Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the 32nd President of the United States from 1933 until he died in 1945. During his presidency, Roosevelt had to deal with many major problems, with two being the biggest – the worst economic crises of the 20th century known as the Great Depression and one of the most terrible events in human history – World War II. Franklin Roosevelt Accomplishments speak for themselves.
Being the longest-serving U.S. President, Franklin Roosevelt did many things to improve the economy of the States and the living standard of the citizens while at the same time creating war strategies in World War II. Read below to find out more about this President and what he has done for his country!
1. Longest-Serving U.S. President
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In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the 32nd President of the United States, and then he was re-elected in the next elections in 1936. Even though the convention established by George Washington says that a U.S. President can not run for the third time, that’s exactly what Roosevelt did in 1940, and he successfully won. He was elected for President in 1944 as well and served as such until he died in 1945. After that, Washington’s two – terms convention was passed into law.
2. Emergency Banking Act
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When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected for President, the U.S. economy was in a very bad position, being hit by the Great Depression. Franklin ordered the banks to close for few days until Congress could pass reform legislation. This was when the Emergency Banking Act was created, and thanks to which the Federal Reserve Banks issued additional currency on good assets. The next step was returning the stashed cash in neighborhood banks by depositors, and after this step, the New York Stock Exchange recorded the largest one-day percentage price increase.
3. Glass–Steagall Act
via nytimes.com
Following the Emergency Banking Act in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Glass – Steagall Act. This banking act helped establish the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which provided deposit insurance. It protected the bank depositors from losses in case the bank couldn’t pay its debts. The Glass – Steagall Act made the banking system more stable and trustworthy.
4. Social Security Act
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The Social Security Act helped millions of elderly, sick, and poor people by making them economically secure – one of the ways was through the Work Projects Administration (WPA), which hired people for public work projects. Soon after this, the National Labor Relations Act was signed into law, and this protected the employees in the private sector by forming trade unions who fought for their basic working rights.
5. The First New Deal
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The New Deal is actually several programs that Franklin Roosevelt came up with from 1933 until 1938, during the Great Depression. Roosevelt formed the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), whose job was to give loans and grants to the States to use to help fight against poverty and other relief programs. The New Deal and the Social Security Act helped millions of people and improved the economy so that it grew by 58% in eight years.
6. Fair Labor Standards Act
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During his presidency, Franklin came up with the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. He made the 40 – hours work week possible; he established the national minimum wage and guaranteed payment of overtime working. He also prohibited children from working oppressive jobs. The year before this, Franklin passed into law the Housing Act, with which the living conditions of low-income families were really improved.
7. Roosevelt Led the Allied Coalition to Victory (One of the greatest Franklin Roosevelt Accomplishments)
via fdr4freedoms.org
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Italy and Germany’s war declaration, Franklin knew he must act wisely during the war. The Allied Coalition was made out of three big leaders during World War II, including Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. Formed by Franklin, the Big Three were fighting the Axis Powers and created a war strategy that helped them defeat them.
8. Important Role in United Nations
via fdr4freedoms.org
During World War II, Franklin Roosevelt believed that the allied countries should form an organization that would prevent such terrible war events from happening again. He was the first to come up with the term United Nations and together with Winston Churchill and Harry Hopkins, Roosevelt drafted the Declaration by the United Nations. Roosevelt died just a few months before the end of World War II and before the United Nations’ official operations as such organization.
9. Prohibit Employment Discrimination
via thenewcastle.org
Franklin Roosevelt was the first president that fought against employment discrimination. He created the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC), which was the first national program to ever fight against employment discrimination. Thanks to this, major minority groups could work without their basic rights being violated.
10. Governor of New York
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Last but not least, before running for President, Franklin Roosevelt was Governor of New York for three years, from 1929 until 1932. During these years as Governor, Roosevelt tried and successfully fought against poverty caused by the Great Depression and dealt with the city’s corruption problem. He also made changes in the state’s prison administration.