15 Comments
Elayna Muller
4/24/2014 03:11:07 am
I would give the FDR administration a solid A. No administration is perfect; therefore, the choice to enforce Japanese-Americans to a life without property, liberty, and justice was Franklin’s major error. It would be a mistake on my part if I hid this insane injustice, but at least Executive Order 9066 didn’t necessarily plan on harming the inhabitants. Maybe it protected them from worse/further injustices? There are too many what-ifs to justify this wrong decision, however. Another flaw in this administration is their lack of action in saving Jews during WWII. This proves how unjust this administration was to certain people. Looking away from the negative, it was Franklin’s personality that gave the American people hope for healing and reform. He turned many promises into action in order to reinvent America, such as the National Industrial Recovery Act, the Public Works Administration, the Agricultural Adjustment Act, the Rural Electrification Act, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Americans viewed FDR as the one man who was willing to do something for them and actually cared. “The World War II stimulated the U.S. economy as no program had before – national production increased 75% from 1939 to 1943, a rise never equaled before or since. FDR’s genius was now able to focus his revitalizing economy toward a military victory.” I think very highly of the Roosevelt administration because they fought for Americans and their rights. They cared. Also, FDR was a great leader. He refused to let polio get in the way of his abilities; therefore, Franklin was a president that personally knew the struggles of feeling hopeless and knew that America needed to be healed. Nonetheless, this administration does not deserve an A+ because of the imprisonment of the Japanese-Americans, and because Franklin had an affair with his wife’s secretary. (Not cool! I frown upon that highly.) Franklin did choose well on who he married, however, and that benefited this country immensely.
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McCall Etl
4/24/2014 03:43:31 am
Emily Muller! I love this answer! I would have to agree with your grade on FDR. He is by far my favorite president. Regarding the Jews in World War II, imagine in the United States hadn't become involved at all. I feel like the war would have been a whole different story altogether. I agree that the imprisonment of the Japanese-Americans was wrong, but you're right. Nobody's perfect. Good job! I enjoyed reading this!
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Kirsten Comstock
4/25/2014 07:10:24 am
Elayna, this is a great answer! I agree that nobody is perfect even though he did have some wrongs. Can you imagine what the world would be like if Roosevelt and his administration wouldn't have fought for Americans and their rights?
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Sabrina Lousberg
4/25/2014 08:48:30 am
This is a great answer Elayna! How do you think the war and world might be now if the United States wouldn't have entered the war?
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Elayna Muller
4/25/2014 12:56:50 pm
I forgot to mention that I highly disagree with Roosevelt's decision in refusing the Jewish refugees passage into America, but to a very minuscule degree, I understand why he chose to do that. It makes me think he was prejudice to even an extent, so that is also why he doesn't deserve any higher than an A.
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Luke Stewart
4/29/2014 03:09:16 am
Great answer! I like that you put your personal opinion in Parenthesis.
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Timmi Keisel
4/24/2014 08:31:52 am
When FDR was elected into office the first time, I believe his main goal was to get the US out of the overwhelming Great Depression. I believe he did this, and he did it well. He had a vision for the American’s, and they loved the talented politician. A major foundation towards climbing out of the giant hole that was the Great Depression was the New Deal. One of the experiments during this New Deal was the “bank holiday” which worked to stabilize the US banking system. I also believe it was very revealing of his good character when he created the Second New Deal due to criticism and more political pressure to press out the seams of the original plan. President Roosevelt also worked to keep the US out of the war if any way possible and created many neutrality acts. When it was decided that Americans should step in on the war after Pearl Harbor, the economy took a dramatic turn. The gross national product took off along with the federal budget. This war is what rose America from the Great Depression.
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Timmi Keisel
4/25/2014 07:29:47 am
I realize I didn't give him a grade, but I would give him a B+ because for the most part, his accomplishments definitely outnumber his flaws.
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Sabrina Lousberg
4/25/2014 08:46:29 am
Great answer Timmi! I enjoyed reading your post. What do you think President Roosevelt could have done to handle these two situations better?
