From the Tomb of FDR by Julio
Julioof Mission's entry into Varsity Tutor's October 2017 scholarship contest
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From the Tomb of FDR by Julio - October 2017 Scholarship Essay
A fellow New Yorker, a man who fancied himself on elegance and eloquence, a true statesman-- a Robin Hood. 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had become a model for future generations to come. He led the nation not only through the deadliest war in the history of the world, but also through the most crippling of world-wide economic depressions. It was no ordinary time and this would require no ordinary leader. Through this era of turmoil, Roosevelt fought effectively against a Nazi Regime as well as a would-be quagmire in the Pacific against Imperial Japan during the Second World War. A few years prior FDR fought for economic reform in the midst of the Great Depression and oversaw the fastest economic recovery where the poor and middle class had been the most greatly affected in a positive way. Through this FDR was embattled by his own troubles struggling with a disease just as crippling as the War and Depression. America’s battles had been metaphorically Roosevelt’s battles for years, and when he was elected President, America’s battles had become his.
Roosevelt did what others wouldn’t. He established economic reforms such as deviating from the gold standard to manipulate money supplies, established Social Security for the elderly and Glass-Steagall to protect against financial speculation. He made the New Deal, which gave jobs to millions of Americans after a huge spike in layoffs during the Depression. He gave, perhaps the most famous speech to a joint session of congress following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. He over saw the Manhattan Project, He diplomatically talked with the leaders of US allies such as Churchill, De Gaulle, and Stalin to defeat the oppressive Nazis, and overcame the odds of such a brutal time in US history. These qualities of leadership is what I wish to emulate and I would be pleased to learn about his journey along the way.
Speaking to the man that changed the course of American history and the views of American politics would be an honor. I would imagine a man who is broken, yet optimistic, sitting on the other side of the table, speaking with his thick Brooklyn accent that distinguished him among his colleagues. Speaking of hope and change of what he intended to do during his presidency. He would speak of the American Dream of economic progression and mobility and his words would echo into a similar sentiment of mine-- one of love and compassion for our fellow Americans. If given the opportunity, I would ask how he accomplished as much as he did with such a divided nation.
Would he speak of the internal struggles of dealing with an opposing congress? Perhaps against an obstructionist court system? Or maybe the determination of struggling with Polio and how he harnessed the paralysis of his lower body to be put for action in his work. I would imagine that he would be unhappy with the results at the fact that he couldn’t do more. He had fought not only the foreign fascist powers but also a Homefront of people in power who fought to preserve a failing status quo. He once spoke, “We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopolies, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering…. And we know now that government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob.”
This would lead to a conversation of how in modern politics we had failed FDR’s vision for the future. He would be enraged by the fact that only 6 banks who are considered, “too big to fail” would control the American financial market. He would be appalled at the speculation and reckless banking that caused The Great Recession which is dangerously similar as the speculation that caused Roosevelt’s Depression. He would be disgusted with the class warfare where the rich antagonize the poor for their own miseries rather than themselves. Disheartened by the military industrial complex having such a large influence in American politics, and completely disarrayed by the direct influence big money has in politics. I would assume that Roosevelt would persist that my generation and I have the leadership to change the broken system that he fought so hard against.
From the tomb of FDR, I would take his words to heart to continue his legacy. I would run for office and change the system from the bottom up using his words of inspiration to use the people to help the people and start a revolution in American politics that would be a snowball effect for future generations to come.