Untitled Document
 Eleanor
Roosevelt is one of the most admired women in American
history. She was First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945.
As First Lady, she supported the New Deal policies
of her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She had many hardships during her lifetime. But she always
believed in herself and did many great deeds. She also worked hard
to improve African-Americans’ lives.
Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York into a
wealthy family. When she
was only 8 years old, her mother died. Her father also died 2 years
later. When she was 15, her grandmother sent her to a boarding school. She was
a smart child, and she blossomed at the school.
When she was 18, she met her distant cousin Franklin Delano
Roosevelt. At that time, Eleanor was helping the poor in the slums. Franklin was impressed
with the good works she was doing there and he fell in love with her.
They married in 1905 and started a family. They had 5 children together.
Eleanor became First Lady in 1932 when Franklin D. Roosevelt won the
presidential election. As
First Lady, she traveled to many places and worked tirelessly for the advancement of working women
and African-Americans.
 In 1936,
Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for a second term as President and won
again. He served 4 terms in office from 1933 to 1945. He is the only
U.S. president to have served more than 2 terms. World War II started during
his third term in office. Eleanor visited the troops and went to the hospitals
to encourage the wounded. The soldiers loved her very much.
In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt was elected to a fourth term as president.
But he fell ill and died on April 12, 1945. After her husband’s death,
Eleanor continued to work as a writer, speaker, and politician.
The next President Harry Truman asked her to be a delegate to the United Nations
in London. She worked for the UN from 1945 to 1952. She continued
to work for human rights for the rest
of her life. President Truman called her the “First Lady of the World”
in tribute to her human rights
achievements. Eleanor Roosevelt
died on November 7, 1962. She was 78 years old. |
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