WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.220 Welcome back to The Deep Dive, the only place 00:00:02.220 --> 00:00:04.679 where we take a monumental stack of sources, 00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:07.679 articles, biographies, letters, research papers, 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:10.400 and distill them down to the essential, fascinating, 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:14.160 and most actionable knowledge just for you. Today 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:16.460 we are opening the vault on a figure whose political 00:00:16.460 --> 00:00:19.420 influence was, I mean, truly monumental. Absolutely. 00:00:19.780 --> 00:00:22.100 Spanning the Great Depression, World War II, 00:00:22.339 --> 00:00:26.140 the rise of modern media, and the very foundation. 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.359 of global human rights architecture. We are undertaking 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:32.479 a deep dive into the extraordinary life of Anna 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:34.979 Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest serving first 00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:37.609 lady of the United States. And our mission today 00:00:37.609 --> 00:00:40.570 is to look far beyond the, you know, the typical, 00:00:40.729 --> 00:00:42.969 sometimes sanitized portrait of a president's 00:00:42.969 --> 00:00:45.509 wife. Exactly. Eleanor Roosevelt didn't just 00:00:45.509 --> 00:00:47.530 stand by her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 00:00:47.609 --> 00:00:50.450 She transformed a traditional, often ceremonial 00:00:50.450 --> 00:00:52.950 position into an independent, powerful platform 00:00:52.950 --> 00:00:56.609 for diplomacy and rigorous social activism. She 00:00:56.609 --> 00:00:58.350 essentially rewrote the job description of the 00:00:58.350 --> 00:01:00.929 first lady. She really did. And our source materials, 00:01:01.049 --> 00:01:02.929 they completely confirm this. This transformation 00:01:02.929 --> 00:01:06.200 is the central narrative. We've compiled foundational 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:11.599 biographical material covering her deeply unhappy 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:14.079 early life and complex marriage. And we have 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:16.299 detailed histories of her revolutionary use of 00:01:16.299 --> 00:01:18.819 media and communications. Her controversial domestic 00:01:18.819 --> 00:01:21.500 initiatives during the New Deal. Her pivotal 00:01:21.500 --> 00:01:24.420 civil rights victories that, I mean, often put 00:01:24.420 --> 00:01:26.159 her at odds with her husband. And, of course, 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:28.519 her monumental post -White House work at the 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:31.359 United Nations. And when we discuss her influence, 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:33.319 we aren't just talking about domestic policy. 00:01:33.540 --> 00:01:36.000 We're talking about massive world changing impact. 00:01:36.219 --> 00:01:38.459 Right. She is consistently ranked by historians 00:01:38.459 --> 00:01:41.719 as the greatest American first lady. We have 00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:44.299 to frame her, as the sources suggest, not just 00:01:44.299 --> 00:01:47.140 as a spouse, but as a groundbreaking political 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:49.840 figure, a diplomat. And the activist President 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:52.959 Harry S. Truman himself would later dub the first 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:55.180 lady of the world. That's it. And the emotional 00:01:55.180 --> 00:01:58.180 journey from this shy, insecure socialite to 00:01:58.180 --> 00:02:00.819 a global icon, that's really the core insight 00:02:00.819 --> 00:02:03.159 of her story. I think to understand the sheer 00:02:03.159 --> 00:02:05.780 scale of her public life, we have to start by 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:09.300 examining where she came from. Because the political 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:14.419 dynamo we know began life in a very dark, emotionally 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:16.919 damaging environment. Okay, let's untack the 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:19.139 beginnings. Because the first two decades of 00:02:19.139 --> 00:02:22.270 her life, they read almost like a tragedy. Eleanor 00:02:22.270 --> 00:02:24.610 Roosevelt was born into immense wealth and social 00:02:24.610 --> 00:02:27.129 privilege. I mean, she was a member of both the 00:02:27.129 --> 00:02:29.349 prominent Roosevelt and Livingston families. 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:31.750 And niece of President Theodore Roosevelt. Right. 00:02:31.949 --> 00:02:35.469 But the sources repeatedly described her childhood 00:02:35.469 --> 00:02:38.789 as dramatic and, well, emotionally deprived. 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:42.030 Absolutely. The emotional hardship began at home. 00:02:42.189 --> 00:02:45.030 Her mother, Anna Rebecca Hall, was frequently 00:02:45.030 --> 00:02:47.349 described as one of New York's great beauties. 00:02:47.370 --> 00:02:50.090 And she was emotionally distant, even cruel toward 00:02:50.090 --> 00:02:52.689 Eleanor. That's putting it mildly. Anna allegedly 00:02:52.689 --> 00:02:55.129 found her daughter plain or ugly and was often 00:02:55.129 --> 00:02:57.289 ashamed of her serious demeanor. That's where 00:02:57.289 --> 00:02:59.389 the nickname Granny came from, isn't it? Yes, 00:02:59.449 --> 00:03:01.830 a term her mother used to mock her lack of youthful 00:03:01.830 --> 00:03:04.810 gaiety and her serious manner as a child. To 00:03:04.810 --> 00:03:07.610 have your own mother undermine your self -worth 00:03:07.610 --> 00:03:10.509 like that, that's a profound injury that must 00:03:10.509 --> 00:03:12.949 have shaped her intense need for approval and 00:03:12.949 --> 00:03:15.310 her later drive for social justice. The sources 00:03:15.310 --> 00:03:18.449 do link that indirectly. Biographers suggest 00:03:18.449 --> 00:03:20.530 that her profound lack of self -confidence and 00:03:20.530 --> 00:03:22.770 this feeling of being an outsider, despite all 00:03:22.770 --> 00:03:25.849 her privilege, gave her a unique ability to empathize 00:03:25.849 --> 00:03:28.110 with the marginalized. And then her family life 00:03:28.110 --> 00:03:31.150 was just shattered by devastating loss. Completely. 00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:33.310 Her mother and younger brother died suddenly 00:03:33.310 --> 00:03:36.530 from diphtheria in 1892. And her father, Elliot 00:03:36.530 --> 00:03:39.090 Roosevelt, who suffered from severe alcoholism, 00:03:39.210 --> 00:03:41.430 was absent and struggling with his own addiction. 00:03:41.710 --> 00:03:44.590 And his death was equally tragic. It was. Elliot 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:47.469 Roosevelt died in 1894 from a seizure following 00:03:47.469 --> 00:03:49.830 a serious fall, which happened during a fit of 00:03:49.830 --> 00:03:52.650 delirium tremens. These rapid early losses were 00:03:52.650 --> 00:03:55.530 just catastrophic. They were. And Eleanor confessed 00:03:55.530 --> 00:03:57.729 in later life that she was prone to depression, 00:03:58.050 --> 00:04:00.150 and the sources connect this directly to the 00:04:00.150 --> 00:04:02.389 instability and trauma of her formative years. 00:04:02.650 --> 00:04:04.550 There's a poignant detail that really sticks 00:04:04.550 --> 00:04:08.009 with you. Her alcoholic father had implored her 00:04:08.009 --> 00:04:10.990 before his death to act as a mother toward her 00:04:10.990 --> 00:04:13.960 surviving younger brother, Hall. He asked her 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:17.379 to essentially guide him. And she took that responsibility 00:04:17.379 --> 00:04:20.699 incredibly seriously, honoring that request for 00:04:20.699 --> 00:04:23.139 the rest of his life. She even chaperoned him 00:04:23.139 --> 00:04:26.300 to Groton and wrote him almost daily. It established 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:28.439 a pattern we see repeated throughout her life. 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:31.620 When faced with these emotional voids, Eleanor 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:34.620 poured herself into duty, into obligation, and 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:37.759 care for others, often suppressing her own needs. 