Franklin was born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York. He was the only child of James and Sara Roosevelt. Born into a very wealthy family, he grew up on his father's estate called Springwood. Being an only child, his parents adored him, but brought him up with a loving firmness. His father taught him that "being wealthy also brought with it the responsibility of helping people who were not so lucky" (Johnson 1967, p. 38).

Franklin D. Roosevelt was always a very smart and educated young man. Growing up, Franklin's parents took him on many trips to Europe, where he studied and learned how to speak many different languages. He graduated from Harvard Unive

In 1910, Roosevelt accepted an invitation from state Democratic leaders to run for the New York Senate. This was going to be a difficult task for Franklin because Republicans had controlled his district for over fifty years. But he was determined to do it. Roosevelt wanted a clean government and strongly opposed big city officials. With those requests, that was all he needed to win the election. Franklin became a state senator at the age of 29, and from then on, he was known as a very "bold and skillful political fighter" (Abbott 1990, p. 103). In 1913, President Wilson appointed him as assistant secretary of the Navy. This was the perfect job for FDR, as he said, "I now find my vocation combined with my avocation in a delightful way. Politics being my 'vocation' and ships and naval history being my hobby or avocation'" (Abbott 1990, p. 104). This job taught him, not only a lot about national politics, but especially about ways to get along with Congress. In 1914, Roosevelt ran for the Democratic nomination as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, but lost by a large margin. He wanted to enter the military service in 1917, when the U.S. was involved in World War I, but was convinced instead to visit the battlefields and meet with military leaders overseas. This is how he became a national figure to the world. In the 192, Roosevelt was nominated for Vice-President under James M. Cox, who together, called for a campaign concerning U.S. membership in the League of Nations. They ended up getting defeated by Coolidge, though. This defeat did not really harm Roosevelt. By that time, he was already a well-established leader among the Democrats.

The third major issue that came about in Roosevelt's second term was the Neutrality Acts. Roosevelt was not a huge fan of these acts because he wanted to help nations in time of need, especially ones opposing the Axis Powers: Germany, Italy and Japan (Schuman 1996, p. 110). Even after World War II began in 1939, the U.S. managed to stay isolated from the "last Great War." But later that year, the U.S. passed the Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing other nations to purchase weapons from the U.S. for war.

Hard to believe, but very true, it was time for yet another Presidential election, which led to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's third consecutive term in office. There were many factors that lead to his reelection. He appointed a few Republicans to his Cabinet, hoping to gain some Republican support. He was the only President to ever be nominated for three terms, which led to the 22nd Amendment. Roosevelt was, so far, keeping the United States out of war and promised to continue to do so. And, guiding the U.S. through two successful terms, the people thought that at the time, the nation needed a president with good experience and leadership skills (Schuman 1996, p. 132).

Besides being involved with the war outside the country, Roosevelt's home life changed during this time as well. The Roosevelt's could not entertain guests as much anymore because security regulations were added to the White House. Machine guns were set on the roof, Secret Service agents posted throughout the grounds, and even a bomb shelter was put in the basement. These regulations were necessary in order to keep everyone safe and the White House under control.

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