The Man behind It All: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, America's 32nd president is possibly the most controversial president in this nation's history. Many loved him for his contribution to America and its citizens' way of life, but some curse his name for his use of propaganda in his campaigning. I believe that his contributions, by far, outweigh his propaganda. I am going to focus on contributions to this great country, and not the details of his campaigning. He was the one person that the country looked up to in times of crisis such as World War II and The Great Depression. No other president could communicate with the American people like Roosevelt did. It was once said that "he treated kings like commoners and commoners like kings; both loved him for it"(Parshall 59). Even his encounter with polio did not hinder his performance in the White House. It may very well be that this country would not be where it is today without his guidance.

"Watching You", Rodney Atkins
"I wanna do everything you do, I've been watching you." I choose to include Watching You by Rodney Atkins because it does a good job describing how Franklin Roosevelt not only looked up to his father as he grew up, but all of the adults around him as well. His parents influenced his education by bringing him into their adult world. They introduced him to their well-educated friends. With these people he would attend many cultural events, such as museums, the theaters, and the opera in Europe and the United States. He wanted to be like all of the very intelligent people that he grew up around because that was all he knew (he had a very insulated childhood)( Marcovitz 336).

"Stronger", Kanye West
I included this song particularly because of its chorus. "That that don't kill me can only make me stronger." This describes very well the battle that Roosevelt went through when he developed polio at the age of 39. His condition was missed by two physicians, who mistook it for a bad cold and a spinal cord lesion. Two weeks later, the leading American authority on polio, Robert Lovett, came to Campobello to find out what was wrong. Lovett knew immediately that it was polio. As a result of this disease, Roosevelt lost most of the use of his legs (he had to use two canes to walk, but was usually in his wheelchair), but this did not hinder him in his road to presidency. After this sickness, he went on to become the presidentand held this position for four terms, more than any other president, until his death in 1945(Marcovitz 339).

"Only In America", Brooks and Dunn
This selection fits in well for a playlist profile for Franklin Roosevelt. I believe this fits well because it describes the country that we live in today. "Only in America, where we dream as big as we want to." America is a country in which any person can do almost anything they want to, regardless of who they are or where they come from. Roosevelt played a big role in making sure that this is still the American way of life. He led us through the Great Depression and World War II. Without his leadership, our country would not be the superpower it is today(Ewers 35).

"Lean On Me", Michael Bolton
"Lean on me when you're not strong/We all need somebody to lean on." These lyrics from Michael Bolton's "Lean On Me," describes the relationship that Franklin Roosevelt had with the American people; he was the nation’s light in the darkness. He was looked up to for guidance and wisdom during the Great Depression and World War II and he came through on both occasions. His picture hung in parlors, kitchens, barber shops, bus stations, and even in Winston Churchill's bedchamber during the war. No other president had ever communicated with ordinary people as well as Roosevelt did. No one, beside his critics, ever doubted his words(Parshall 59).

"I Got My Game On", Trace Atkins
I choose to include this song in my profile, not because of how Atkins describes himself as a womanizer, but because of the confidence he uses in his lyrics. Yes, the New York Times found Roosevelt as "a young man with the finely chiseled face of a Roman patrician" who "could make a fortune on the stage and set the matinee girl's heart throbbing with subtle andhappy emotion", but that's not what's important here. He spoke to the American people as equal and with such confidence that if anyone were to question him, they would be branded a "traitor" or "saboteur." Roosevelt was determined to serve his people; one could see his determination in the way he held his chin up in the air along with his cigar holder. Thesebecame symbols of unconquerable determination to triumph over adversity and the confidence to go alone with it(Duncombe 28).

"Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue", Toby Keith
Roosevelt tried his best to avoid entering World War II and did very well with this. He was in constant contact with the Japanese government, making sure that they were on good terms(Ewers 34). But when Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7th, 1941, he was left with no other choice but to act. "Now this Nation that I love is falling under attack/We lit up your world like the fourth of July." This is exactly what America did, with Roosevelt at the helm. The next day Roosevelt asked Congress to put the United States into a state of war(Ewers 35). "Hey Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list/It'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you." That is exactly what Roosevelt made it feel like for Japan; "It'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you."

"Ace in the Hole", George Strait"
You've got to have an ace in the hole, a little secret that nobody knows." This is exactly what Roosevelt did when he entered World War II. He entered the war, with knowledge that the size of the Japanese armed force was immense. Little did everyone know that he had a trick up his sleeve; his "ace in the hole." His trick was the technology of nuclear weapons. He knew that if worse came to worse and his country was at the hands of its adversary, he had this new form of weapon to use. He was forced to use the Atom Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If he had not taken these drastic measures, the Japanese would have never surrendered(Ewers 35).

"Will You Remember Me", Jann Arden
I decided to include this song because I think that these lyrics might have been what Franklin Roosevelt may have been thinking in the last few hours of his life before it ended so abruptly. On April 12th, 1945, Roosevelt complained of a tremendous headache and was later carried to his bedroom. The doctor diagnosed that he had suffered a massive cerebralhemorrhage. "Will you remember me when I'm gone/Will you remember me after I die?" I believe that these were probably the thoughts that were running through Roosevelt's mind just before his abrupt death. Even though his accomplishments in life were innumerable, he never put any effort in to ensure his remembrance(Parshall 59). He never wrote a memoir, an auto biography, or account of his personal inner feelings and motives; however, Franklin Delano Roosevelt will never be forgotten. He is arguable the best president this country has ever had(Parshall 59). He kept this country alive through some of the toughest times it hasexperienced.

Works Cited
Arden, Jann. "Will You Remember Me"
Living Under June. Fontana A&M, 1995
Atkins, Rodney. "Watchin You."
If You're Going Through Hell. Curb Records,2006
Atkins, Trace. "I Got My Game On" Dangerous Man.
Capitol RecordsNashville, 2006Bolton, Michael.
"Lean On Me" The One Thing.
Sony, 1993Brooks and Dunn.
"Only In America" Stars and Strips.
Arista, 2001

Author: Heath Dahl
Composition 120
Craig Rood
Playlist Profile