Beyond Stereotype: Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt

Abstract

Eleanor Roosevelt had a distinctive relationship with her Presidential husband. They often related through memos, meetings, and go-betweens rather than through face-to-face contact. As strange as this was for a married couple, this was the way the Roosevelts operated. The country appears to have benefited from it, as the Roosevelts mitigated the Depression and helped win a World War. As seen through her correspondence, Eleanor's work was always done with FDR in the back of her mind. Although she pushed and prodded him at times, she never asked for more than he could give. Eleanor realized his limits both as a President and as a man, and she conducted herself accordingly. . . . Eleanor may have given him headaches, but FDR would probably never have fully accomplished what he did without the other part of his Team. Eleanor was a First Lady unlike any before her. Active and independent, she pursued causes that she felt needed backing. Disregarding the accepted social etiquette of a political wife, ER blazed her own way. Sometimes she was hailed; other times deeply criticized. If she was just "another liberal," her controversial actions could have been dismissed as annoying and unimportant, but she happened to be married to the President of the United States. Everything Eleanor Roosevelt did was scrutinized to the utmost degree. Her letters document the care with which she chose her alliances and pursued her activities. She never made rash decisions, always taking the time to get to know someone or understand a cause before she became involved. Occasionally, she slipped up or got in too deep, which is not surprising as she was known to be just like "a regular person." Her humanity got both her and her husband in trouble, but her kind heart also gained The Roosevelt Team immense popularity and support. Despite her involvement in controversial issues, Eleanor Roosevelt emerged as an immensely important historical figure and a profound political asset to the President. [From Conclusion]