed, boom, boom, boom, boom.
1284
01:15:46,167 --> 01:15:49,167
FDR rolled out the New
Deal really in three phases.
1285
01:15:49,250 --> 01:15:52,083
The first part was relief
just to get people to survive,
1286
01:15:52,208 --> 01:15:55,167
and that meant unemployment
insurance, immediate short term
1287
01:15:55,250 --> 01:15:56,542
jobs.
1288
01:15:56,708 --> 01:15:59,042
What the country was facing
was a lost generation
1289
01:15:59,208 --> 01:16:03,458
of young people, so FDR came
up with the CCC, the Civilian
1290
01:16:03,583 --> 01:16:05,542
Conservation Corps.
1291
01:16:05,667 --> 01:16:07,583
PAUL SPARROW: They would
build roads and farms
1292
01:16:07,708 --> 01:16:09,333
and they would work
on national parks.
1293
01:16:09,500 --> 01:16:14,792
I now take great pleasure in
dedicating Shenandoah National
1294
01:16:14,875 --> 01:16:16,000
Park.
1295
01:16:16,167 --> 01:16:18,667
The idea was $1 a day.
1296
01:16:18,750 --> 01:16:23,250
So this immediately pushes
money into the community,
1297
01:16:23,375 --> 01:16:26,000
and FDR loved the CCC.
1298
01:16:26,167 --> 01:16:29,708
He would go to their camps
and he would visit with them.
1299
01:16:29,875 --> 01:16:32,417
The next thing was recovery
which meant priming the pump
1300
01:16:32,542 --> 01:16:34,542
to get the economy
going again, and those
1301
01:16:34,667 --> 01:16:36,833
were the big
infrastructure projects.
1302
01:16:36,917 --> 01:16:38,875
But then the third
part was reform,
1303
01:16:39,042 --> 01:16:42,000
and that meant that you had to
change what it was that caused
1304
01:16:42,167 --> 01:16:45,292
the problems of the
Depression in the first place.
1305
01:16:45,417 --> 01:16:47,958
So he regulated the stock
market, he regulated the banks.
1306
01:16:48,083 --> 01:16:50,833
All of this was reforming
the system itself.
1307
01:16:50,958 --> 01:16:52,667
The New Deal has
given us a square deal,
1308
01:16:52,792 --> 01:16:53,792
and we're all back
to work and we
1309
01:16:53,875 --> 01:16:55,667
hope we may be able
to continue to do so
1310
01:16:55,792 --> 01:16:58,333
without any outside
interference.
1311
01:16:58,417 --> 01:17:01,875
The first 100 days also
saw HLC, the Homeowners Loan
1312
01:17:02,042 --> 01:17:02,833
Corporation.
1313
01:17:02,958 --> 01:17:04,333
This is an emergency
program set up
1314
01:17:04,417 --> 01:17:09,000
to give people loans to help
them stay in their homes.
1315
01:17:09,167 --> 01:17:12,167
FDR provides immediate
satisfaction and relief
1316
01:17:12,333 --> 01:17:16,458
to the American people, and that
is a defining moment and that
1317
01:17:16,542 --> 01:17:20,333
completely changes the role
of the American federal
1318
01:17:20,458 --> 01:17:22,708
government.
1319
01:17:22,875 --> 01:17:24,917
The mood of the country
changed overnight.
1320
01:17:25,042 --> 01:17:26,167
NEWSREADER: To this
address every week
1321
01:17:26,292 --> 01:17:28,625
are delivered
thousands of letters.
1322
01:17:28,708 --> 01:17:30,333
My favorite letter
came from a guy
1323
01:17:30,417 --> 01:17:32,458
who said, "I've lost my dog.
1324
01:17:32,542 --> 01:17:33,667
I've lost my job.
1325
01:17:33,792 --> 01:17:36,125
My wife is mad at me.
1326
01:17:36,250 --> 01:17:38,667
But it's OK because
now, Franklin Roosevelt,
1327
01:17:38,750 --> 01:17:40,708
you are there."
1328
01:17:40,833 --> 01:17:43,500
Franklin Roosevelt
made government
1329
01:17:43,625 --> 01:17:47,292
an ambient force in the lives of
people who might otherwise have
1330
01:17:47,375 --> 01:17:50,042
only encountered the
government at the post office
1331
01:17:50,208 --> 01:17:52,958
or perhaps the subsidized
railroad or something.
1332
01:17:53,042 --> 01:17:56,250
People felt that FDR had
saved their lives, saved
1333
01:17:56,375 --> 01:17:58,542
their children's life, given
them a chance, a chance
1334
01:17:58,708 --> 01:17:59,375
to go forward.
