Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Presidency

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.” (Roosevelt)
During his first 100 days in office, he signed 15 major works of legislation. ! These “New Deal” programs were designed to quickly generate employment and business opportunities for the working class, provide relief to the destitute, and provide for the elderly and poor. His revolutionary changes to American public policy were so widespread and important that they very nearly caused the capitalist upper-class to revolt. Not only did he do much to redistribute the wealth of the upper class among the poorest members of society, he also challenged their notions of morality by such moves as appointing the first female presidential cabinet-member in US history. However, there is little doubt that his reforms remained the only way to stop a widespread uprising among the disenfranchised labor movement and the starving, “unwashed masses.”
The first great test of Roosevelt’s resolve to save ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

budget, cutting the pay of federal employees, reducing veteran pensions, and scaling back on spending for weaponry and defense. He was absolutely dedicated to reworking the economic power structure in America, and that was bound to include Washington’s excesses.
Not everyone appreciated his plans to redistribute the financial weight in America. A certain group of “fat cats,” led by the Du Pont and J.P. Morgan empires, actually planned a military coup during this time period. They thought to dispose with Roosevelt and put in place a fascist government. They tried to recruit General Smedley Butler to their side, offering him an army of 500,000 veterans, as much money as he might ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: