Preview

Eleanor Roosevelt: An Activist For Powerful Causes

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1906 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Eleanor Roosevelt: An Activist For Powerful Causes
Eleanor Roosevelt: An Activist for Powerful Causes
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility." Roosevelt lived this phrase vividly in her own life, as she actively worked for major causes until the day she died. Working constantly to further the women's movement and foreign relations, along with sharing information via the media to the public, Eleanor campaigned throughout her whole life to impact the modern world. She helped to create the world she wanted to live in, something she firmly believed in. Eleanor Roosevelt was an inspiring figure who benefitted society by aiding the women's rights
…show more content…
S., Eleanor Roosevelt was a huge campaigner for women’s rights and worked consistently for equal treatment of genders. Roosevelt constantly worked for the equality of males and females in the workplace, and even after “the male committee refused to adopt and of the women’s recommendations and forced ER to sit outside the room while it deliberated, ER and other women leaders forced the convention to let women appoint women delegates and alternates.” (“Women’s Movement”). Eleanor always worked for the rights of women, joining several organizations to fight for the cause she so clearly believed in. Campaigning for herself and other women to have the right to join in and make decisions on the board of political committees, she argued the laws of society to work towards her beliefs. To help further the participation of women in politics, Roosevelt “assembled a list of women qualified for executive level appointments, urged the Roosevelt administration to hire them, and, when their suggestions did not get a fair hearing, did not hesitate to take their ideas to FDR” (“Women’s Movement”). To help women to gain ground in the world of politics, Roosevelt pushed women leaders towards her husband’s administration. She urged her husband, the President himself, to appoint women to his advisory and cabinet positions, therefore, furthering her cause to place women into the world of politics. Even after some Americans, mainly …show more content…
One major complaint people had with Eleanor Roosevelt was because “Historians often debate whether or not ER should be called a feminist. Those who say she was not a feminist base their argument on ER’s opposition to the National Women’s Party and the Equal Rights Amendment” (“Women’s Movement”). Many people are quick to point this out as a flaw in Eleanor’s public pro-women views, but it is clear that throughout her life she campaigned for human rights, especially the injustice put on women. It is made obvious that Eleanor’s public work, despite her lack of support for bills that were aimed towards furthering her cause, makes up for her loss of work in these particular areas, as “She decided to hold press conferences (covered by women reporters only) to keep information before women voters and to urge that women speak their minds on politics, policy, and their individual hopes and dreams” (“Women’s Movement”). Here, it is made evident the major amount of Eleanor’s work as First Lady and beyond was for women’s rights. Though she didn’t necessarily favor every possible law that many public feminists believed in, her dedication went above and beyond that of many women of her day. Roosevelt showed huge commitment to her causes, and “her forty-year campaign to advance women’s rights” improved the equality in the U.S.,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Eleanor was born on June 13, 1937 in Washington D.C. She graduated from Yale University Law School. She was an assistant director of the American Civil Liberties Union and defended the Freedom of Speech Rights between the years 1965-1970.Eleanorwas chairman of the New York Human Rights Commission in 1970-1977.She championed women’s Rights and anti-block-busting legislation. She went to Washington to chair the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission in 1977 to 1983.In 1990 she was elected as a Democratic non-voting delegate to the house from the District of Columbia .She was a regular panelist on the PBS women’s news program “To the Contrary.”…

    • 221 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The women’s movement has been a long fought battle this assignment helps bring just how long it has been. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony wrote “The Seneca Falls Declaration”. This document was much like the “Declaration of Independence” in which it listed multiple grievances against the government. This was the beginning of the movement and was slow going until 1966. In 1966 Betty Friedan wrote “The National Organization for Women’s Statement of Purpose”. These two documents hold a lot in common but when comparing the two you can see that in the years between them things have changed. This change may be small but is evident when compared. Some examples are in “The Seneca Falls Declaration” women in that time frame could not attend…

    • 256 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Conversely, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt from early on in her life, devoted herself to justice and liberty. Racial injustice was made evident to her only after she arrived to the White House, however Roosevelt was previously active in a variety of different causes. Eleanor worked with immigrants at the Rivington Street Settlement House. Over the next few years she lobbied government bodies as well as the public via radio broadcasts and through other nationwide mediums. Roosevelt campaigned for legislation against lynching and worked cooperatively with the NAACP on the issue.…

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    DBQ: FDR

    • 598 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Roosevelt Administration also attempted to address the needs of citizens, both socially and economically. An especially great effort was made by FDR’s wife, Eleanor, who…

    • 598 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In her time, not many women were educated, but she differed from these women. The time period did not allow for women to choose their husband, most marriages being set up and political, and women were also restricted from requesting a divorce. Women were not allowed the freedom to rule as Queen without the male heir, or King, with them. In Eleanor’s era, Queens were considered useless if they failed to produce a male heir. Women were not respected and “unintelligent”. Eleanor was an extraordinary queen who landed herself a spot in the history books by influencing society beyond the world of politics, changing the way the world viewed love, romance, and chivalry, and by displaying to all of mankind that women were accomplished…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    She was the First Lady from 1933 to 1945. Unlike other First Ladies Eleanor was the only one to work while she was the First Lady. She help start the United Nations. When she had parties she moved all the furniture herself even though women did not usually do that. Eleanor also persuaded the First Ladies after her to care about things like the dangers of drugs and health care. In 1919 Eleanor volunteered at a hospital called St.Elizabeth Hospital. When she was twenty-one she came back to America and she married Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was married on…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I believe that Eleanor Roosevelt has the best odds of winning this competition because she has been the strongest candidate. In contrast, her competitor, Henry Ford, was exposed in the previous round with facts that he probably didn’t want others to know. With that being said, Eleanor Roosevelt has the best chances of winning against Henry Ford.…