00:04:38.040 --> 00:04:40.680 But the sources agree that the major turning 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:43.420 point The moment she began to build her own identity 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:45.819 and confidence was when she was shipped off to 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:47.680 boarding school. Fallonswood Boarding Academy 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:50.860 in London at age 15. This was the moment she 00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:54.259 found a true mentor. Exactly. The headmistress, 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:57.060 Marie Suvestra, was a noted intellectual and 00:04:57.060 --> 00:04:59.220 enforced a rigorous curriculum designed specifically 00:04:59.220 --> 00:05:01.660 to cultivate independent thinking and confidence 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:03.759 in young women. Which was revolutionary for the 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.819 time. Totally revolutionary. Suvestra took a 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:09.279 special interest in Roosevelt, who just thrived 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:11.790 there. She gained self -confidence. She became 00:05:11.790 --> 00:05:14.230 fluent in French. And the connection with Sylvester 00:05:14.230 --> 00:05:17.329 was clearly very deep, wasn't it? Intensely deep. 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:19.970 Sylvester was later revealed to be a lesbian, 00:05:20.029 --> 00:05:22.250 and she cultivated a very advanced political 00:05:22.250 --> 00:05:25.610 and intellectual environment. Eleanor kept Sylvester's 00:05:25.610 --> 00:05:27.569 portrait on her desk and carried their letters 00:05:27.569 --> 00:05:30.209 with her for years after Sylvester's death. So 00:05:30.209 --> 00:05:32.509 this period showed her that intellectual rigor 00:05:32.509 --> 00:05:35.290 and an independent political viewpoint were not 00:05:35.290 --> 00:05:38.370 only possible for a woman, but essential. Yes. 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:41.199 She returns to the U .S. in 1902, and shortly 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:43.459 after, she meets her future husband, Franklin 00:05:43.459 --> 00:05:46.240 Delano Roosevelt. They were fifth cousins once 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:48.540 removed. And this relationship was immediately 00:05:48.540 --> 00:05:50.639 fraught with family interference. Right from 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:53.720 the start. They became engaged in 1903, but Franklin's 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:57.459 powerful and controlling mother, Sarah Ann Delano, 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:00.399 staunchly opposed the match. She even tried to 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:02.720 quash the romance by hauling Franklin away on 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:06.100 a Caribbean cruise. But they persisted. The 1905 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:08.600 wedding itself, though, was a massive social 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:12.079 event, largely thanks to her uncle. Yes. President 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.860 Theodore Roosevelt gave the bride away. He quipped 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:17.220 that it was a good thing to keep the name in 00:06:17.220 --> 00:06:19.879 the family. But that public celebration hid a 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:22.720 private tragedy, the immediate dominance of Sarah 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:25.500 Delano. Sarah controlled virtually every aspect 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:27.860 of their domestic life. She even provided them 00:06:27.860 --> 00:06:29.939 with a townhouse that was connected to her own 00:06:29.939 --> 00:06:32.819 by sliding doors. And she ran both households 00:06:32.819 --> 00:06:35.750 for the first decade of their marriage. It sounds 00:06:35.750 --> 00:06:38.269 suffocating. I mean, Eleanor was an adult married 00:06:38.269 --> 00:06:40.949 woman, yet living under the thumb of a powerful 00:06:40.949 --> 00:06:43.370 mother -in -law who dictated everything. It was 00:06:43.370 --> 00:06:46.699 suffocating. Eleanor later reflected sadly that 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:49.319 her six children, one of whom died in infancy, 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:51.879 were more my mother -in -law's children than 00:06:51.879 --> 00:06:53.980 they were mine. And compounding this emotional 00:06:53.980 --> 00:06:55.959 distance, she felt ill -suited to motherhood. 00:06:56.100 --> 00:06:58.600 She did. She confessed to her daughter that sex 00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.120 with Franklin was merely an ordeal to be born, 00:07:01.300 --> 00:07:03.740 which suggests a deep physical and emotional 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:06.339 disconnect right from the early days. So the 00:07:06.339 --> 00:07:09.199 marriage was a traditional, if distant, arrangement 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:12.959 until 1918. That's when everything changed with 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:15.259 the discovery of the affair. The defining moment. 00:07:15.740 --> 00:07:18.139 Eleanor discovered love letters from her social 00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:21.040 secretary, Lucy Mercer, in Franklin's suitcase. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:23.920 And FDR had been seriously contemplating divorce. 00:07:24.300 --> 00:07:27.660 He was. But the sources suggest multiple pressures 00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:30.459 stopped him. His mother, Sarah, threatened to 00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:33.060 disinherit him entirely if he divorced. And his 00:07:33.060 --> 00:07:35.319 political advisor, Louis Howe, pressured him 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:37.600 to stay. Right, arguing that a divorce politician 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:40.740 had no future in America. So the result was a 00:07:40.740 --> 00:07:43.259 radical transformation of the relationship. The 00:07:43.259 --> 00:07:45.759 union ceased to be physically intimate and transformed 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:48.519 into a strictly pragmatic political partnership. 00:07:48.860 --> 00:07:51.540 Precisely. Eleanor was profoundly disillusioned 00:07:51.540 --> 00:07:53.620 and devastated, and she channeled that enormous 00:07:53.620 --> 00:07:55.939 emotional energy into public life and social 00:07:55.939 --> 00:07:58.220 work, joining the Women's Trade Union League, 00:07:58.339 --> 00:08:02.259 or WTUL. And that political pivot was then cemented 00:08:02.259 --> 00:08:04.540 by Franklin's sudden debilitating illness in 00:08:04.540 --> 00:08:07.480 1921. This was her great opportunity, though 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:10.860 born of tragedy. FDR was stricken with a paralytic 00:08:10.860 --> 00:08:13.680 illness, at the time believed to be polio, while 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:16.019 vacationing at Campobello Island. And Eleanor's 00:08:16.019 --> 00:08:18.879 role was crucial. She provided intense nursing 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:21.259 care, perhaps saving his life from complications. 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:24.779 But more importantly, she fought fiercely against 00:08:24.779 --> 00:08:27.879 Sarah, who urged Franklin to retire and become 00:08:27.879 --> 00:08:30.259 a country gentleman. Because she recognized that 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:33.059 if he retired, she would likely be subsumed again 00:08:33.059 --> 00:08:35.870 by Sarah's control. That's the key insight. Eleanor 00:08:35.870 --> 00:08:38.370 successfully persuaded Franklin to stay in politics, 00:08:38.610 --> 00:08:40.909 arguing that active involvement was essential 00:08:40.909 --> 00:08:43.769 for his mental and physical recovery. This was 00:08:43.769 --> 00:08:46.429 a massive turning point. It gave her the freedom 00:08:46.429 --> 00:08:48.950 and the necessity to step out of Sarah's shadow 00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:50.570 and become Franklin's public representative. 