Born on the 11th of October of 1884 was the one and only Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, but everyone knows her as Eleanor Roosevelt. She was born from the proud parents of Elliot Roosevelt and Anna Hall Roosevelt at 56th West Street in New York City, New York. She had two younger brothers, Elliot Roosevelt Jr. and Hall Roosevelt.
She had an “old fashioned manner” growing up as a kid so her mother would call her Granny. Eleanor always thought of herself as ugly too, but she knew deep down that looks wasn’t everything. When Eleanor was just eight years old, her life went in a complete circle. Her mother died from diphtheria, and about two years later, her father died too. Her brother Elliot Jr. died in 1893 from diphtheria. She was then raised by her grandmother, Mary Ludlow Hall, which was Eleanor’s mother’s mother.
Eleanor had been homeschooled until about age 15, when her aunt “Bamie” thought she should do something different. Her family then sent her to London, England to Allenswood Academy, which was a finishing private school. She learned fluent French while there. In 1920, she finished back in New York at The New School.
In 1902 at the age of 17, Eleanor met Franklin D. Roosevelt. Franklin was Eleanor’s father’s fifth cousin, so Franklin was Eleanor’s fifth cousin, once removed. When November of 1904 rolled along, Franklin proposed to Eleanor. She said yes. They didn’t announce the engagement until December 1st. Franklin’s mother wasn’t too happy about the engagement. She took Franklin on a cruise in hopes that his love for Eleanor would go away, but it did the exact opposite.
At the wedding, President Theodore Roosevelt walked Eleanor down the aisle. Eleanor was age 20, and Franklin was age 23. They married on March 17, 1904 on Saint Patrick’s Day. I wonder if she wore a green dress. After they married, they moved back to New York City. Surprisingly, the house was given to them by Franklin’s mother, the person who didn’t want them to get married. Not only did they get the house, but they received the family’s estate too, where you could see Hudson River. That was located in Hyde Park, New York. Eleanor and Franklin had six children; Anna Eleanor Jr., James, Franklin Delano Jr. (who died at 7th months), Elliot, Franklin Delano Jr. (yes another one), and John Aspinwall.
Eleanor had a controversial relationship with her mother-in-law Sara, but Sara tried her best to be a mother to Eleanor. Not only was Sara her mother-in-law, but she was also a distant cousin of Eleanor. Sara thought of Eleanor as “relatively young and inexperienced and lacked maternal support.” Sara thought she had a lot to teach this young grasshopper.
After a couple years of their marriage, Eleanor had found out that Franklin had been having a secret affair with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer. Eleanor told Franklin that if he continued this affair, she would divorce him. Franklin knew this wouldn’t go well with his family, so claimed that he stopped the affair. Later on after Franklin died from a stroke, Eleanor found out they had still been having an affair.
Eleanor had many accomplishments during her lifetime. She worked for the Red Cross when the US entered WWI, taking care of shell-shocked soldiers, and set up organizations to provide for the rising demand for wool clothing for the soldiers. Eleanor helped Franklin get back into politic after he found out he had polio. She was also a teacher at a private school, teaching history, and was assistant principal. She helped with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Council of Negro Women. Not only that, but when US went to WWII, she became the assistant director of the Office of Civilian Defense. Her job was to help get volunteers to get themselves into the war. Eleanor also established the National Youth Administration, which provided financial aid to students and job training for both men and women.
In 1948, Eleanor drafted the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” and that declared “liberty and equality to all people regardless of their creed, race and color.” She was also a part of the United Nations, but stepped down. She remained an “unofficial US ambassador” to the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Eleanor also has books about her personal life and her experiences. Some of them are: This is My Story, This I Remember, On My Own and Tomorrow is Now.
On November 7, 1962, Eleanor passed away at age 78. She was buried next to Franklin in Hyde Park.
I think Eleanor made a huge impact on our country. If she wouldn't have been by Franklin’s side and pushed him to his political career, our country might not be what it is today. Thank you Eleanor.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/accomplishments-of-eleanor-roosevelt.html
Comments
Well done!