Eleanor Roosevelt – An Agent of Change for Women

Eleanor Roosevelt – an Agent of Change for Women Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 11, 1884, and grew into a shy awkward child. Her mother died when Eleanor was very young and her father died a couple years later, so she went to live with her grandmother, but it was not until she attended boarding school in England at 15, that she had a chance to develop her self-confidence among other girls As an orphan, Eleanor had no real family identity, no self-esteem or sense of acceptance. No one to whom she could ask those personal questions, daughters ask their mothers. She had no role models except her elderly grandmother. Her father, an alcoholic, left the family physically and mentally, long before he died. Eleanor married her first cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1905. Eleanor's domineering mother-in-law Sara was a constant irritant in Eleanor's life who added to her feelings of inadequacy. When her son, Franklin, jr., died a few months after his birth Eleanor became increasingly depressed. Altogether, Eleanor had six children because birth control did not exist yet. "I suppose I was fitting pretty well into the pattern of a fairly conventional, quiet, young society matron," she wrote later in her autobiography. (Roosevelt 1961) Eleanor helped her husband with his political career, from 1910 until he became president in 1933. During this period Eleanor was raising a growing family while living with Sara, Franklin’s mother who did not like her. When World War I started, Eleanor became active supporting the war effort. This got her away from her motherin-law and gave her some independence. In 1918, Eleanor discovered love letters between her husband and her social secretary, Lucy Mercer. It broke her heart and she wanted a divorce but Franklin convinced her to stay in the marriage. Sara, Franklin’s mother, threatened to disinherit him if he divorced Eleanor. This was more about keeping his political career on track and less about keeping the family together. However, contrary to his promise, Franklin continued to see Lucy for the next 31 years. This marked the beginning of a very hard time for Eleanor. She spent a lot of those years in Washington, alone. She realized there was a tremendous amount of gossip about them and her unfaithful husband. Her humiliation was very public. She did not know if she could manage on her own with five children under 10 years old or how she would support them if she left her husband. Looking at pictures of Eleanor between 1918 and 1921, you can see how thin she became. Not only did she lose a tremendous amount of weight but also the stress caused her teeth to go bad. Emotionally she was scarred, and her love for her husband was never the same. In the face of these serious personal setbacks she dedicated herself to helping others, especially women and the poor. When her husband's promising career seemed doomed by the crippling effects of polio, her help and encouragement gave him the will to go on. As a result of her strength, Franklin eventually became President of the United States and many believe she was truly the power behind the throne. As she had written wistfully at 14, "...no matter how plain a woman may be if truth and loyalty are stamped upon her face all will be attracted to her...." (Roosevelt, 1949) For most Americans however, Eleanor provided a welcome display of genuine caring during a time of great national crisis. She became a role model for other women. She lobbied her husband’s cabinet to provide greater relief for women and to develop special programs to help women and destitute children. She had a hand in the creation of the Works Progress Administration, which created work projects for the unemployed, and the associated Federal Arts Project, Federal Writers Project and Federal Theater Project to help unemployed artists. It was the beginning of another level of liberation for her, because when she returns to New York, she became very involved in feminist politics. She was introduced to Esther Lape and Elizabeth Read, and became involved in the feminist movement, and later in the peace movement. Ironically, the years of her greatest personal despair also become the years of her greatest liberation and public successes. It is at about this time that Eleanor’s Grandmother Hall died and Eleanor was responsible for making the funeral arrangements. As she reflected on her grandmother's life, she began to compare her life to the "dailiness" of her grandmother's life. She realized that for her being a devoted wife and a devoted mother was not enough. She needed a life of her own. Her grandmother could have done so much more than she did with her life. Eleanor Roosevelt decides she is going to do everything possible with her life and live it to the fullest. With many moments of grief -- her husband's affair, the death of her child, this great sense of grief over her grandmother's death, the death of her parents, all of the deaths, she becomes reborn. Just about that time she meets two politically active and very interesting women who recall the community that she left in Allenswood. Eleanor Roosevelt had wanted to teach, and had come back to become a social worker. And so once again, she gets very involved in politics, only this time the politics of her own choosing. After returning to New York in 1902, Eleanor Roosevelt joined the Junior League of New York and the Consumers’ League. At the Junior League, Eleanor taught dance classes to immigrants. In 1905, when she married Franklin Delanor Roosevelt she was asked a political question about the state and national government. Eleanor did not even know there were two separate governments and decided that she needed to get involved in the political community. Along with politics, Eleanor became a crusader for a wide variety of social causes including the Women’s Movement, Black Movement, youth employment and aid to the poor. In 1912, Eleanor attended her first Democratic National Convention. She joined the Women Voters League in 1920, the same year the vote was won for women. She was also active in the Women’s Trade Union League and the Women’s Division of the Democratic State Committee. In 1925 Eleanor founded and opened the Val-Kill Furniture Factory. The factory was meant as a source of income for local farm boys in the off-season of farming. A year later Eleanor purchased the Todhunter School for girls with fellow activists Marion Dickerman and Nancy Cook. Eleanor was the vice president of the school and taught history and government classes. Between 1928 and 1934 Eleanor was