Eleanor Roosevelt had an instrumental role in political developments in the United States during her life. Her work with the United Nations and Human Rights proved to lead to the beginnings of a different world.
Though her childhood was difficult, it prepared her for her future love of political work. Eleanor went to live with her grandmother when she was ten after her father and mother passed away. Her grandmother sent her to a boarding school when she was
fifteen. Schoolmistress Souvestre taught her girls to be independent and politically aware. When she was there, her political interest was sparked and she became aware of the steps to political activism.
When she returned to her home city, Eleanor discovered her lifelong mate among her childhood friends. A distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt became affianced to her in 1903. In 1905, Eleanor, led down the aisle by her uncle, President Theodore Roosevelt, married Franklin ("Roosevelt, (Anna) Eleanor").
Eleanor Roosevelt and United Nations Universal Dec...
English: Eleanor Roosevelt and United Nations Univ...
English: Former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt ...Within eleven years, she gave birth to six children. She wrote in her autobiography, "I suppose I was fitting pretty well into the pattern of a fairly conventional, quiet, young society matron," ("Anna Eleanor Roosevelt"). Her quiet life did not remain so for long after her marriage began.
An unfortunate circumstance caused the growth of Eleanor's political interest. In 1918, Eleanor inadvertently discovered a package of love letters written to Franklin. They had been written by Lucy Mercer, Eleanor's personal secretary and assistant. Though they were never the same as a couple, Eleanor sought to bury herself in her political work as a distraction.
A common misconception about Eleanor Roosevelt is that she did not begin her political work until her husband's presidency. Eleanor became a political helpmate to Franklin while he served in the Senate from 1910-1913. When Franklin was struck...