1335
01:18:02,167 --> 01:18:04,000
But in the early
days of the New Deal,
1336
01:18:04,125 --> 01:18:05,958
when Franklin and Eleanor
Roosevelt moved to Washington
1337
01:18:06,083 --> 01:18:09,958
D.C., it was a difficult
experience for Eleanor.
1338
01:18:10,083 --> 01:18:12,333
She was so worried that
the ceremonial functions
1339
01:18:12,500 --> 01:18:15,667
of the first lady would overtake
all the real work that she'd
1340
01:18:15,792 --> 01:18:18,208
been doing out in the field.
1341
01:18:18,333 --> 01:18:23,417
And she dreads being
confined to a life of tea
1342
01:18:23,542 --> 01:18:26,500
and white glove tests.
1343
01:18:26,625 --> 01:18:29,375
But then she meets
the great journalist
1344
01:18:29,542 --> 01:18:34,250
Lorena Hickok, who was the most
significant woman journalist
1345
01:18:34,375 --> 01:18:35,500
of her era.
1346
01:18:35,625 --> 01:18:37,000
I think Lorena
Hickok, her friend,
1347
01:18:37,125 --> 01:18:39,875
helped to make her know
that she could change
1348
01:18:40,000 --> 01:18:42,333
the role of the first
lady and it would be OK.
1349
01:18:42,500 --> 01:18:44,917
It was more than OK.
1350
01:18:45,042 --> 01:18:49,500
Lorena Hickok said to Eleanor,
if you do press conferences,
1351
01:18:49,667 --> 01:18:51,917
you can get more jobs for women.
1352
01:18:52,042 --> 01:18:57,542
So Eleanor makes it very
clear to every outlet that
1353
01:18:57,708 --> 01:19:01,417
wants to cover her that they
must send a woman reporter.
1354
01:19:14,750 --> 01:19:18,333
Thank you all for coming.
1355
01:19:18,458 --> 01:19:22,375
Let me start by saying that
the subjects I plan to cover
1356
01:19:22,542 --> 01:19:25,667
will not encroach on
politics, or as I call it,
1357
01:19:25,833 --> 01:19:29,833
my husband's side of the news.
1358
01:19:29,958 --> 01:19:36,375
I plan to discuss
my daily schedule,
1359
01:19:36,542 --> 01:19:42,125
prints on the White House
walls, low cost recipes
1360
01:19:42,250 --> 01:19:46,042
for housewives, and
other household matters.
1361
01:19:46,167 --> 01:19:49,792
What's your view on the
subsistence homestead program?
1362
01:19:49,917 --> 01:19:53,833
Oh, I'm sorry, I said
no political questions.
1363
01:19:53,958 --> 01:19:56,250
What about old age pensions?
1364
01:19:56,375 --> 01:19:58,750
And what do you think
of women in the workforce?
1365
01:19:58,875 --> 01:20:01,667
I'm sure these questions
would all be better suited
1366
01:20:01,792 --> 01:20:04,000
to the president.
1367
01:20:04,125 --> 01:20:05,583
We want to hear
what you think.
1368
01:20:23,500 --> 01:20:29,125
Right now, legislation is
being drafted to set fair labor
1369
01:20:29,208 --> 01:20:33,000
practices, but the wages
being set for women
1370
01:20:33,125 --> 01:20:35,125
are far lower than
those for men.
1371
01:20:38,542 --> 01:20:45,000
If you ask, me our jobs as
teachers, nurses, homemakers,
1372
01:20:45,125 --> 01:20:50,000
and seamstresses have never
been more important or more
1373
01:20:50,125 --> 01:20:56,750
in demand, yet we're not
being fairly compensated.
1374
01:20:56,875 --> 01:20:59,833
This is especially
true for colored women.
1375
01:20:59,917 --> 01:21:03,333
So what do you
plan to do about it?
1376
01:21:03,458 --> 01:21:05,417
Well, that's the first really
good question of the day.
1377
01:21:09,375 --> 01:21:11,250
Through the press
conferences, Eleanor was really
1378
01:21:11,375 --> 01:21:13,958
finding her voice, and
an entire generation
1379
01:21:14,083 --> 01:21:17,500
of female journalists
got their start.
1380
01:21:17,583 --> 01:21:19,458
In the meantime, she was
traveling around the country
1381
01:21:19,542 --> 01:21:22,000
inspecting the New Deal
programs for her husband,
1382
01:21:22,167 --> 01:21:24,375
and she was able to find
out which ones were working
1383
01:21:24,542 --> 01:21:25,292
and which ones weren't.