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Rachel Frantz
4/24/2014 12:54:14 pm
I find Roosevelt to be deserving of an A. Roosevelt managed to do so much in simply the first 100 days of his presidency. He was met with a very challenging situation since the economy had taken such a hit with the Great Depression. Roosevelt did an unbelievable job of decreasing unemployment and getting Americans back on their feet and working. He was an extremely active president. When the New Deal was met with criticism, he continued working hard and eventually came up with the Second New Deal. Another reason I find Roosevelt’s presidency to be so impressive was simply the fact that he was so good with people. He was loved by many and was able to connect with people of all statures. I also admire Roosevelt for keeping America out of war as long as he did. Our economy was still recovering at this point and I think it would have been detrimental to have become involved in war any sooner than we did.
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Zane Boerner
4/25/2014 01:40:03 pm
Great Answer Frantz! I definitely agree with your opinion on the mishandling of the S.S. St. Louis.
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Kirsten Comstock
4/25/2014 07:01:50 am
When you are elected President of the United States, there is a lot of pressure on you. During Roosevelt's presidency, he was faced with a very tough time. He was elected during one of the toughest economic times in history, the Great Depression. I think that his main goal during this time was to get our country out of the depression. He started to achieve this goal by stating the New Deal. The New Deal focused on a variety of different things and ended up receiving a lot of criticism, so he started something new, he started the Second New Deal. It takes a strong successful president to take criticism and start something new and better with it and that is another reason I admire him. Another admiring trait that I like about Roosevelt is the fact that he kept us out of a war for as long as he was able to. Now like everyone else, Roosevelt was not perfect. I think that the imprisonment of the Japanese Americans was not very good on his part. He judged them right away, and thought all of them were doing wrong. The S.S. St. Louis was another flaw that President Roosevelt had. Although he was thinking about the best interest of America in mind, it was just wrong in general. After all of these things I would give the Roosevelt administration an A. He had some flaws, but to me the good that he did outweighs that.
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Timmi Keisel
4/25/2014 07:32:29 am
Great job Kirsten! I like how you brought up how much pressure the president would be under, especially during such a crisis as the Great Depression and specific examples of good things he did. Good job!
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Sabrina Lousberg
4/25/2014 08:42:21 am
Franklin D. Roosevelt faced many challenges during his presidency. Some of the challenges he faced were because of the hit the economy had taken during the Great Depression. Roosevelt had the difficulty of getting the economy back on track. He did a remarkable job getting Americans back on their feet and work; he also decreased unemployment drastically. Franklin Roosevelt camp up with the New Deal. His New Deal was critiqued by many people. He faced the criticism very and even came up with the Second New Deal. Roosevelt was loved by many people. He was extremely good with people and could even relate to many people in different situations. FDR also worked his hardest to keep America out of World War II for as long as he possibly could. Although Roosevelt had a tremendously successful presidency, it also experienced its flaws. After Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, initially causing the United States to enter the war, President Roosevelt began to imprison Japanese-Americans. I don’t believe this was the right thing for him to do. He was stereotyping the Japanese-Americans because of something the Japanese did which they weren’t even involved in. I also disagree with the way he handled the S.S. St. Louis. Although he thought his decision was of the best interest of America, it was morally wrong and potentially trashed America’s reputation. Despite these few flaws Franklin D. Roosevelt had a very successful presidency and helped to shape America for a bright future. I would give his administration an overall grade of an A.
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Luke Stewart
4/29/2014 03:08:17 am
FDR is one of my favorite presidents. He did many great things for a country that was attacked. yes, he did put Japanese Americans into camps but that may have protected them more than it hurt them. Our nation was ready to kill all Japanese after Pearl Harbor was attacked. I think he made a wise decision to put them in camps instead of getting rid of them all together. My favorite part about FDR was what he did when he wanted his way. He would stand, buckle his braces into place, and then ask for what he wanted. I would give him an A because he knew what needed to be done and knew how to get his way.
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