The Political Dreams and Realities of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Brief political life of this Democratic Roosevelt.

Essay by RRoHigh School, 10th gradeA, June 2004

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Franklin Roosevelt officially entered politics when he was 28 years old when he became a candidate for a New York district. He was chosen to represents the Democrats because he was a well known figure and he had the money to pay for his own expenses. He was barely elected after a campaign stressing deep personal interest. They say that this was the first good year for the Democrats.

Roosevelt became a well known character after he led the Democrats to the refusal to follow the leadership of Tammany Hall. The resist drew New York voters to re-elect him in 1912 even though he couldn't campaign for it. He backed Woodrow Wilson, and subsequently was awarded the post of Naval Secretary for the next 7 years.

In 1920, he was nominated at the Democratic National Convention to run for vice president. While campaigning he made many powerful friends that would be very beneficial in the future.

The Democrats knew they weren't going to win, and they referred to Roosevelt's campaign as a sacrificial gesture. Many of his policies were put into place in the League of Nations.

In the summer of 1921, he resumed a law career and was struck with some tragic news. At his summer home in New Brunswick, he was diagnosed poliomyelitis. His mother and many other people thought it was the end of his public career. With the help of a wheelchair, braces, canes and his wife, he was planning a return to public politics. He was elected to be governor of New York in 1926. He won by a narrow margin of 25 000 votes out of 4.5 million.

The stock market crash and the Great Depression happened while Hoover, a Republican, was elected. Many people thought that they were responsible for the prosperity...