The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt
As the wife of a popular United States president, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City, October 11, 1884, and died November 7, 1962. She was an active worker for social causes. She was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, and was raised by her maternal grandmother after the premature death of her parents. In 1905 she married her cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They had six children, but one of them died in infancy. Although she was extremely shy, Eleanor worked hard and became a well known and admired humanitarian. (Webster III, 100).
When her husband became the President, Eleanor Roosevelt made herself a strong speaker on behalf of a wide range of social causes, including youth employment and civil rights for blacks and women. She also had compassion for the Jewish and helped them go through the time when Hitler had power. She did all of her work with self-confidence, authority, independence, and cleverness. Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the greatest women who ever lived because of her accomplishments, her benefits to mankind, and her motives to accomplish her goals.
Helping other people was what Eleanor Roosevelt lived for. There were many accomplishments made by this woman in social and political matters. For one thing, she spoke out for women to make them more equal to men. In 1928, she helped originate the nation-wide web of active units of Democratic women (Lash, 49). Eleanor believed that women could do just as much as men, especially in politics. The League of Women Voters was where she was “grounded in citizenship and government” (Benton, 237). Because of her experiences with men and other women, Eleanor had been able to make speeches and talk to other women about their rights.
Another social matter in which she was concerned about was the treatment of the Jewish. The idea of Hitler wanting to exterminate all Jewish people brought up strong emotions in Eleanor. Her compassion towards the survivors of those concentration camps and gas chambers, made her take part in a memorial service of protest about it. She did what she could to help the survivors of the holocaust escape death, including getting visas for the refugees who managed to get to Spain and Portugal. The issuance of visas to children was another thing that she tried to do to help the younger people escape the violence (Lash, 109). It was hard for her to convince the people in power to get the help the Jewish needed, but she was able to do it.
A further thing that Eleanor was particularly interested in was the black Negro people. She had always been supportive for the equality of every person black or white. The works of Negroes were greatly admired by Eleanor. They inspired her to try to make changes to end discrimination. Once, she gave a White House party for delinquent Negro girls (Wilson, 693). Not many people approved of what she did for blacks, but that didn’t keep her from doing what she wanted to do. She also resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) because the organization refused to allow black singer Marian Anderson to perform in their concert hall. Eleanor had made sacrifices like this to help Negroes get the rights she thought they deserved, and she never cared what the public thought of her.
The many accomplishments made by Eleanor Roosevelt benefited mankind in many ways. Her determination to get more equality for women helped to start organizations to get these rights. As an outspoken leader, she encouraged women of all kinds to speak out for the equal rights that men have too. She had changed the thoughts of people and what they thought the role of a woman was all about. This accomplishment was a great benefit to the women of society.
Eleanor’s awareness of the treatment of the Jewish during the holocaust helped to save numerous lives because of what she was able to do. She rescued people from the horror of concentration camps by getting them to safety. The infinite amount of refugees she helped mattered a great deal when it came to saving lives of mankind. This shows how she was such a notable humanitarian to all people alike, and proved that Eleanor was a kind woman who wanted to help everybody.
Like women, Eleanor believed that all blacks were equal to whites. Because of her support, she was able to bring about civil rights movement for blacks. This benefited mankind by getting the rights blacks should have. This created a stronger feeling about humanity and how people should be treated as equals. Eleanor had aided so many people by doing what she believed was right and just. She made a tremendous effort to unite the human race into one vast equalized family, and did a good job at it.
All of Eleanor’s motivation to accomplish her tasks came from her childhood. As a child, she would travel the world with her father and meet different people. When she met these people, she would try to see how they think and feel. Her experiences led her to feel compassion for everybody no matter what their color, race, or gender. She learned how to get things done by simply living life as it is. One thing that life has taught Eleanor is:
“If you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. They will gravitate as automatically as the needle to the north. All you need to do is to be curious, receptive, and eager for experience. When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else” (Roosevelt, 14).
Eleanor’s knowledge of people helped her strive to get the rights all people should have, including the right to live in peace. Her strength and courage motivated her to do what is right. Because of her attentiveness of the world around her, Eleanor could achieve her goals and accomplish her tasks.
To sum it all up, Eleanor made great contributions to the society of humankind. She succeeded in life as a person and as a role model to many. Everything that she has done came from her heart, and it made the human race better than before. Her compassion for people including women, Jews, and Negroes were just some of the many things she believed in and worked for. With more equality between the different kinds of people, there can be more peace and happiness in the world without all the discrimination. Her accomplishments brought about increased unity in people, which was what she did to benefit mankind. All of her experiences and determination motivated her to do what she did, and it was a gift to humanity.
Thesis:
Eleanor Roosevelt benefited mankind by accomplishing her goals to help others be equal and unified with one another. Her motives helped her achieve this, and made her someone who has done a great deal for humanity.
Premises:
1. Accomplishments
2. How she benefited mankind
3. Motivation to accomplish goals
