Franklin D Roosevelt biography and Presidential Courage Essay

Franklin D Roosevelt biography and Presidential Courage - Essay Example Roosevelt’s presidency and character are marked by a strong sense of morality and courage. Born on January 30, 1882, Roosevelt was born to his father’s second wife, Sara Delano who came from a prominent family as were the Roosevelt’s who were wealthy for multiple generations. His father was 51 at the time of his birth while his mother was only 28. Though prominent families typically left the care of their children to nannies and nurses, Sara preferred to raise Franklin herself. â€Å"Sara was determined to raise Franklin as a Delano, which meant to raise him as she had been raised under the benign discipline of her father.† (Smith, 49). During the earlier part of his life, his education was through the efforts of governesses and tutors as his parents would not send him to public school. â€Å"One of the most gifted tutors was a young Swiss woman names Jeanne Rosat-Sandoz, who, in addition to drilling Franklin in modern languages, attempted to instill a se nse of social responsibility.† (Smith, 50). It was important to her to develop him as both a person and a scholar. She â€Å"believed in social reform and the Social Gospel; she did her utmost to arouse in FDR a social concern for those less fortunate.† (Smith, 50). ... of travel in his childhood and his parents knew the Cleveland family and so FDR grew up having been to the White House and meeting people in Congress and whose. At age 14, he went to the prestigious Groton School where he was educated in the traditional classic style and did average in school but well enough to enter Harvard University where he also spent time working for the Harvard Newspaper and eventually become editor. Though he did not have extensive dating experience, during this time he began dating and against the wishes of especially his mother, he became determined to marry his fifth cousin, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. She was raised in one of the less fortunate branches of the family but he did marry her in 1905 and shortly after he started at Columbia University Law School. Though FDR was a competent enough scholar, school was never a priority for him. He passed the bar exam but never completed his degree. He had difficulty in law school but seemed unconcerned. â€Å"FDRâ₠¬â„¢s attitude toward law school was similar to Ulysses S. Grant’s view of West Point: it was a hurdle but should not be taken too seriously.† (Smith,96). His ability to face these challenges in life was an example of how he would handle challenges later in his presidency as he would not be stressed or overwhelmed by the situations he would face. â€Å"That was a trait he would hone to an art form in public life. ‘If something was unpleasant and he didn’t want to know about it, he just ignored it and never talked about it,’ said Eleanor. ‘I think he always thought that if you ignore a thing long enough it would settle itself.’† (Smith, 101). However, his college experiences did also help develop his leadership skills which would be key in his presidency. Leadership developed early