00:08:50.850 --> 00:08:53.350 A role she took to immediately. So before they 00:08:53.350 --> 00:08:55.289 ever reached the White House, she was already 00:08:55.289 --> 00:08:58.230 a seasoned political operator, largely filling 00:08:58.230 --> 00:09:01.210 the public vacuum left by the incapacitated FDR. 00:09:01.470 --> 00:09:03.980 She was a tireless surrogate. Coached by Louie 00:09:03.980 --> 00:09:06.019 Howe, she began making public appearances and 00:09:06.019 --> 00:09:07.940 quickly became a leader in the New York State 00:09:07.940 --> 00:09:10.860 Democratic Party. She passionately championed 00:09:10.860 --> 00:09:13.919 the WTUL's core progressive goals. Advocating 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:16.659 for a 48 -hour work week for women, establishing 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:18.779 a minimum wage. And pushing for the abolition 00:09:18.779 --> 00:09:21.379 of child labor. This was her true political education. 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:24.120 Her political ruthlessness during this period 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:26.620 is actually quite surprising, especially in her 00:09:26.620 --> 00:09:28.360 conflict with her own family. Oh, absolutely. 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:32.200 She campaigned hard for Al Smith in 1924 against 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:34.919 her first cousin, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. And 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:37.269 she went directly for the jugular. employing 00:09:37.269 --> 00:09:39.450 what she later admitted were dirty tricksters 00:09:39.450 --> 00:09:42.690 tactics. She dogged her cousin on the campaign 00:09:42.690 --> 00:09:46.470 trail using a car topped with a giant paper mache 00:09:46.470 --> 00:09:49.409 bonnet shaped like a teapot that emitted simulated 00:09:49.409 --> 00:09:52.149 steam. Which, for you listening, was a direct 00:09:52.149 --> 00:09:55.970 pointed attack referencing the massive teapot 00:09:55.970 --> 00:09:58.850 dome scandal. A major bribery scandal involving 00:09:58.850 --> 00:10:01.429 government oil reserves during the Harding administration. 00:10:01.789 --> 00:10:04.929 So she was explicitly linking her cousin to the 00:10:04.929 --> 00:10:07.460 corruption of the prior Republican administration. 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:10.340 And he was furious. Never forgave her. It led 00:10:10.340 --> 00:10:12.740 to a public painful break with that side of the 00:10:12.740 --> 00:10:15.080 family. And though she later decried the methods, 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:17.620 they were effective. Theodore lost the race. 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:19.559 It showed her immense capacity for political 00:10:19.559 --> 00:10:22.279 combat. And she didn't just campaign. She also 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:25.220 tested her ideas for community and labor revitalization 00:10:25.220 --> 00:10:28.639 with the Valkill Community Experiment. In 1927, 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:31.440 she established Val Kill Industries with several 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:35.059 friends. The core idea was to create reliable 00:10:35.059 --> 00:10:38.200 winter income for local farming families through 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:40.779 traditional handicrafts. Specifically, high -quality 00:10:40.779 --> 00:10:43.220 reproduction furniture, pewter, and homespun 00:10:43.220 --> 00:10:45.480 cloth. Right, leveraging the popularity of the 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:48.019 colonial revival style at the time. This sounds 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:50.480 very much like a blueprint for the kind of self 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:52.639 -help, community -focused projects we'd see later 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:54.559 in the New Deal. What was an important precursor? 00:10:54.620 --> 00:10:57.080 While it never achieved the ambitious subsistence 00:10:57.159 --> 00:10:59.740 goals she imagined, it absolutely demonstrated 00:10:59.740 --> 00:11:02.980 her commitment to using craft and community to 00:11:02.980 --> 00:11:05.460 provide meaningful work rather than just direct 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:08.340 charity. And Val Kil later became the only home 00:11:08.340 --> 00:11:10.559 she ever personally owned. A vital distinction 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:13.299 from the grand family estates she merely inhabited. 00:11:13.580 --> 00:11:16.500 It symbolized her independence, born out of this 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:19.259 pre -White House political and social engagement. 00:11:19.559 --> 00:11:22.559 So when Franklin was inaugurated in 1933, Eleanor 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:25.279 became first lady. But the sources make it clear 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:28.080 she was initially depressed. Even terrified about 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:30.860 assuming the role. Why? Well, the role of the 00:11:30.860 --> 00:11:33.940 first lady up until that point was strictly constrained 00:11:33.940 --> 00:11:37.100 to hostessing, domestic charity and ceremonial 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:40.159 duties. Her immediate predecessor, Lou Henry 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:42.840 Hoover, had been an accomplished geologist and 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:45.799 activist, but she had actively stopped her feminist 00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:48.980 activities upon entering the White House. Right. 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.590 Eleanor's distress was real. She reportedly told 00:11:52.590 --> 00:11:54.289 a friend that she did not want to be confined 00:11:54.289 --> 00:11:57.490 to being merely a backdrop for Birdie, meaning 00:11:57.490 --> 00:12:01.779 a non -speaking, pleasant accessory. So she used 00:12:01.779 --> 00:12:04.600 the full moral and political weight of the presidency 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:07.460 with Franklin's active backing to essentially 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:09.679 redefine the position from the ground up. She 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:11.899 absolutely did. She made the position an independent 00:12:11.899 --> 00:12:14.980 platform for activism. And as a result, she became 00:12:14.980 --> 00:12:17.919 known as the most controversial first lady in 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:20.159 United States history. She immediately adopted 00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:22.360 an active speaking and writing agenda. Which 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:24.679 few married women did professionally at the time, 00:12:24.740 --> 00:12:27.679 let alone a first lady. And she immediately monetized 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:29.799 her position, which was a risky move. But she 00:12:29.799 --> 00:12:32.200 did it in a unique way. She did it for purpose, 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:35.379 not for personal wealth. In her first year alone, 00:12:35.620 --> 00:12:39.259 she earned $75 ,000 from lectures and writing, 00:12:39.419 --> 00:12:42.340 donating the vast majority of that income directly 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:45.720 to charity. By 1941, she was able to command 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:49.620 lecture fees of $1 ,000 per engagement. a staggering 00:12:49.620 --> 00:12:52.100 sum at the time, all of which went to organizations 00:12:52.100 --> 00:12:54.759 she supported. Her transformation of the first 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:58.340 lady role is inextricably linked to her revolutionary 00:12:58.340 --> 00:13:01.899 mastery of media. She truly was a pioneer. She 00:13:01.899 --> 00:13:04.820 was unprecedented in her approach. She became 00:13:04.820 --> 00:13:06.820 the first presidential spouse to hold regular 00:13:06.820 --> 00:13:10.320 press conferences, scheduling 348 of them over 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:12.399 her 12 years in the White House. But the brilliant 00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:15.899 strategic move was in her initial rule. She barred 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:17.740 male reporters from attending these conferences. 00:13:18.019 --> 00:13:20.360 That seems like an odd move to exclude the majority 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:23.019 of the working press. But what was the goal? 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:26.100 It was a direct maneuver to force the male dominated 00:13:26.100 --> 00:13:28.220 newspapers who were required to cover the first 00:13:28.220 --> 00:13:31.500 lady to hire female staff in order to gain access. 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:34.940 This single decision immediately expanded professional 00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:37.740 opportunities for women journalists during a 00:13:37.740 --> 00:13:39.620 time when their access to the White House was 00:13:39.620 --> 00:13:42.059 extremely limited. And that wasn't her only media 00:13:42.059 --> 00:13:44.110 event either. She went head to head with the 00:13:44.110 --> 00:13:47.090 journalism establishment itself. She did. Since 00:13:47.090 --> 00:13:49.850 the powerful journalist organization, the Gridiron 00:13:49.850 --> 00:13:53.149 Club, banned women from its annual dinner, she 00:13:53.149 --> 00:13:55.929 hosted the famous Gridiron Widows event at the 00:13:55.929 --> 00:13:58.559 White House. a highly publicized, successful 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:01.840 counter -event that further highlighted her disdain 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:04.659 for exclusionary practices. Beyond press conferences, 00:14:05.059 --> 00:14:08.179 she created a vast personal media empire that 00:14:08.179 --> 00:14:10.200 connected directly with millions of Americans, 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:13.200 starting with her syndicated column, My Day. 00:14:13.710 --> 00:14:16.429 She wrote that column six days a week from 1936 00:14:16.429 --> 00:14:19.590 until her death in 1962. An incredible span. 00:14:19.789 --> 00:14:22.250 It discussed her daily activities, travel, and 00:14:22.250 --> 00:14:24.250 most importantly, her humanitarian concerns. 00:14:24.690 --> 00:14:27.429 She also contributed a monthly column to Woman's 00:14:27.429 --> 00:14:29.950 Home Companion and an advice column called If 00:14:29.950 --> 00:14:32.500 You Ask Me. Why did she invest so much time and 00:14:32.500 --> 00:14:34.539 effort into these columns? Was it purely political? 00:14:34.779 --> 00:14:36.580 I think biographers argue these publications, 00:14:36.779 --> 00:14:39.419 which invited reader responses and extensively 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:41.820 covered women's issues and domestic dilemmas, 00:14:41.820 --> 00:14:45.059 were a conscious, sophisticated attempt to use 00:14:45.059 --> 00:14:48.200 journalism to overcome social isolation for women. 00:14:48.340 --> 00:14:50.779 She was creating a two way channel of communication, 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:54.220 making the White House feel accessible. And fostering 00:14:54.220 --> 00:14:56.690 a sense of community among her readership. Then 00:14:56.690 --> 00:14:58.769 there was radio, where she was an early adopter 00:14:58.769 --> 00:15:01.610 and a huge commercial success. She hosted a regular 00:15:01.610 --> 00:15:04.409 radio program of commentary and discussions starting 00:15:04.409 --> 00:15:08.059 in 1934. covering a range of topics from movie 00:15:08.059 --> 00:15:10.779 censorship and children's education to the challenges 00:15:10.779 --> 00:15:14.120 faced by ordinary families. And as with her lectures, 00:15:14.379 --> 00:15:17.539 she always donated her salary from these broadcasts 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:19.960 directly to charity. But the commercial aspect 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:22.539 of her radio appearances caused intense political 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:24.960 blowback, didn't it? She was reading ads for 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:27.899 mattresses and shoes. It certainly did. She read 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:29.840 commercials for products like a mattress company 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:32.460 and the Selby Shoe Company. The controversy pleaked 00:15:32.460 --> 00:15:35.080 because when Selby sponsored her series, their 00:15:35.179 --> 00:15:38.360 sales reportedly increased by 200%. So critics, 00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:41.700 primarily conservative political opponents, seized 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:44.659 on this, calling it profiteering. And questioning 00:15:44.659 --> 00:15:47.539 the sincerity of her charity donations. So how 00:15:47.539 --> 00:15:49.700 did she navigate that criticism? Her personal 00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:52.460 popularity and the undeniable charitable destinations 00:15:52.460 --> 00:15:56.379 of the funds were her shields. The shows were 00:15:56.379 --> 00:15:58.960 so popular that the criticism largely failed 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:01.360 to stick. Proving she understood how to leverage 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:04.120 her fame for financial good, even if it ruffled 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:06.559 political feathers. And she was also a genuine 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:09.440 trailblazer in the new mediums of film and television, 00:16:09.779 --> 00:16:12.320 making over 200 appearances during her life. 00:16:12.460 --> 00:16:15.440 She was remarkably media savvy, constantly adapting. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:18.259 She started with writing articles for fan magazines 00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:21.820 like Modern Screen in 1932. Offering movie recommendations, 00:16:22.259 --> 00:16:25.379 her film debut was in 1940, narrating the prologue 00:16:25.379 --> 00:16:27.860 for the anti -Nazi film Pastor Hall. She even 00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:30.519 tried screenwriting. She did, producing the script 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:32.639 for an Oscar -nominated civil defense short, 00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:35.279 Women in Defense, narrated by Katharine Hepburn. 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:37.779 And she embraced the small screen immediately 00:16:37.779 --> 00:16:41.500 after the war. Her debut was on VE Day in 1945. 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:45.340 Five years later, in 1950, she became the first 00:16:45.340 --> 00:16:48.120 woman to host a major American public affairs 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:52.000 broadcast TV show, today with Mrs. Roosevelt 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:55.580 on NBC. The premier guests included Albert Einstein 00:16:55.580 --> 00:16:58.340 in his first television appearance and J. Robert 00:16:58.340 --> 00:17:01.039 Oppenheimer. That is incredible. She's essentially 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:03.399 running a talk show with the world's most brilliant 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:06.000 minds while also keeping her syndicated column 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:08.859 going. It speaks to her ceaseless energy and 00:17:08.859 --> 00:17:11.259 her commitment to public discourse. She knew 00:17:11.259 --> 00:17:13.160 that in the post -war world, information was 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:15.539 delivered instantly, and she had to be a part 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:17.539 of that conversation. Which is why we see her 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:19.839 making appearances on shows like What's My Line 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:22.960 as the mystery guest to promote United Nations 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:25.400 Day. She was willing to use pop culture to push 00:17:25.400 --> 00:17:28.299 serious political and humanitarian causes. And 00:17:28.299 --> 00:17:30.200 sometimes her political support through television 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:33.019 could be crucial. Biographers note that her highly 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:35.240 visible televised support of John F. Kennedy, 00:17:35.460 --> 00:17:37.799 despite her initial reservations about his politics, 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:40.500 may have provided the necessary nudge. for his 00:17:40.500 --> 00:17:43.619 hairline victory in the 1960 election. She even 00:17:43.619 --> 00:17:45.920 led her name for commercial endorsements, like 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:48.279 for Good Luck Margarine. Where she used the paid 00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:51.079 slot to raise awareness about world hunger, ensuring 00:17:51.079 --> 00:17:54.299 every platform served an advocacy purpose. Let's 00:17:54.299 --> 00:17:56.619 transition now to two of her most controversial 00:17:56.619 --> 00:17:59.980 domestic projects during the New Deal era, starting 00:17:59.980 --> 00:18:02.619 with Arthur Dale in West Virginia. This was her 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:05.400 deeply personal project. It was her chief project, 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:08.920 born out of deep personal conviction. She visited 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:12.019 impoverished, blacklisted, unemployed miners 00:18:12.019 --> 00:18:15.359 in 1933 and was determined to create a solution. 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:18.319 So Arthur... was an experimental plan community 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:20.740 that she poured much of her personal income into. 00:18:20.859 --> 00:18:22.799 Hoping it would be a model for better cared for 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:25.480 workers who could achieve self -sufficiency through 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:27.880 farming and handicrafts. But it was a spectacular 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:30.859 failure in its early execution, right? An operational 00:18:30.859 --> 00:18:33.380 disaster initially, the initial prefabricated 00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:36.279 houses failed entirely, forcing a rapid rebuild 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:39.119 in 1934 to her specifications. The new houses 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:41.460 were built with every modern convenience, including 00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:44.140 indoor plumbing and steam heat. But the project 00:18:44.140 --> 00:18:46.759 faced relentless criticism. Conservatives condemned 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:49.019 it as a communist plot due to its government 00:18:49.019 --> 00:18:51.319 planning. While even members of the administration, 00:18:51.640 --> 00:18:55.470 like Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickx, criticized 00:18:55.470 --> 00:18:58.410 the incredibly high per -family cost. And this 00:18:58.410 --> 00:19:00.950 project, meant to be a beacon of progressive 00:19:00.950 --> 00:19:04.190 reform, quickly ran into the harsh reality of 00:19:04.190 --> 00:19:07.009 segregation. It did. Though Roosevelt initially 00:19:07.009 --> 00:19:09.950 hoped for a racially mixed community, the white 00:19:09.950 --> 00:19:12.230 minors who formed the core of the community insisted 00:19:12.230 --> 00:19:14.990 on limiting membership exclusively to white Christians. 00:19:15.250 --> 00:19:17.910 And she lost the community vote. However, this 00:19:17.910 --> 00:19:20.470 failure became a catalyst for her. It motivated 00:19:20.470 --> 00:19:23.170 her to become much more outspoken on racial discrimination. 00:19:23.569 --> 00:19:25.690 And to urge the creation of similar parallel 00:19:25.690 --> 00:19:28.609 communities for excluded Black and Jewish minors. 00:19:28.730 --> 00:19:30.869 Right. So even though the government sold off 00:19:30.869 --> 00:19:34.069 its holdings at a loss by 1941, Roosevelt still 00:19:34.069 --> 00:19:37.109 viewed it as a success on a human level. That's 00:19:37.109 --> 00:19:39.369 the distinction she drew. She viewed success 00:19:39.369 --> 00:19:41.910 not purely on the balance sheet, but on the visible, 00:19:42.049 --> 00:19:44.190 tangible improvements in the residents' lives. 00:19:44.349 --> 00:19:46.990 The fact that they had steam heat. indoor plumbing, 00:19:47.170 --> 00:19:50.250 and community cohesion. For her, the social dividend 00:19:50.250 --> 00:19:52.789 outweighed the financial loss. Her work with 00:19:52.789 --> 00:19:54.990 young people also ignited significant political 00:19:54.990 --> 00:19:57.529 fire, especially concerning the American Youth 00:19:57.529 --> 00:20:01.009 Congress, or AYC. Roosevelt was an urgent advocate 00:20:01.009 --> 00:20:03.309 for youth during the Depression, stating her 00:20:03.309 --> 00:20:05.990 terror at the idea that America might be losing 00:20:05.990 --> 00:20:07.950 this generation to despair and unemployment. 00:20:08.390 --> 00:20:10.710 This led directly to the creation of the National 00:20:10.710 --> 00:20:15.230 Youth Administration, the NYA, in 1935. A massive 00:20:15.230 --> 00:20:18.190 New Deal mechanism that provided work and education 00:20:18.190 --> 00:20:22.410 for Americans aged 16 to 25. But the AYC, which 00:20:22.410 --> 00:20:24.970 was a lobbying group for youth interests, was 00:20:24.970 --> 00:20:27.349 politically tainted in the eyes of many conservatives. 00:20:27.710 --> 00:20:30.549 Yes. The controversy arose because the AYC had 00:20:30.549 --> 00:20:32.630 leaders who were known members of the Young Communist 00:20:32.630 --> 00:20:35.619 League. In the context of the late 1930s, when 00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:38.200 political polarization was intense and fear of 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:41.279 communism was rising, this affiliation was dangerous 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:43.500 for the White House. And her response wasn't 00:20:43.500 --> 00:20:46.140 to back away, but to embrace them. She invited 00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:48.779 subpoenaed AYC leaders to stay at the White House, 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.599 including Joseph P. Lash, which predictably fueled 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:54.359 conservative criticism and accusations of coddling 00:20:54.359 --> 00:20:56.500 communists. The press and political opposition 00:20:56.500 --> 00:20:59.460 had a field day. It escalated when AYC members 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:02.640 later picketed the White House, even booing Franklin 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:05.339 when he addressed and admonished them. But despite 00:21:05.339 --> 00:21:07.960 the immense political heat, she remained their 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:10.660 champion. She endured it. She was willing to 00:21:10.660 --> 00:21:13.160 risk major political standing to support groups 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:16.000 she felt deserved advocacy and who were pushing 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:18.740 for necessary reforms, regardless of their unpopular 00:21:18.740 --> 00:21:21.400 affiliations. Her advocacy for civil rights is 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:23.980 truly where Eleanor Roosevelt earned her unique 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:27.220 place in history, largely because she was willing 00:21:27.220 --> 00:21:30.680 to go further and move faster than her own husband. 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:33.440 Historians generally agree she was significantly 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:36.740 more advanced than FDR on racial issues. She 00:21:36.740 --> 00:21:38.980 served as the absolutely critical connection 00:21:38.980 --> 00:21:40.859 between the White House and the African -American 00:21:40.859 --> 00:21:43.599 community during the Jim Crow era. Often acting 00:21:43.599 --> 00:21:45.920 as the eyes and ears for her husband, who was 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:47.759 politically constrained. And she didn't rely 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:51.259 on reports. She observed the discrimination firsthand 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:53.819 during her extensive travels. That's right. She 00:21:53.819 --> 00:21:55.980 traveled widely, including through the segregated 00:21:55.980 --> 00:21:58.740 South, observing discrimination and noting that 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:01.059 African -Americans received a disproportionate... 00:22:00.589 --> 00:22:03.089 small share of relief money from the New Deal 00:22:03.089 --> 00:22:06.910 programs. So she insisted often loudly that New 00:22:06.910 --> 00:22:09.349 Deal benefits be extended equally to all races. 00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:11.829 And she broke protocol constantly within the 00:22:11.829 --> 00:22:14.660 White House itself. She shattered tradition by 00:22:14.660 --> 00:22:17.220 consistently inviting hundreds of African -American 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:20.259 guests to the White House for dinners and receptions, 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:23.319 a practice unheard of at the time. The most famous 00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:25.619 incident demonstrating her willingness to publicly 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:28.579 break with the segregated establishment was the 00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:31.880 Marian Anderson concert in 1939. When the Daughters 00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:34.859 of the American Revolution, the DS, denied the 00:22:34.859 --> 00:22:37.319 black opera singer Marian Anderson use of their 00:22:37.319 --> 00:22:40.180 Constitution Hall because of segregationist rules. 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:43.059 Eleanor immediately. publicly and dramatically 00:22:43.059 --> 00:22:45.900 resigned from the DR in protest. And then used 00:22:45.900 --> 00:22:48.279 her influence to help arrange for Anderson to 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:50.599 perform instead on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:53.980 That concert, attended by 75 ,000 people and 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:56.920 broadcast internationally, was a monumental act 00:22:56.920 --> 00:22:59.220 of political visibility and symbolism. It was 00:22:59.220 --> 00:23:01.099 a defining moment in the modern civil rights 00:23:01.099 --> 00:23:03.559 movement. But it's fascinating and important 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:06.079 for historical context that not everyone saw 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:09.140 it as enough. The sources show Zora Neale Hurston 00:23:09.140 --> 00:23:12.180 criticized her for not also denouncing the D 00:23:12.180 --> 00:23:14.940 .C. Board of Education for denying Anderson the 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:17.259 auditorium at the all white Central High School. 00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:19.680 Right. Noting that the D .C. board was controlled 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:22.000 by congressional committees, largely Democrats, 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:25.500 who were screaming so loudly against the D .R. 00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:28.180 Hurston's critique highlights the immense pressure 00:23:28.180 --> 00:23:31.200 activists face to address the underlying systemic 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:34.180 issues, not just the visible symptoms. Exactly. 00:23:34.660 --> 00:23:37.000 But Roosevelt continued to push the boundaries 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:39.480 in her own way, often through personal symbolism, 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:42.140 such as her friendship with Mary McLeod Bethune. 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:44.640 The African -American educator she appointed 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:46.700 as director of the Division of Negro Affairs 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:49.599 of the N .Y .A. And how does she manage the pervasive 00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:52.519 segregationist attitudes of the White House staff? 00:23:52.660 --> 00:23:56.150 It was a constant battle. powerfully simple tactic. 00:23:56.430 --> 00:23:59.250 Whenever Bethune visited, Eleanor would meet 00:23:59.250 --> 00:24:01.869 her at the White House gate, openly embrace her, 00:24:01.950 --> 00:24:05.349 and walk in arm in arm. This public display made 00:24:05.349 --> 00:24:07.289 the staff's compliance with non -discrimination 00:24:07.289 --> 00:24:10.269 undeniable and was a powerful, silent protest. 00:24:10.670 --> 00:24:13.809 Despite her efforts, she could not move Franklin 00:24:13.809 --> 00:24:17.500 on the most difficult piece of legislation. The 00:24:17.500 --> 00:24:19.220 anti -lynching bill. This is where political 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:21.700 reality clashed hardest with her moral compass. 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:24.680 She lobbied intensely behind the scenes for the 00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:26.740 Costigan -Wagner bill, which would have made 00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:29.180 lynching a federal crime. She even arranged a 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:32.900 meeting between FDR and NAACP president. Walter 00:24:32.900 --> 00:24:35.279 Francis White. However, Franklin refused to provide 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:38.019 public support, fearing the loss of crucial Southern 00:24:38.019 --> 00:24:40.799 congressional votes. And for you listening, that 00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:43.180 Southern vote was so crucial because the New 00:24:43.180 --> 00:24:45.460 Deal depended entirely on Southern Democratic 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:47.859 chairman in Congress. They held the power to 00:24:47.859 --> 00:24:51.079 block or pass nearly all of FDR's broader economic 00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:53.720 and social agenda. Taking a stand on civil rights 00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:55.920 was considered an existential political threat 00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:59.200 to the entire New Deal coalition. So FDR chose 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:01.799 legislative progress over moral certainty on 00:25:01.799 --> 00:25:04.140 this issue, leading the anti lynching bill to 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:06.519 failed repeatedly in the Senate. And as a direct 00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:09.000 consequence of her support, Eleanor became a 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:11.599 deeply unpopular, even reviled figure across 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:14.720 the segregated South. Oh, absolutely. The opposition 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:18.079 was intense and often irrational. Baseless rumors 00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:20.660 spread through the South about mythical Eleanor 00:25:20.660 --> 00:25:23.339 Club servants supposedly organizing to oppose 00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:26.680 their employers. And Eleanor Tuesdays, suggesting 00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:28.819 that black men would attack white women on the 00:25:28.819 --> 00:25:31.180 street. She was blamed for everything, including 00:25:31.180 --> 00:25:35.019 the Detroit race riots in 1943. Yet her immense 00:25:35.019 --> 00:25:37.480 popularity among African -Americans was real 00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:40.819 and lasting. It helped shift the black vote from 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:43.940 a reliable Republican bloc to a cornerstone of 00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:46.059 the Democratic Party. Moving to wartime, her 00:25:46.059 --> 00:25:48.339 conscience also placed her in opposition to one 00:25:48.339 --> 00:25:51.180 of the most disgraceful decisions of FDR's presidency, 00:25:51.559 --> 00:25:54.160 the Japanese -American internment. She was a 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:56.519 crucial voice of dissent. She privately opposed 00:25:56.519 --> 00:26:00.160 Executive Order 9066, warning against the great 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:02.420 hysteria against minority groups that fueled 00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:05.210 the internment. This stance was extremely unpopular 00:26:05.210 --> 00:26:07.630 even during the war. For her opposition, she 00:26:07.630 --> 00:26:10.029 was widely criticized, with the powerful Los 00:26:10.029 --> 00:26:12.789 Angeles Times calling for her forced retirement 00:26:12.789 --> 00:26:15.029 from public life, which demonstrated a clear, 00:26:15.150 --> 00:26:17.509 consistent separation between her moral standards 00:26:17.509 --> 00:26:19.869 and her husband's political expediency. During 00:26:19.869 --> 00:26:22.769 World War II, her primary role shifted to becoming 00:26:22.769 --> 00:26:25.950 a vital morale booster, both domestically and 00:26:25.950 --> 00:26:28.410 internationally. Initially, she co -chaired the 00:26:28.410 --> 00:26:31.289 Office of Civilian Defense, the OCD, in 1941, 00:26:31.710 --> 00:26:34.750 working to expand civilian volunteer roles. She 00:26:34.750 --> 00:26:36.950 saw the OCD not just as defense preparation, 00:26:37.069 --> 00:26:39.569 but as an opportunity to address broader social 00:26:39.569 --> 00:26:42.289 problems. However, controversy followed her. 00:26:42.410 --> 00:26:44.829 She was forced to resign after criticism arose 00:26:44.829 --> 00:26:47.269 over high salaries paid to friends she had appointed. 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:50.059 but her trips to visit the troops were legendary 00:26:50.059 --> 00:26:53.529 for their impact on morale. They were truly grueling. 00:26:53.569 --> 00:26:56.009 She toured England, sometimes under threat of 00:26:56.009 --> 00:26:58.170 bombing, and then undertook a famously extensive 00:26:58.170 --> 00:27:00.210 and physically challenging trip through the South 00:27:00.210 --> 00:27:03.710 Pacific in 1943. Visiting hospitals, remote bases, 00:27:03.789 --> 00:27:06.069 and frontline troops. Admiral William Halsey 00:27:06.069 --> 00:27:08.289 Jr., one of the war's most prominent commanders, 00:27:08.710 --> 00:27:11.849 later stated that her Pacific tour alone accomplished 00:27:11.849 --> 00:27:14.930 more good than any other person who passed through 00:27:14.930 --> 00:27:17.309 his area. I think we need to linger on the political 00:27:17.309 --> 00:27:19.410 tension of that trip. She was a morale booster, 00:27:19.609 --> 00:27:21.990 but she also saw the carnage of war. up close. 00:27:22.190 --> 00:27:24.789 She was deeply shaken by the experience, which 00:27:24.789 --> 00:27:27.549 hardened her post -war views. At the same time, 00:27:27.670 --> 00:27:29.829 congressional Republicans criticized her severely, 00:27:30.049 --> 00:27:32.789 accusing her of using scarce wartime resources 00:27:32.789 --> 00:27:35.769 for unnecessary travel. So she couldn't escape 00:27:35.769 --> 00:27:38.529 controversy, even when performing a task vital 00:27:38.529 --> 00:27:41.529 for military morale. Her support for the Tuskegee 00:27:41.529 --> 00:27:43.730 Airmen also serves as a crucial civil rights 00:27:43.730 --> 00:27:46.650 moment during the war. It was very public endorsement 00:27:46.650 --> 00:27:50.490 of the first black combat pilots. In 1941, she 00:27:50.490 --> 00:27:53.349 visited the Tuskegee Air Corps Advanced Flying 00:27:53.349 --> 00:27:56.230 School. And significantly took a half hour flight 00:27:56.230 --> 00:27:59.150 with C. Alfred Chief Anderson, the chief civilian 00:27:59.150 --> 00:28:01.369 instructor, cheerfully declaring, well, you can 00:28:01.369 --> 00:28:04.049 fly all right. This event was widely reported 00:28:04.049 --> 00:28:07.009 and highly influential, even leading her to help 00:28:07.009 --> 00:28:09.289 secure a large loan from the Julius Rosenwald 00:28:09.289 --> 00:28:12.269 Fund to finance Moten Field. And despite all 00:28:12.269 --> 00:28:14.769 her wartime efforts, what did she eventually 00:28:14.769 --> 00:28:17.349 identify as her deepest regret from the war years? 00:28:17.630 --> 00:28:20.190 It was her inability to force Franklin to accept 00:28:20.190 --> 00:28:22.970 more refugees from Nazism. She was haunted by 00:28:22.970 --> 00:28:24.650 the knowledge that many could have been saved. 00:28:24.890 --> 00:28:28.200 She did manage one key victory. She successfully 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:31.779 secured refugee status for 83 Jewish refugees 00:28:31.779 --> 00:28:35.740 aboard the SS Kwanzaa in August 1940. But she 00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:38.720 was refused on many other occasions due to intense 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:41.839 political pressure and fears of fifth columnists 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:44.279 entering the country. Her son James confirmed 00:28:44.279 --> 00:28:46.680 this was her deepest regret at the end of her 00:28:46.680 --> 00:28:49.910 life. Following the war, her hardened views on 00:28:49.910 --> 00:28:52.670 Germany led her to support a controversial post 00:28:52.670 --> 00:28:55.329 -war policy. She strongly backed the controversial 00:28:55.329 --> 00:28:57.910 Morgenthau plan, which, for those who may not 00:28:57.910 --> 00:29:00.710 recall, aimed to de -industrialize Germany after 00:29:00.710 --> 00:29:03.309 the war. Essentially converting it into an agrarian, 00:29:03.329 --> 00:29:05.569 non -industrial state. And Roosevelt supported 00:29:05.569 --> 00:29:07.849 this because she deeply feared the resurrection 00:29:07.849 --> 00:29:10.890 of Germany's political and military power, believing 00:29:10.890 --> 00:29:13.130 that only through total economic disarmament 00:29:13.130 --> 00:29:15.900 could long -term peace be secured. This brings 00:29:15.900 --> 00:29:18.299 us to the deeply complex, often debated aspects 00:29:18.299 --> 00:29:20.640 of her personal life and relationships, which 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:22.339 were running parallel to her intense political 00:29:22.339 --> 00:29:25.529 career. Let's start with Lorena Hickok. Loretta 00:29:25.529 --> 00:29:28.789 Hickok, or Hick, was an Associated Press reporter 00:29:28.789 --> 00:29:31.410 assigned to cover her during the 1932 campaign. 00:29:32.029 --> 00:29:35.150 According to sources, Hickok quickly fell madly 00:29:35.150 --> 00:29:37.529 in love with her. They had an intensely close 00:29:37.529 --> 00:29:40.450 emotional relationship. Hickok eventually resigned 00:29:40.450 --> 00:29:43.970 her AP post to be near ER, moving into the White 00:29:43.970 --> 00:29:46.250 House for a brief period. And the letters they 00:29:46.250 --> 00:29:48.410 exchanged are the subject of significant scholarly 00:29:48.410 --> 00:29:51.250 debate. They are voluminous daily, often 10 to 00:29:51.250 --> 00:29:54.690 15 page letters filled with endearments. ER wrote 00:29:54.690 --> 00:29:57.490 phrases like, I want to put my arms around you 00:29:57.490 --> 00:29:59.349 and kiss you at the corner of your mouth. She 00:29:59.349 --> 00:30:01.549 even wore a sapphire ring Hickok had given her 00:30:01.549 --> 00:30:04.349 to Franklin's inauguration. So what is the prevailing 00:30:04.349 --> 00:30:07.150 scholarly conclusion regarding the intimacy of 00:30:07.150 --> 00:30:10.579 this bond? The debate remains lively. Some biographers 00:30:10.579 --> 00:30:13.440 conclude the relationship was definitively erotic 00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:16.160 and romantically involved, citing the emotional 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:18.000 intensity and the length of the correspondence. 00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:20.579 However, Hickok's own biographer argued that 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:22.700 the language was likely an unusually belated 00:30:22.700 --> 00:30:25.880 schoolgirl crush, cautioning against modern interpretation 00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:29.480 of 1930s female emotional language. So we can't 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:32.279 definitively label the physical nature, but we 00:30:32.279 --> 00:30:35.200 can confirm the emotional support was undeniable. 00:30:35.420 --> 00:30:38.970 Absolutely. The deep emotional bond and mutual 00:30:38.970 --> 00:30:41.569 support provided Eleanor with the comfort and 00:30:41.569 --> 00:30:44.190 closeness that was absent in her political marriage. 00:30:44.430 --> 00:30:47.490 And there was another key romantic figure, her 00:30:47.490 --> 00:30:50.890 bodyguard, Earl Miller. Earl Miller was a New 00:30:50.890 --> 00:30:53.529 York State police sergeant, 12 years her junior, 00:30:53.710 --> 00:30:58.190 assigned as her bodyguard starting in 1929. Biographers 00:30:58.190 --> 00:31:00.910 describe their relationship as close and romantic. 00:31:01.549 --> 00:31:04.089 Calling it her first romantic involvement in 00:31:04.089 --> 00:31:06.809 her middle years, filling another void left by 00:31:06.809 --> 00:31:09.430 the affair with Lucy Mercer. Miller taught her 00:31:09.430 --> 00:31:11.470 various sports and outdoor skills. They were 00:31:11.470 --> 00:31:14.309 in contact for decades, correct? They corresponded 00:31:14.309 --> 00:31:16.849 daily until her death, which speaks to a profound 00:31:16.849 --> 00:31:19.529 connection. But here's the mystery. All those 00:31:19.529 --> 00:31:21.750 letters have been lost. The rumor is that they 00:31:21.750 --> 00:31:23.589 were either purchased and destroyed by unknown 00:31:23.589 --> 00:31:25.869 parties after her death or simply locked away 00:31:25.869 --> 00:31:28.839 by her family. And this romantic friendship coincided 00:31:28.839 --> 00:31:31.480 with FDR's long -term rumored relationship with 00:31:31.480 --> 00:31:34.859 his secretary, Marguerite Miselehan, demonstrating 00:31:34.859 --> 00:31:37.059 just how much their marriage had dissolved into 00:31:37.059 --> 00:31:40.400 a pragmatic, platonic political alliance. Finally, 00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:43.079 we must discuss her complex and extremely uncomfortable 00:31:43.079 --> 00:31:45.839 evolution regarding Jewish people, which seems 00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:48.339 to track directly with her rising political awareness. 