Eleanor Roosevelt: "First Lady of the world"
Eleanor Roosevelt was born in 1884 in New York, New York into one of the few wealthy families in the area, better known as the “400 families”. Her father was a severe alcoholic and drug addict,
consequently his brother, Teddy Roosevelt (who was eventually the 26th President of the US), ushered
him to England where Eleanor’s father began rehabilitation for his vices; he was forbidden to return to
the family until healthy again. When her mother, and younger brother only a year after, died in 1892
from diphtheria, Eleanor’s father had been absent for two years already, and upon hearing of his wife’s
death, father Roosevelt fell even deeper than before into his addictions and alcoholism and he passed
away in 1894 (Ryskamp, 2013). The grief of losing three family members in three consecutive years
caused Eleanor to experience severe self-confidence and depression issues; she became painfully shy
(“Eleanor roosevelt,” 2013).
Due to her seemingly incurable shyness, Eleanor Roosevelt was sent to Allenswood Academy on
the outskirts of London, England to attain an education otherwise withheld from women in the elite
American universities. Allenswood’s head mistress, Marie Souvestre, pressed the subjects of “history,
geography, literature, foreign language, and the importance of direct inquiry and free thinking” among
her students. Roosevelt spent three years at Allenswood (1899-1902) and told of the absurd rules
enforced there that she looked back upon as comical, such as dinner being a formal occasion every
night, every class hour was accounted for, students were only allowed to bathe three times a week, and
speaking English was prohibited. After her third year at Allenswood, Roosevelt’s strict, cliché
grandmother pleaded with her to come back to New York in order to be introduced into the New York
society, she reluctantly agreed despite her desire to complete her education and go on to teach at
Allenswood, and her distaste in parties and lavish get togethers. Later in interviews, Roosevelt confessed
that it was one of her greatest regrets not finishing college, because upon her return to America she did
not continue any kind of further education. (“Allenswood academy,”)
During Eleanor Roosevelt’s most influential years, the United States was suffering through the Great
Depression (1929) and World War Two, the Dust Bowl (1933) was beginning to draw attention, and child
labor was increasingly popular among businesses and factories. To make matters worse, grotesque art
was being produced through photography, paintings, and literary publishings of quality of life during
these times (“www.unc.edu”). However, all was not dreary in America during these times; women were
just beginning to break prior societal norms by being involved with the military (building aircrafts and
warships), they became less characterized as the “weak gender”. Due to men leaving for the military,
women assumed over one third of the total positions in America. Women came to rely less on domestic
income and turned to factory based jobs, the percentage of domestic servants decreased in this time
from 17.7% to 9.5%, while the percentage of female factory workers rose from 20% to 30% (Tasos).
Education for women was still scarce, but the number of educated women was growing. Women were
still looked down upon during this time, but they began to prove their efficiency as equals to men, if not
superiors. In her teenage years, women were expected to be majorly domestic and ornamental, despite
the Flapper’s debut in the 1920’s. Eleanor was not yet old enough to be independent in that facet of
life. However, like the Flappers, she denied the submissive roles women played in America, only in a less
noticeable way.
Eleanor Roosevelt was different from society in her refusal to let the male population determine
the political outcome of the States despite her initial distaste for politics. She, through her own efforts,
gave children, women, and the poor a collaborative voice. Records suggest that she was one of the most
outspoken women to live in the White House, and redefined the role of the First Lady. Mrs. Roosevelt
acquired an elite education that taught her to be confident as a woman, although she did not complete
it, she went on to provide education to other girls. She was also unique from society considering that
she married her cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who went on to become President of the United States in
1933. Eleanor played more of a partnership role with her husband once she discovered he had been
unfaithful to her; their marriage deteriorated quickly after the affair, and love was no longer the mission
she strived for, instead she looked on to political aspirations that President Roosevelt was needed for.