    • 313 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the 1920s was a time of great change in America. The role as a woman was changing in a big way not only at home, but also in the workplace and society. On August 18, 1920 the congress ratified and passed the 19th amendment, which guarantees all women the right to vote. In Crystal Eastman’s essay “Now we can begin” she gives her view of feminism during this time period and how it was viewed as negative since all the feminist leaders at the time was associated with socialism or communism. This negative social view prevented progressive movement in feminism. In “Now we can Begin” Crystal Eastman effectively uses examples on how the women’s right to vote in the 1920s would lead to social changes, economic changes, and women’s freedom overall which were unpopular at the time.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Eleanor Roosevelt was a strong woman who was caring, generous, and loving. She experienced many horrible things as a child, such as her father, mother, and brother dying when she was only seven years old. As a young child Eleanor had it exceptionally tough, her mother used to call her “granny” because of her seriousness. Eleanor was always called the ugly duckling as a child because of her looks and appearance. Then Eleanor’s mother, Ana, became ill with painful headaches, and would ask Eleanor to sit for hours holding her head and stroking her forehead, which seemed to be the only thing which helped. Eleanor always cared for other, this is shown in the text, “ But even at age seven, Eleanor was glad to be helping someone, glad to be…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born in a political family. Her father was Elliott Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt's younger brother and her mother was Anna Hall, a member of the distinguished Livingston family. Unfortunately, Roosevelt’s father was an alcoholic and her parents’ marriage was troubled. Both of her parents died when she was young.She moved to live with her grandmother in New York. Later she was send to a got great girls school in England. She got great influence on her education and thinking at that school. her headmistress, Mademoiselle Marie Souvestre, took a special interest in young Eleanor and had a great influence on her education and thinking. At the age of 18, she came back to New York with the ability to social service. She joined the Junior League and taught at the Rivington Street Settlement House.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Elizabeth’s Hospital, and also visiting the facility for the insane. The end of the War did not stop Eleanor from thinking about the perspective of duty and independence. In 1920 when her husband received the nomination for vice president, while they were taking a family vacation, she made a close relationship with Louis Howe, Franklin’s intimate advisor. With Howe’s support Eleanor began to take pleasure in political decisions that daily faced the ticket. Throughout September 1922 Eleanor and a few other women began to go around New York to encourage people about the formation of the Democratic Women’s Club. The efforts created a strong support among the Democratic rank. By 1914 Eleanor has joined the Board of the “bi-partisan Women’s City Club.” The club's main objective or goal was to inform women of pressing political, and social issues.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Eleanor Roosevelt was born to Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt and Anna Hall Roosevelt in 1884. Eleanor believed she was the ugly duckling out of the three children and doubted if she would ever amount to much. However with encouragement from her Uncle Theodore Roosevelt and her Aunt Anna “Bamie” Roosevelt, she decided to attend a private finishing school. At the finishing school, she not only received a superb education but gained self-confidence from her teachers and classmates. At the age of twenty-one, she married her fifth cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Her husband became President of the United States in 1933, which helped Eleanor become a well-known political figure for the rest of her life. Despite her liberal views, she helped the country…

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Roosevelt changed how America viewed the First Lady. She was the first First Lady to attend rallies, hold press conferences and to become a figure for human rights. Throughout her life she has been involved in numerous humanitarian causes, and continued to be involved when her husband became president. Many women began to look up to Roosevelt as a role model and joined activist groups as well. She was also a strong supporter of civil rights for African Americans and an advocate for poor and young people. Roosevelt wrote a column entitled “My Day” from December until shortly before she died in 1962. In her columns she wrote about her opinions on political and social issues.…

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, to a prominent family in New York City. After her parents died, she was taken in by her grandmother and educated at the best schools. Eleanor Roosevelt was deeply influenced by her feminist headmistress Marie Souvestre at Allenwood Academy in London. Eleanor Roosevelt is best known for being the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the thirty-second president of the United States, and the First Lady of the United States, however she is also well known for her political accomplishments, and her advocacy for women’s rights, humans’ and civil rights. Eleanor Roosevelt is considered the First Lady of the World.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To live in a Nation who lives in harmony and peace, to have your voice be heard, to have freedom and democracy. Than you must know that with civic and political participation matters. Without this no democracy would exist, no freedom, no rights. None of that would be achieved without civics and political participation. What am trying to make you understand is that we would have all these things without people wanting them, without have citizens of our community fight for these things, these human rights. I am writing to you today to express my opinion and to purpose a national holiday for the woman who had changed the way the world see’s the first lady.…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays