Why Was FDR Important to History?
Franklin D. Roosevelt was important to history because he was the president during key moments in U.S. history such as the Great Depression and World War II. During his first months in office, he passed several programs and reforms designed to stimulate the economy and relieve those struggling financially.
Franklin D. Roosevelt became president during the Great Depression; he won on the platform of providing a “New Deal” for the American people. The New Deal created several domestic programs for the relief, recovery and reform of the economy. The relief portion of the New Deal helped out the unemployed by giving them work building airports, hospitals, schools and roads as well as raising the price of crops. Roosevelt’s Second New Deal put into place the Social Security Act, which is one of the largest programs run by the U.S. government.
Roosevelt also lead the United States into World War II, allying the country with Great Britain and Soviet Russia to defeat Nazi Germany. Before the war, U.S. diplomacy followed an isolationist philosophy. Roosevelt and World War II changed this, and the United States has since been involved in world politics.
Roosevelt was the only president to serve four terms as president. Before Roosevelt, American presidents kept to a two-term tradition.
