After reading President Roosevelt’s address to the commonwealth club in 1932, I was unable to forget one particular idea that he discusses. He said that “ Sometimes my friends, particularly in years such as these, the hand of discouragement falls upon us…This is the mood of depression, of dire and weary depression. But then,” he continued saying that “we look around us in America, and everything tells us that we are wrong. America is new. It is the process of change and development”(par. 4-5). What I found interesting in this statement by Roosevelt was the manner in which he used the term depression. On one hand, he used the term depression to express the economic struggle that America was going through during this time period. He also used the word to address the emotional state of the people.
Roosevelt talked about how in earlier times it was easier for people to overcome the struggles that they faced as a society. People could either find a new place to live and farm or they could be employed out to someone in need of assistance. Roosevelt said that “Depressions could, and did, come and go; but they could not alter the fundamental fact that most of the people lived partly by selling their labor and partly by extracting their livelihood from the soil, so that starvation and dislocation were practically impossible.” The statement further more demonstrates the amount of significance crops were during the time of depression. Roosevelt continues to say that “Traditionally, when a depression came a new section of land was opened in west; and even our temporary misfortune served our manifest destiny”(page 3 par 5). This statement shows how the people took the good from the bad. Some individuals saw the depression as somewhat a process of opportunity.
Once Roosevelt got further into his speech he was able to elaborate more on the notion of disappearing opportunity. He said that:
A glance at the situation today only too clearly indicates that equality of opportunity as we known it no longer exists. Our industrial plant is built; the problem just now is whether under existing conditions it is not overbuilt. Our last frontier has long since been reached, and there is practically no more free land. More than half of our people do not live on the farms or on lands and cannot derive a living by cultivating their own property. (page 4 par 2)
This statement illustrates how there is a lack of land a goods available. He feels as though Americans, no longer have all the opportunities that they experienced in previous times of depression.
Roosevelt leaves the commonwealth club but not before addressing the club with words of motivation and encouragement. “…failure is not an American habit; and in the strength of great hope we must all shoulder our common load” (page 6 par 6). This statement so little but powerful, shows the amount of pride that Roosevelt had in the American society.
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I think this was definitely a great starting poing for your paper.
ReplyDeleteOverall, you should put more emphasis on what FDR proposed in order to overcome the depression.
When you quote FDR saying "our misery served our manifest destiny" you raise a very interesting concept on which you should expand. I think that phrase could be useful in explaining not only how they found the good during difficult times but also something more uniquely american like the idea of manifest destiny and how it relates to tough economic times.
Then, when commenting on the transformation of Americans' way of life and supporting themselves. Explain how this consists in a change in identity and then perhaps later try to demonstrate how he manages to create a positive view of this new role for the American working people.