To some extent Franklin Delano Roosevelt could not understand the ordinary Americans because wealthy parents raised him and his father a semi-retired railway executive was a cousin of the 26th president of America Theodore Roosevelt. FDR was also an only child which probably meant he was better off than other children who had brothers and sisters, he was spoilt by his parents, therefore he couldn’t understand the fears and concerns of the ordinary Americans as he had a wealthy upbringing.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s upbringing was a good one. Firstly he went to Groton school in Massachusetts. Also what helped him to understand the ordinary Americans was a teacher who at this school, named Endicott Peabody tried his hardest to influence young students their obligations towards those who were less fortunate in society, and one of these students was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He then went on to Harvard University where he graduated in 1904 in which after he attended Columbia University law school. Also in 1905, despite his widowed mothers objections he married a distant cousin, the niece of Theodore Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt. FDR was also an excellent athlete, an expert at boating and swimming, he also collected stamps, birds and model ships, hobbies which he pursued his whole life which most Americans would never be able to do. Also, a girl named Frances Perkins who later served in Roosevelt’s government, first met him in 1910 when Roosevelt had just entered politics remembers her early impressions saying, ‘He was not particularly charming. He rarely smiled and had an unfortunate habit of throwing his head up.
However, Franklin Delano Roosevelt could understand the ordinary Americans as at the age of 39 in 1921 he suffered the greatest personal crisis of his life when he was stricken by poliomyelitis, and
despite his determined efforts, Roosevelt never regained the proper use of his legs and had to use a wheelchair for much of his life at that shows he to suffered greatly. This showed that he could understand the struggle and fears of the ordinary Americans, his wife said, ‘Perhaps the experience, above all others, which shaped my husband’s character and gave him a strength and a depth he did not have as a young man was the long struggle of polio. A strength of character was built up during those days, which made him able to give complete confidence to the people of the nation when they needed it, so that when he said ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,’ they knew he believed it. He had lived through fear and come out successfully. These sources show that Roosevelt could understand the fears and concerns of the ordinary Americans.