appointed director of the Bureau of Women’s Activities, assisted with the Arthurdale homestead project for coal miners in West Virginia, formed the National Youth Administration and participated in anti-lynching campaigns. All of her activism comes during a time when her husband had recently been elected president and was also paralyzed as a result of polio. Early in her career, Eleanor became involved with helping American soldiers and their families. During World War I, Eleanor spoke at a number of patriotic rallies and was involved with the Red Cross. She also took time out of her busy schedule to visit with wounded soldiers and write letters to their families. She oversaw a number of “knitting rooms” set up by the Navy. Her most well known visit with wounded soldiers was in 1919 when she volunteered at the St. Elizabeth Hospital. In 1935, Eleanor Roosevelt started her own syndicated column, “My Day”. She wrote the column six days a week and used it as a tool to reach millions of Americans everyday. In the column she wrote about social and political issues, historical events and her life. With the exception of four missed days due to her husband’s death, Eleanor wrote the column everyday from its beginning until it ended in 1962. In addition to her well-known column, Eleanor also had her own radio show and her own television show. The monthly television show, “Prospects of Mankind with Eleanor Roosevelt”, first hit the airwaves in October of 1959. The show hosted a wide range of prominent political figures and discussed topics such as the Peace Corps. Eleanor also hosted hundreds of her own press conferences while she was First Lady. One way in which she helped promote women into media was by only allowing female reporters in her press conferences. As a result, if any newspaper were going to get a story on Eleanor Roosevelt, they were forced to hire women. Eleanor Roosevelt was a continual force in the anti-segregation and antilynching movements and became a member of the NAACP in 1945. She also encouraged the Army Nurse Corps to open its membership up to Blacks. As a result of her activism in the Black movement, FDR signed Executive Orders “barring discrimination in the administration of various New Deal Programs” (Goodwin 3). Eleanor also made bold moves such as sitting on the Black side of an auditorium where whites and Blacks were forced to sit separately. Eleanor was elected head of the United Nation Human Rights commission in 1946 and drafted the Declaration of Human Rights. In that same year she also created the Americans for Democratic Action. This group focused on domestic social reform and resisted the growing Cold War in Russia. Despite her efforts for a democratic society, the FBI suspected Eleanor of communist activity. While the FBI never did a full-fledged investigation on her they did have a file on Eleanor containing over three thousand pages of information on her activities. She was charged with being involved in communist activities although nothing ever really came about the allegations. Eleanor Roosevelt was a unique and hard working woman who was ahead of her time. Her actions and efforts in the political and social arenas furthered the Women’s Movement, the Black Movement and many other social reforms. According to Goodwin in a Time Magazine article, “She was the first woman to speak in front of a national convention, to write a syndicated column, to earn money as a lecturer, to be a radio commentator and to hold regular press conferences” (Goodwin 1). Eleanor was always looking for ways to help the less fortunate and propel society toward equality for women, people of color, immigrants and children. Her progressive ideals and endless contributions have been a legacy and example for all Americans. Eleanor Roosevelt embodies women of change in feminist terms for her contributions that focused on human rights throughout the world. One way she accomplished this was through her plethora of writings. Her writings directly influenced the ability of individuals to impact change. She once said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” She spent a lifetime living those words. Her life’s work included the role of First Lady which she directly redefined and established new opportunities for women as a whole. Her work in the United Nations enabled her to establish a global framework for the organization of human rights. As the chairwoman of the Commission on the Status of Women she fought for and ensured the rights and roles of women that are commonplace today. The following passage from a speech she gave outlines her direction and vision. "The development of the ideal of freedom and its translation into the everyday life of the people in great areas of the earth is the product of the efforts of many peoples. It is the fruit of a long tradition of vigorous thinking and courageous action. No one race and no one people can claim to have done all the work to achieve greater dignity for human beings and greater freedom to develop human personality. In each generation and in each country there must be a continuation of the struggle and new steps forward must be taken since this is preeminently a field in which to stand still is to retreat." ("The Struggle for Human Rights", The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers) Her perseverance and courage in the face of diversity and unmatched ability to communicate effectively resulted in her advancing to positions, which fostered the preservation of human rights for citizens of the world. To ensure her efforts endure and progress, we need to all become activists of change. Eleanor Roosevelt utilized her voice on behalf of those who could not. She best conveyed this ability through her daily column "My Day" in which she addressed the issues of the time. Often she focused on controversial human rights issues in order to add clarity and direction. The following excerpt from her column demonstrates that she valued the traditions of the Native Americans and just as importantly, that their culture and way of life needed to be preserved. In the following passage she protests the passage of a bill, which would in essence take these rights away from the tribes. "For a hundred years it has been the U.S. policy to allow Indians their own tribal, customary law. Under Section 9 of this new bill we will interfere with all the things that are important to them--their religion, their art, their self-governing arrangements. The very things that those who study Indian life consider most important, this bill would destroy." (The American Experience Timeline) Her vision of human rights encompassed the