Analysis of Roosevelt's "First Fireside Chat"

First Fireside Chat

On March 12, 1933, a worried nation gathered around their radio sets, hearts low and faith shattered as a result of the ripple of terror pulsing through our nation during the Great Depression. Our economy appeared to be on a jarring, seemingly unstoppable course towards liquidation after the market crash of 1929, hysteric Americans trampling one another in attempt to collect their deposited money from banks—money which these banks did not have. Promising prompt, vigorous action to ratify the situation, the optimistic presidential-hopeful Roosevelt won the Election of 1932 by a landslide; America was ready for change. Immediately after his election, Roosevelt began fulfilling the promise through formulated policies designed to ease the economic hardships Americans were feeling in order to put our country back on sound footing. However, in order for his radical program, the “New Deal” to be successful, it required unwavering confidence in the Federal Reserve System, a tough conception as the public’s impression of our economy was less then stellar. In order to bolster America’s morale and faith, Roosevelt began a series of informal speeches over the radio as he explained his recipe for success in clear and concise—but never condescending—terms, hoping to rally support once again for our banks. Coined the “Fireside Chat”, Roosevelt attempted to sway the American public to trust in our banking system by explaining his logical zealous banking legislation in a personal fashion; touching language instills a sense of optimism and unity while imagery breaks down the complexity of banking mechanics to where the majority of Americans can understand. In the words of Roosevelt, “Together we cannot fail”. Undermining his program is the “cooperation of the public”, and persuasion of the people is a driving force guiding his speech. Roosevelt’s voice, already familiar due to his many years of public service and recent presidential campaign, took on an earnest tone as he prepared to restore our economy in one fatal swoop (Baker 3). In order to open the hearts and minds of the American public and place them on the same level as the President of the United States, Roosevelt opens his speech as referring to his listeners as “my friends” and repeats this phrase throughout. Notably, he utilizes the term systematically; after complex and perhaps controversial pieces of legislation, Roosevelt brings out the term to remind the public that he is on their side. He understands that these little reminders of friendship and encouragement are needed due to his empathetic nature arising from his own experience with polio—every word of motivation will help keep the nation on track (Rubel 146). He also referrers to himself as “I” and the public as “you”, furthering a warm and intimate feel which was exactly what America needed at this low-point on our history. Additionally, the line, “…because of the fortitude and good temper with which everybody has accepted the inconvenience and hardships of the banking holiday” furthers this sense of equality and unity between the U.S. government and the people, and essential part of Roosevelt’s New Deal program as it requires America to stop withdrawing their money and start placing it in banks again (History 3). Cooperation is crucial for its success. As much of Roosevelt’s speech centers around the mechanics of banking, the majority of what he says is complex, technical talk of banking mechanics. It is essential the Americans understand how the banks work from the ground up if they are ever going to trust them again with their money. Roosevelt skillfully weaves imagery and analogies within the jargon in order to make his speech more digestible, and even acknowledges the complexity with a balanced sentence at the beginning of his speech where he states he desires to talk to the “comparatively few” who understand banking as well as the “overwhelming majority of you” who don’t. He begins by explaining how money is circulated through the bank and describes legal tender as the oil “to keep the wheels of industry and agriculture turning around”, justifying the reason banks do this by placing it in a larger perspective. Roosevelt then begins a clear list of steps he is planning to take in order to restore our economy, much like a to-do list, an object easily identifiable to the everyday public. The national bank holiday was the first step in reconstructing our “financial and economic fabric”. By comparing our dismal situation to a cloth, Roosevelt casts the predicament in a more manageable light; if all we need is a few patches here and there, surely we’ll be alright. As a way of further reaching out to his audience, Roosevelt imposes rhetorical questions throughout his speech as a way of acknowledging the notion that his audience will have queries. In explaining the reopening of the banks, Roosevelt asks the question, “Why are all the banks not to be reopened at the same time?” and continues to providing a solid answer. By asking these questions in advance, he is preemptively calming fears that may crop up as America ponders over the future course its nation will take. As a final way of reeling in the American public, Roosevelt addresses the roots of the Depression in order to explain how they came to be in such an atrocious situation, and how he plans to never return. He speaks of the people who scrambled to the banks, anxious to withdraw their money, and describes their actions as the “hysterical demands of hoarders”; in doing so he casts them in an extremely negative light, hoping to dissuade Americans from returning to this habit once the banks reopen. The vast influx of withdrawals from across the nation put too much pressure on the banks, causing them to collapse (History Matters 1); Roosevelt is reprimanding Americans for this behavior. He also touches on The success of Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chat” is evident as shown through the actions of the American public as he implemented his program. Once the banks reopened as part of his New Deal program, the dreaded “bank runs” ceased to occur, proving the American faith was restored in our economic system for at least some time (History 4). Also, a downpour of letters from Americans expressing their feelings and thoughts fell upon the Whitehouse soon after Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chat”, exemplifying the immediate and electric reaction of the public. This success is due partly through the radio medium Roosevelt capitalizes on in order to ensure mass delivery of his enduring message; by 1939, 90% of American households owned a radio. It was a personal and intimate way to address the nation, his familiar voice and charismatic tone lending itself to the reassuring nature of the speech. This direct communication between the president and the public was a stark contrast to the usual method of communication; an impersonal statement handed to newsmen and relayed to the public, and wrapped the Americans into a personal relationship with Roosevelt, allowing his information to deeply permeate. These “Fireside Chats” appealed on both a personal and national level; individual participation was equally important as the United States coming together as a whole in order to overcome the Depression, and Roosevelt continued to push these values as he went on to give 30 more of these heart-to-heart talks with Americans.