Attribution
Jonathan AlterPublication Details
BookSimon & Schuster2006Availability
LOCATION CALL # STATUS (LOWER LEVEL) E807 .A784 2006 AVAILABLE New Feature: Text this to your cellphone
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Description
Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in March of 1933 as America touched bottom. Facing the gravest crisis since the Civil War, FDR used his cagey political instincts and ebullient temperament in the storied first Hundred Days of his presidency to pull off an astonishing conjuring act that lifted the country and saved both democracy and capitalism. In a major historical find, Alter unearths the draft of a radio speech in which Roosevelt considered enlisting a private army of American Legion veterans on his first day in office. As he moved both right and left, Roosevelt’s insistence on “action now” did little to cure the Depression, but he began to rewrite the nation’s social contract and lay the groundwork for his most ambitious achievements, including Social Security. (automatically summarized from Amazon.com)Subject
- Roosevelt, Franklin D. — (Franklin Delano), — 1882-1945
- Presidents — United States — Biography
- New Deal, 1933-1939
- Presidents — United States — Election — 1932
- United States — Politics and government — 1933-1945
- United States — Economic policy — 1933-1945
- United States — Social conditions — 1933-1945
Notes
- This is the story of a political miracle–the perfect match of man and moment. FDR took office in 1933 as America touched bottom. Banks were closing, millions of people lost everything–the Great Depression had caused a national breakdown. Journalist Alter brings us closer than ever before to the Roosevelt magic. Facing the gravest crisis since the Civil War, instead of circumventing Congress and becoming the dictator so many thought they needed, FDR used his cagey political instincts and ebullient temperament in the storied first Hundred Days of his presidency to pull off a conjuring act that lifted the country and saved both democracy and capitalism. Alter shows us how a snobbish and apparently lightweight young aristocrat was forged into an incandescent leader by his domineering mother; his independent wife; his eccentric top adviser, Louis Howe; and his ally-turned-bitter-rival, Al Smith.–From publisher description
Contents
- Prologue: Sunday, March 5, 1933
- pt. 1: Lightweight steel. Security ; "My boy Franklin" ; "Miss Nancy" ; Eleanor and Sara ; Dilettante ; "The medieval gnome" ; The operator ; The "ghastly affliction"
- Warm Springs dress rehearsal ; "I’ve got to be it myself"
- pt. 2: The ascent: 1932. "Brother, can you spare a dime?" ; "This doesn’t go for above the neck" ; "Try something" for "the forgotten man" ; The Brain Trust ; The hair-splitter ; The "corkscrew candidate" ; Off the reservation ; Flight to Chicago ; The Bonus Army ; The trial of Jimmy Walker ; "Hang Hoover!"
- pt. 3: The crisis: winter 1933. The perfect foil ; Under the mattress ; "Wooden roof" and other cabinetry ; Nearly martyred in Miami ; "Damn the secretary" ; "Gabriel over the White House" ; The hairy hand ; Reluctant First Lady ; "Like hell I will!"
- pt. 4 : The Hundred Days. "Fear itself" ; The consecration ; "An injection of adrenalin" ; "Action now" ; That temperament ; Holiday spirit ; "Surpassing charm" ; That voice ; "The chief croupier" ; Roosevelt’s "tree army" ; The blue eagle ; Social Security ; "Dr. New Deal"
- Appendix: Inaugural address, March 4, 1933 ; First Fireside Chat, March 12, 1933
ISBN
- 0743246004
- 9780743246002
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