1384
01:21:28,042 --> 01:21:30,542
And the New Deal programs
became better as a result.
1385
01:21:30,708 --> 01:21:34,833
That does not mean, my
friends, that I am satisfied
1386
01:21:35,000 --> 01:21:38,167
or that you are satisfied
that our work is ended.
1387
01:21:38,292 --> 01:21:43,333
We have a long way to go,
but we are on the way.
1388
01:21:43,500 --> 01:21:48,042
FDR had tremendous success in
restoring people's confidence.
1389
01:21:48,208 --> 01:21:51,000
But at the same time, both
Hitler and Mussolini are also
1390
01:21:51,167 --> 01:21:54,542
responding to the
Depression, to want and need,
1391
01:21:54,708 --> 01:21:59,042
but they're doing it through
the mechanism of exciting fear
1392
01:21:59,208 --> 01:22:01,458
and division and hatred.
1393
01:22:01,542 --> 01:22:04,292
In Hitler's case, hatred
of the Jews, and those
1394
01:22:04,417 --> 01:22:07,167
are powerful hatreds,
and they work.
1395
01:22:07,250 --> 01:22:10,292
But Hitler and Mussolini also
stimulate their economies
1396
01:22:10,417 --> 01:22:13,042
by building these
magnificent war machines.
1397
01:22:13,167 --> 01:22:18,042
It means jobs, factory jobs
building tanks and planes.
1398
01:22:18,208 --> 01:22:21,500
Roosevelt sees all this
and he's deeply concerned.
1399
01:22:21,625 --> 01:22:25,167
He says, the state has to have
a big role to impress voters
1400
01:22:25,333 --> 01:22:27,375
with what we're trying to do
so that we can say, hey, look,
1401
01:22:27,542 --> 01:22:30,292
we're working just as hard as
Nazi Germany or fascist Italy,
1402
01:22:30,417 --> 01:22:32,125
just in a more democratic way.
1403
01:22:35,042 --> 01:22:38,500
FDR sees this looming
threat from totalitarianism,
1404
01:22:38,667 --> 01:22:42,625
from fascism, from Hitler,
that the very end of democracy
1405
01:22:42,750 --> 01:22:45,792
is on the table, that if
he can't put America back
1406
01:22:45,917 --> 01:22:48,417
on the global stage, that the
fascists are going to take
1407
01:22:48,542 --> 01:22:50,583
control, and he
dedicates himself
1408
01:22:50,708 --> 01:22:53,625
to not allowing that to happen.
1409
01:22:53,708 --> 01:23:03,667
[speaking german]
1410
01:23:08,708 --> 01:23:12,417
[speaking german]
1411
01:23:12,542 --> 01:23:16,167
Franklin hated what Hitler
and Nazism was threatening
1412
01:23:16,292 --> 01:23:19,708
to produce, a world of tyranny,
a world where democracy would
1413
01:23:19,875 --> 01:23:20,833
come to an end.
1414
01:23:20,958 --> 01:23:23,417
This is Western
civilization at risk
1415
01:23:23,542 --> 01:23:26,292
right now from the greatest
challenge that it's ever faced.
1416
01:23:31,083 --> 01:23:34,000
Going to be a tough campaign.
1417
01:23:34,167 --> 01:23:36,833
The Supreme Court wants
to throw out the New Deal.
1418
01:23:36,958 --> 01:23:37,792
[people shouting questions]
1419
01:23:37,917 --> 01:23:39,000
Now, hold on, boys.
1420
01:23:39,125 --> 01:23:40,750
What are you planning
to do with this power?
1421
01:23:40,875 --> 01:23:43,667
Roosevelt is deeply concerned
about the rising tension
1422
01:23:43,792 --> 01:23:46,375
in Europe and the
inevitability of a big war.
1423
01:23:46,500 --> 01:23:51,083
The situation in France
changes everything.
1424
01:23:51,208 --> 01:23:54,208
I'd rather have a
declaration of war from America
1425
01:23:54,333 --> 01:23:58,042
and no supplies for six
months than double the supply
1426
01:23:58,208 --> 01:23:59,708
and no declaration.
1427
01:23:59,875 --> 01:24:02,833
He is the dealer in hope
for the entire free world, not
1428
01:24:02,958 --> 01:24:04,500
an inconsequential
responsibility.
1429
01:24:04,625 --> 01:24:06,792
Mr. President, we
have intelligence
1430
01:24:06,875 --> 01:24:10,167
which suggests the Japanese
fleet is on the move.
1431
01:24:10,292 --> 01:24:15,958
Yesterday, December
7th, 1941, a date
1432
01:24:16,083 --> 01:24:19,500
which will live in infamy.
114618
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