movement against Apartheid. She reached a wide array of readers through her daily column, thus she became a voice that could activate change. She directed readers to take a stand and join together not only as a community of Americans but also as citizens of the world. Eleanor sensed that what impacted other nations would impact each of us. Her call to join in a day of protest validated and brought attention to the lack of human rights present under the Apartheid system. In this one day she took an enormous human rights violation and demonstrated the ability of one individual to effect change. Uniting people in a simple way to bring about change became her badge and beacon. This excerpt demonstrates her ability to capture attention and become a human rights activist. "NEW YORK, DECEMBER 2, 1957 - People all over the world have been asked to sign a Declaration of Conscience to observe a day of protest against South Africa's apartheid policy. An international committee, composed of more than 150 world leaders from more than 43 nations, has designated Human Rights Day, December 10, as this worldwide day of protest. Particularly in India and in Africa, as well as in many other countries of the world, there will be demonstrations protesting the policy, which is felt to be harmful to human relations, the world over. Therefore it cannot be the domestic concern of one nation only, but of all nations."(The American Experience Timeline) In her articles, she compared the effort to desegregate America with the Apartheid in South Africa. These abuses, although different in degree, emphasized that human rights were being violated. She bravely resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution, declaring that sometimes change must come in other formats of resistance, especially when an organization exhibits discrimination. In this case the DAR refused the performance of a black singer named Marian Anderson in a place where individual rights should have been guaranteed, Constitution Hall. Moreover, she promoted boycotts of Southern products during the reluctant implementation of desegregation. Her voice and views became a sounding board from which citizens could see beyond their own town. She connected you to the bigger global picture. To be an activist became a matter of simple choices. Her quote "As for accomplishments, I just did what I had to do as things came along", vividly portrays the dedication to which she facilitated change throughout her life. To effect change she utilized the tools that were available to her. One of her greatest accomplishments was to collaborate with the United Nations in the creation of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". During this same time period, Eleanor became an outspoken advocate of human rights worldwide. Her focal point does not narrow but rather becomes panoramic. Included in her vision are the rights of individuals, which are documented in thirty key articles of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." The document became a constitution for the world, outlining the rights of citizens. Article 1 states “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." (The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers) Article 28, which states, "Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized." (The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers) These two Articles seem to embody the foundation and vision that Eleanor sought to establish and foster. With renewed ambition, Eleanor describes her philosophy. "For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it." She championed the cause of the Jewish people displaced and dehumanized through the Holocaust. She demanded the recognition of the new state of Israel or threatened to leave her position with the United Nations. In 1948, as the Cold War began to unfold, Eleanor formed a committee called "Americans for Democratic Action". This committee worked to ensure those rights specifically outlined in the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. Through the formation of committees Eleanor found the connections and power to initiate change. Eleanor Roosevelt symbolized change for women when on December 14, 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed her to the Commission on the Status of Women. The work of the commission pioneered for the rights and privileges that women take for granted today but were once prohibited. Although many women still struggle with equal pay for equal work, this commission made great inroads and laid the foundation for future legislation. One outcome to their efforts spawned committees to form at the state level. William Leuchtenberg, from Duke University reaffirms the efforts of the commission in the following passage. "The commission examined discrimination against women and recommended ways to eliminate it. It studied legislation and services that would help women to fulfill their roles, whether as housewives or as workers, and prompted legislative and executive actions. It spurred an executive order requiring equal employment opportunities for women under federal contracts. In 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which had been endorsed by the commission. The commission also advocated changes in state laws that excluded women from jury duty, from owning property or a business, or from legal control of their earnings. Within a few years every state had established its own commission on the status of women. The national commission also made recommendations to the private sector on issues such as day care, access to education, and wages."(President’s Commission on the Status of Women) For every woman that earns a wage, utilizes on-site day care, or receives the jury duty notification in the mail, or attends college because of equal opportunity grants, they can thank Eleanor Roosevelt and her contribution to the commission. Ultimately even attending a Women’s National Basketball Association game most likely could trace roots back to efforts of this commission. This group of women enacted legislation that our daughters reap the benefits of today. The accomplishments of Eleanor Roosevelt frame her life. In her own words, “Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t." She utilized every opportunity to enrich the lives of those oppressed, mistreated, and devalued. Her establishment of a world framework by which to ensure human rights prevails today and will continue for generations to come. Each of us in one way or another feels the importance of her work. Her legacy endures through our actions as proponents of change where human rights are denied.