(Ryskamp. 2013)
To name Eleanor Roosevelt’s many accomplishments would be nearly impossible, but her most
acknowledged achievements are as follows: Mrs. Roosevelt assisted in the founding of a finishing school
for young ladies (known as the “Todhunter School”, purchased in 1926), that she also taught at until her
husband was elected President. However her disappointment at abandoning her project turned out to
be a blessing in disguise when she realized that she could help the needy and underprivileged on a much
larger scale. When President Roosevelt came down with Polio and feared the end of his political reign
was near, Eleanor took over the White House duties, due to his insistence that the public stay unaware
of his paralysis. Before he was diagnosed with Polio, she became unsatisfied with being in the
background, essentially ornamental, and played a major role in both women’s and civil rights. In 1933
Eleanor held a press conference that she only allowed female reporters into (“Discovery education,”),
thus becoming one of the first to use mass media to communicate important issues to the nation. She
also spoke for human/women’s and children’s rights regarding inhumane labor, minorities, helped the
poor (in America), her column “My Day” (1936) addressed such issues. On Sunday’s in the White House,
she would invite anyone and everyone to an “egg-scramble” to discuss any issues they were facing and
provide solutions or support. During World War Two (1941), Eleanor traveled to countries where
American troops were stationed, she was visiting military bases and different parts of the U.S. so often
that the Secret Service gave her the nickname “Rover”, and the public frequently called her “Everywhere
Eleanor”. Shortly after her husband’s death, Eleanor was certain that her political days were over, but
she was soon approached by President Harry Truman to become a delegate of the United Nations, and
she agreed in the winter of 1945. Following her delegation, the widowed Roosevelt assisted in the
composition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which she considers to be her
greatest achievement. In 1948, she became a part of the NAACP, and eleven years later she graced
Brandeis University with her lectures about human rights and politics. Several autobiographical books
were published by Eleanor, expressing her experiences and grand ideas. After all of her
accomplishments, she gained another nickname from President Harry Truman: “First Lady of the
World”. Eleanor Roosevelt died in 1962 of Tuberculosis, and while she is buried next to her husband, a
man of influential position, in Hyde Park, she remains the beloved and respected world changer and
revolutionary that she was. (Ryskamp. 2013).
consequently his brother, Teddy Roosevelt (who was eventually the 26th President of the US), ushered
him to England where Eleanor’s father began rehabilitation for his vices; he was forbidden to return to
the family until healthy again. When her mother, and younger brother only a year after, died in 1892
from diphtheria, Eleanor’s father had been absent for two years already, and upon hearing of his wife’s
death, father Roosevelt fell even deeper than before into his addictions and alcoholism and he passed
away in 1894 (Ryskamp, 2013). The grief of losing three family members in three consecutive years
caused Eleanor to experience severe self-confidence and depression issues; she became painfully shy
(“Eleanor roosevelt,” 2013).
Due to her seemingly incurable shyness, Eleanor Roosevelt was sent to Allenswood Academy on
the outskirts of London, England to attain an education otherwise withheld from women in the elite
American universities. Allenswood’s head mistress, Marie Souvestre, pressed the subjects of “history,
geography, literature, foreign language, and the importance of direct inquiry and free thinking” among
her students. Roosevelt spent three years at Allenswood (1899-1902) and told of the absurd rules
enforced there that she looked back upon as comical, such as dinner being a formal occasion every
night, every class hour was accounted for, students were only allowed to bathe three times a week, and
speaking English was prohibited. After her third year at Allenswood, Roosevelt’s strict, cliché
grandmother pleaded with her to come back to New York in order to be introduced into the New York
society, she reluctantly agreed despite her desire to complete her education and go on to teach at
Allenswood, and her distaste in parties and lavish get togethers. Later in interviews, Roosevelt confessed
that it was one of her greatest regrets not finishing college, because upon her return to America she did
not continue any kind of further education. (“Allenswood academy,”)
During Eleanor Roosevelt’s most influential years, the United States was suffering through the Great
Depression (1929) and World War Two, the Dust Bowl (1933) was beginning to draw attention, and child
labor was increasingly popular among businesses and factories. To make matters worse, grotesque art
was being produced through photography, paintings, and literary publishings of quality of life during
these times (“www.unc.edu”). However, all was not dreary in America during these times; women were
just beginning to break prior societal norms by being involved with the military (building aircrafts and
warships), they became less characterized as the “weak gender”. Due to men leaving for the military,
women assumed over one third of the total positions in America. Women came to rely less on domestic
income and turned to factory based jobs, the percentage of domestic servants decreased in this time
from 17.7% to 9.5%, while the percentage of female factory workers rose from 20% to 30% (Tasos).
Education for women was still scarce, but the number of educated women was growing. Women were
still looked down upon during this time, but they began to prove their efficiency as equals to men, if not
superiors. In her teenage years, women were expected to be majorly domestic and ornamental, despite
the Flapper’s debut in the 1920’s. Eleanor was not yet old enough to be independent in that facet of
life. However, like the Flappers, she denied the submissive roles women played in America, only in a less
noticeable way.
