FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

How does one measure great influence? Perhaps the number of people affected can measure influence or how long the changes last. Perhaps influence is measured by its impact on history or the impact felt by the world. Franklin Roosevelt's influence encompasses all these measurements. His life and legacy influenced the lives of millions in the past and is still affecting those who live today. During his four terms as President, Roosevelt faced a Great Depression and a World War. His leadership, during both, has changed the government of the United States, as we know it. His presidency protected freedom and democracy, and has even lead to a change in our constitution. (Black 2003)

The Great Depression was a horrible time for the nation and for capitalism itself. In other countries, economies were so bad that people, according to famous economist Maynard Keynes, "began trading personal freedoms for economic security". Roosevelt's New Deal was his policy for trying to pull the United States out of the Great Depression. In the U.S., people were not at the point of trading freedoms for a job; perhaps in part to the hope that Roosevelt and his administration gave to the people. Roosevelt's administration passed bill after bill that enlarged the power size of the government. The government turned its concentration from simply watching the economy to becoming actively involved in the economy, and everyday life. Due to Roosevelt's work, "The despair that had hung over the land was lifted..."

Consider all the policies that Roosevelt signed into being that are still with us to this day. Social Security, Fair Labor Standards Act, and removal from the gold standard, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Banking Act all determine how our economy runs even now. According to AARP's advocacy center, ...