Eleanor+Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City. Eleanor Roosevelt was a niece to Theodore Roosevelt and her parents were Elliot and Anna Roosevelt. Although both parents were social and wealthy, Elliot was an alcoholic and Anna was very critical of Eleanor. She often referred to Eleanor as the “ugly duckling” of the family. Little did she know, Eleanor would become one of the most influential women in the world. At the age of 18 Eleanor got involved with the Junior League, a group that was dedicated to support charities. Eleanor was shocked to see such poverty and slums. She didn’t understand how people were living off $600 a year and she wanted to do something to help. In one instance she investigated a sweatshop on behalf of the Junior League. Her, “sense of common decency made her want to help this people.” (Somervil 27).



Since then Eleanor has always channeled her instinct to help people. She married Franklin D. Roosevelt, her distant cousin, in 1905. Franklin was a politician and Eleanor always supported him. Once when he was sick she campaigned for him, even though at that time women were discouraged from politics. Eleanor was for women’s suffrage. She always took a stand and found a way to make situations better. When the United States entered World War I, Eleanor wanted to help so she organized the Navy branch of the Red Cross. She had several women knit socks and set up boxes to send these socks along with chocolate, cigarettes, magazines and other goods. Then when the war ended she met representatives from 19 countries at a meeting of the International Congress for Women Workers. This group promoted equal pay for women and opposed child labor. After the 19th Amendment Eleanor, helped create the League of Women Voters. This group educated women about politics and voting to get more women to utilize their rights. Eleanor also pursued her interest in women’s rights by raising money for the women’s division of the Democratic State Committee and was heavily involved in the Women’s Trade Union League. She even wrote anti-war articles for the //Women’s Democratic News//. After the Depression hit, Franklin decided to run for president. Even though she wasn’t quite excited about becoming the First Lady, she supported her husband through thick and thin. She even helped him develop his campaign and when he won, she helped him with his “New Deal.” While helping him with that, she also made a name for herself by working in the slums, visiting workers in mines and factories, and held press conferences. She was also very passionate about equal rights for African Americans. In fact when the Daughters of the American Revolution did not let Marian Anderson, an African-American signer, in Eleanor, who was a member, dropped out. Eleanor brought up the problem of lynching to Franklin and he refused to put it in the “New Deal.” All through World War II Eleanor did all she could. Eleanor was a major woman pioneer in the 1920’s and ‘30s. She was an inspiration to all women and helped any one she could. She took a big leap with everything she did, which is why she is one of the most inspirational women pioneers in America. media type="youtube" key="em-R2IKs0bo" height="344" width="425"

Popular Quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."