Eleanor Roosevelt was different from society in her refusal to let the male population determine
the political outcome of the States despite her initial distaste for politics. She, through her own efforts,
gave children, women, and the poor a collaborative voice. Records suggest that she was one of the most
outspoken women to live in the White House, and redefined the role of the First Lady. Mrs. Roosevelt
acquired an elite education that taught her to be confident as a woman, although she did not complete
it, she went on to provide education to other girls. She was also unique from society considering that
she married her cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who went on to become President of the United States in
1933. Eleanor played more of a partnership role with her husband once she discovered he had been
unfaithful to her; their marriage deteriorated quickly after the affair, and love was no longer the mission
she strived for, instead she looked on to political aspirations that President Roosevelt was needed for.
(Ryskamp. 2013)
To name Eleanor Roosevelt’s many accomplishments would be nearly impossible, but her most
acknowledged achievements are as follows: Mrs. Roosevelt assisted in the founding of a finishing school
for young ladies (known as the “Todhunter School”, purchased in 1926), that she also taught at until her
husband was elected President. However her disappointment at abandoning her project turned out to
be a blessing in disguise when she realized that she could help the needy and underprivileged on a much
larger scale. When President Roosevelt came down with Polio and feared the end of his political reign
was near, Eleanor took over the White House duties, due to his insistence that the public stay unaware
of his paralysis. Before he was diagnosed with Polio, she became unsatisfied with being in the
background, essentially ornamental, and played a major role in both women’s and civil rights. In 1933
Eleanor held a press conference that she only allowed female reporters into (“Discovery education,”),
thus becoming one of the first to use mass media to communicate important issues to the nation. She
also spoke for human/women’s and children’s rights regarding inhumane labor, minorities, helped the
poor (in America), her column “My Day” (1936) addressed such issues. On Sunday’s in the White House,
she would invite anyone and everyone to an “egg-scramble” to discuss any issues they were facing and
provide solutions or support. During World War Two (1941), Eleanor traveled to countries where
American troops were stationed, she was visiting military bases and different parts of the U.S. so often
that the Secret Service gave her the nickname “Rover”, and the public frequently called her “Everywhere
Eleanor”. Shortly after her husband’s death, Eleanor was certain that her political days were over, but
she was soon approached by President Harry Truman to become a delegate of the United Nations, and
she agreed in the winter of 1945. Following her delegation, the widowed Roosevelt assisted in the
composition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which she considers to be her
greatest achievement. In 1948, she became a part of the NAACP, and eleven years later she graced
Brandeis University with her lectures about human rights and politics. Several autobiographical books
were published by Eleanor, expressing her experiences and grand ideas. After all of her
accomplishments, she gained another nickname from President Harry Truman: “First Lady of the
World”. Eleanor Roosevelt died in 1962 of Tuberculosis, and while she is buried next to her husband, a
man of influential position, in Hyde Park, she remains the beloved and respected world changer and
revolutionary that she was. (Ryskamp. 2013).
References:
Eleanor Roosevelt. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:40, Feb 19, 2013, from http://
www.biography.com/people/eleanor-roosevelt-9463366.
Ryskamp, D. (2013). Eleanor roosevelt: famous first lady and u.n. delegate. Retrieved from http://
history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Eleanor-Roosevelt.htm
www.unc.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unc.edu/depts/europe/pedagogy/meta/mod4/
time_us.pdf
Tasos, V. (n.d.). ehow.com. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_8572325_role-women-america-
1940s.html (Tasos)
Allenswood academy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/
allenswood.cfm
Discovery education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/
womenofthecentury/decadebydecade/1930s.html
Eleanor Roosevelt. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:40, Feb 19, 2013, from http://
www.biography.com/people/eleanor-roosevelt-9463366.
Ryskamp, D. (2013). Eleanor roosevelt: famous first lady and u.n. delegate. Retrieved from http://
history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Eleanor-Roosevelt.htm
www.unc.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unc.edu/depts/europe/pedagogy/meta/mod4/
time_us.pdf
Tasos, V. (n.d.). ehow.com. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_8572325_role-women-america-
1940s.html (Tasos)
Allenswood academy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/
allenswood.cfm
Discovery education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/
womenofthecentury/decadebydecade/1930s.html