America's Greatest 20th Century Presidents by Charles River Charles River Editors Read Free Book Online

in the international sphere.  Serving at the turn of the century, Roosevelt opened the doors to the “American Century.”
     
    The legacy of Theodore Roosevelt is not perfect, however.  While he was privately supportive of civil rights for African-Americans and equal rights for women, two divisive issues during his Presidency, Roosevelt did little to actively promote either cause.  He even lamented the supposed decline of the white race and feared its destruction by other races.  His dealings with non-Western nations, especially those in Latin America, are now seen as patronizing. 
     
    Despite these failings, however, Roosevelt holds a special place in the American imagination.  Born into wealth, Roosevelt was most comfortable with the cowboys of the Wild West and rural farmers from the Adirondacks.  Though the rest of his family hobknobbed with corporate CEO's, Roosevelt detested such powerful business interests.  His class versatility and adventurous spirit have made him an inspiring figure in the American psyche.  Even his more radical final years continue to inspire many Americans who sometimes lose faith in the political system's inability to push through major reform. 
     
    In the end, Theodore Roosevelt came to embody the ideal American, mixing frontier ruggedness and masculinity with the ideals of fairness and meritocracy. Indeed, Teddy’s presidency is often glossed over by Americans who are more fascinated by his roles as an explorer, hunter, author, soldier, president, and safari adventurer, all of which combined to form his unique reputation as a quintessential American.
     
    Theodore Roosevelt Bibliography
     
    Andrews, Wayne.  The Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt.  New York: Charles Scribner's
                  Sons, 1958.
     
    Brinkley, Alan and Davis Dyer.  The American Presidency: The Authoritative Reference.  New
                  York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
     
    Morris, Edmund.  Theodore Rex.   New York: Random House, 2001.
     
    Smith, Carter and Allen Weinstein.  Presidents: Every Question Answered.  New York: Hylas
                  Publishing, 2004.
     

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Chapter 1: Early Life, Education and Family, 1882-1909
    Birth and Education
     
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York, to James Roosevelt and Sara Ann Delano.  Roosevelt never had any full brothers or sisters, and as an only child he was pampered by his very wealthy family. Young Franklin had the privilege of spending many summers in Europe, where he became fluent in French and German, languages that would prove convenient during his Presidency.  Roosevelt was a star student, attending the prestigious Groton Preparatory School in Massachusetts.
     
    After Groton, Roosevelt moved on to Harvard.  There, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Crimson , and he majored in history and economics.  While at the university, Franklin's fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, became President after William McKinley's assassination.  Franklin, though a staunch Democrat, cast a rare vote for a Republican when his cousin ran for and won reelection in 1904. 
     
    Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1903.  A year later, he enrolled at Columbia Law School.  He did not graduate but nonetheless passed the New York bar. 
     

     
    Young FDR
     
     
    The Roosevelt Family
     
    Franklin's family wealth afforded him great opportunities.  The Roosevelt family was an early Dutch family that helped settle the New Netherlands, the colony founded by Holland but later taken by England and renamed New York. The early Roosevelt family settled in New Amsterdam, today's New York City, and owned significant parts of modern-day Manhattan.  The family owned property around Grand Central Station, which even today remains some of the world's most valuable real estate.
     
    Politics was a well-established tradition in the Roosevelt family.  Even in the late