Page 329 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV

1630 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Anyone who knows history, particularly the history of Europe, will,
I think, recognize that the domination of education or of government
by any one particular religious faith is never a happy arrangement
for the people. • Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)

headmistress’s intellectual curiosity and taste for travel work for important causes. She joined the Women’s
and excellence awakened similar interests in Eleanor. Trade Union League and became active in the New York
After three years, Eleanor reluctantly returned to New state Democratic Party. She began studying the Con-
York in the summer of 1902 to prepare for her debut into gressional Record and learned to evaluate voting records
society that winter. Following family tradition, she and debates as a member of the Legislative Affairs Com-
devoted time to community service, including teaching in mittee of the League of Women Voters.
a settlement house on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. When Franklin became governor of New York in
Soon after Eleanor returned to New York, Franklin 1929, Eleanor found an opportunity to combine the
Roosevelt, her distant cousin, began to court her, and responsibilities of a political hostess with her own inter-
they were married on 17 March 1905 in New York City. ests in social causes. The couple’s time together in the
Between 1906 and 1916, Eleanor gave birth to six chil- governor’s mansion left her well prepared for her new
dren, one of whom died in infancy. Franklin’s carefree role after Franklin’s election as president of the United
ways and constant pursuit of fun contrasted with her seri- States in 1932. Her twelve years as first lady challenged
ous demeanor, making theirs an odd but fascinating the prevailing attitudes of the day about a woman’s role
pairing. It also spelled doom for their marriage. in a marriage and her place in the political process. Serv-
Franklin’s decision to enter politics forced Eleanor to ing as Franklin’s “eyes and ears,” she traveled throughout
take on the job of political wife, first in Albany, New the nation giving speeches and providing feedback to the
York, and then after 1913, in Washington, D.C. She president on the public’s opinion on programs and
largely found the seemingly endless social obligations social conditions.
tiresome. America’s entry into World War I in 1917 The unprecedented range of Eleanor’s activities and
enabled her to resume her volunteer work. She worked her advocacy of liberal causes, such as child welfare,
for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and the Red housing reform, and equal rights for women and racial
Cross.This work revitalized her and increased her sense minorities, made her nearly as controversial a figure as
of self-worth when it was suffering most. Eleanor had her husband. In 1939, when the Daughters of the Amer-
discovered that Franklin had been having an affair with ican Revolution refused to let Marian Anderson, an
her social secretary, Lucy Mercer. Devastated, she African-American opera singer, perform in Washing-
offered Franklin a divorce. Knowing it would destroy ton’s Constitution Hall, Eleanor resigned her member-
his political career and possibly cost him his mother’s ship in the organization and arranged to hold the
financial support, Franklin refused and agreed to stop concert at the nearby Lincoln Memorial. The event
seeing Mercer. turned into a massive outdoor celebration attended by
The marriage became one of convenience and friend- seventy-five thousand people. Her defense of the rights
ship as it settled into a routine in which both spouses of African-Americans, youth, and the poor helped to
kept separate agendas while remaining respectful of and bring groups that had formerly been alienated from the
affectionate toward each other.Their relationship, how- political process into the government and the Democ-
ever, had ceased to be an intimate one. Franklin con- ratic Party.
tinued seeing Mercer and others, and, in fact, died in Eleanor instituted regular White House press confer-
Mercer’s company at Warm Springs, Georgia, in April ences for women correspondents.Wire services that had
of 1945. not formerly employed women had to do so in order to
Franklin’s determination to remain active in politics have a representative present to cover the newsworthy
after contracting poliomyelitis in 1921 depended upon First Lady. Beginning in 1936, she wrote a daily syndi-
Eleanor’s willingness to help keep his name in front of cated newspaper column, “My Day,” and continued it
the public. The work dovetailed well with her desire to until just a few weeks before her death in 1962 from a