00:31:48.920 --> 00:31:51.180 Her journey here is one of profound transformation, 00:31:51.640 --> 00:31:54.819 illustrating the deeply ingrained societal prejudices 00:31:54.819 --> 00:31:57.660 of the early 20th century. Until middle age, 00:31:57.880 --> 00:32:01.420 ER exhibited anti -Semitic tendencies. For example, 00:32:01.500 --> 00:32:04.200 in a 1918 letter, she described a social gathering, 00:32:04.359 --> 00:32:07.759 chillingly, as the Jew party was appalling. I 00:32:07.759 --> 00:32:10.000 never wish to hear money, jewels, or sables mentioned 00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:12.519 again. She also, at the Todd Hunter School, where 00:32:12.519 --> 00:32:14.619 she was co -owner, explicitly limited the number 00:32:14.619 --> 00:32:16.619 of Jewish students. So how did she go from that 00:32:16.619 --> 00:32:20.099 casual prejudice to become... a vocal anti -racist 00:32:20.099 --> 00:32:22.420 and Zionist advocate. Her political life forced 00:32:22.420 --> 00:32:25.079 the change. By 1929, her social circle began 00:32:25.079 --> 00:32:27.400 to include powerful, prominent Jewish political 00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:30.099 figures like Bernard Baruch and Henry Morgenthau 00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:33.180 Jr., forcing direct engagement. Once she became 00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:35.980 first lady, She began speaking out publicly against 00:32:35.980 --> 00:32:38.619 rising anti -Semitism, both in Europe and the 00:32:38.619 --> 00:32:41.480 U .S. And she was a key advocate for Jewish refugees. 00:32:41.819 --> 00:32:44.279 After World War II, she became a staunch champion 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:46.940 of Israel, admiring its perceived commitment 00:32:46.940 --> 00:32:49.759 to New Deal values and pioneering social democracy. 00:32:50.299 --> 00:32:53.359 It was a clear political and moral realignment. 00:32:53.900 --> 00:32:56.759 The end of Franklin's life in April 1945 was 00:32:56.759 --> 00:33:00.259 in many ways the prelude to Eleanor's true global 00:33:00.259 --> 00:33:04.000 career. But it began with a final, painful domestic 00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:07.079 revelation. A revelation that shattered her final 00:33:07.079 --> 00:33:09.420 illusions about her marriage. It was twofold 00:33:09.420 --> 00:33:12.539 and incredibly bitter. She was profoundly shocked 00:33:12.539 --> 00:33:15.420 to learn that Franklin's mistress, Lucy Mercer 00:33:15.420 --> 00:33:17.759 Rutherford, had been with him when he died. And 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:19.640 adding to that bitterness was the discovery that 00:33:19.640 --> 00:33:21.680 her own daughter, Anna, had known and helped 00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:24.180 conceal the ongoing relationship for years. This 00:33:24.180 --> 00:33:26.359 betrayal, coupled with grief, must have been 00:33:26.359 --> 00:33:28.279 overwhelming. But she dealt with the tragedy 00:33:28.279 --> 00:33:30.420 and immediately channeled her energy back into 00:33:30.420 --> 00:33:33.380 public service, focusing on legacy and relocation. 00:33:33.559 --> 00:33:36.359 She focused on logistics, dedicating the family 00:33:36.359 --> 00:33:38.900 estate Hyde Park to the federal government as 00:33:38.900 --> 00:33:42.609 a museum in 1946. This act set the crucial precedent 00:33:42.609 --> 00:33:44.650 for the modern system of presidential libraries. 00:33:45.089 --> 00:33:47.750 She then moved to New York City, eventually residing 00:33:47.750 --> 00:33:50.710 at 55 East 74th Street, while maintaining Val 00:33:50.710 --> 00:33:53.130 Kill. The only home she ever personally owned. 00:33:53.309 --> 00:33:55.490 And within months of his death, she transitioned 00:33:55.490 --> 00:33:58.130 from first lady to global diplomat, thanks to 00:33:58.130 --> 00:34:00.690 President Truman. Truman recognized her global 00:34:00.690 --> 00:34:03.609 stature and her diplomatic skills. In December 00:34:03.609 --> 00:34:06.930 1945, he appointed her as a delegate to the UN 00:34:06.930 --> 00:34:09.400 General Assembly. She went on to serve as the 00:34:09.400 --> 00:34:11.980 first chair of the Preliminary and Permanent 00:34:11.980 --> 00:34:15.679 UN Commission on Human Rights from 1946 to 1952. 00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:18.079 She was immediately recognized for her incredible 00:34:18.079 --> 00:34:21.019 ability to synthesize diverse views and manage 00:34:21.019 --> 00:34:24.039 complex international negotiation, despite initially 00:34:24.039 --> 00:34:26.539 being doubted by many male colleagues. And she 00:34:26.539 --> 00:34:29.000 oversaw the drafting of what is arguably the 00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:31.260 most important document of the modern human rights 00:34:31.260 --> 00:34:33.880 era, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 00:34:33.900 --> 00:34:37.170 or UDHR. This stands as her crowning achievement, 00:34:37.369 --> 00:34:39.869 her enduring global legacy. Working alongside 00:34:39.869 --> 00:34:42.289 figures like Renee Cassan and John Peters Humphrey, 00:34:42.389 --> 00:34:44.610 she played an instrumental role in shaping the 00:34:44.610 --> 00:34:47.550 text. Her skill was in moving from general principles 00:34:47.550 --> 00:34:51.130 to specific implementable articles and finding 00:34:51.130 --> 00:34:53.590 consensus among nations with radically different 00:34:53.590 --> 00:34:55.869 political systems. What were some of the biggest 00:34:55.869 --> 00:34:58.750 challenges in drafting the UDHR? You had nations 00:34:58.750 --> 00:35:01.130 coming out of a devastating World War, the beginnings 00:35:01.130 --> 00:35:03.530 of the Cold War. And vast colonial differences. 00:35:03.869 --> 00:35:06.670 The philosophical differences were immense. Western 00:35:06.670 --> 00:35:09.050 nations emphasized civil and political rights, 00:35:09.210 --> 00:35:12.110 freedom of speech, religion. While Soviet bloc 00:35:12.110 --> 00:35:14.929 nations prioritized economic and social rights, 00:35:15.110 --> 00:35:17.610 the right to work, the right to housing. Her 00:35:17.610 --> 00:35:19.949 brilliance was acting as the synthesizer, ensuring 00:35:19.949 --> 00:35:22.730 that the final document was not just a treaty 00:35:22.730 --> 00:35:25.670 but a globally agreed -upon standard that bridged 00:35:25.670 --> 00:35:28.090 these ideological divides by including both sets 00:35:28.090 --> 00:35:31.429 of rights. The UDHR was adopted on December 10, 00:35:31.630 --> 00:35:35.519 1948, receiving a standing ovation. She called 00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:38.679 it the international Magna Carta of all men everywhere. 00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:41.460 It was a monumental victory for diplomacy, and 00:35:41.460 --> 00:35:43.099 it's crucial to understand why she saw it that 00:35:43.099 --> 00:35:45.780 way. The UDHR established for the first time 00:35:45.780 --> 00:35:48.300 a universal benchmark against which a country's 00:35:48.300 --> 00:35:50.940 treatment of its own people could be judged internationally. 00:35:51.420 --> 00:35:53.980 It shifted human rights from being a purely domestic 00:35:53.980 --> 00:35:57.760 issue to a global concern. There were eight abstentions 00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:00.360 from the vote, though. Six Soviet bloc countries 00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:03.579 abstained, primarily due to Article 13, which 00:36:03.579 --> 00:36:05.719 guaranteed the right of citizens to leave their 00:36:05.719 --> 00:36:08.320 country. Roosevelt correctly attributed their 00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:10.920 abstention to their fear of legitimizing emigration 00:36:10.920 --> 00:36:14.340 from the Soviet system. South Africa, operating 00:36:14.340 --> 00:36:16.699 under apartheid, abstained because the declaration 00:36:16.699 --> 00:36:19.519 fundamentally contradicted its policy of racial 00:36:19.519 --> 00:36:22.579 discrimination. And Saudi Arabia abstained due 00:36:22.579 --> 00:36:24.559 to concerns that articles concerning marriage 00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:27.300 and religious conversion conflicted with Islamic 00:36:27.300 --> 00:36:30.699 law. But her success with the UDHR cemented her 00:36:30.699 --> 00:36:33.179 reputation, leading President Truman to call 00:36:33.179 --> 00:36:35.860 her the first lady of the world. A title that 00:36:35.860 --> 00:36:38.239 truly captured her transition from domestic policy 00:36:38.239 --> 00:36:41.360 reformer to global architect. That title was 00:36:41.360 --> 00:36:44.400 earned. Her U .N. work extended far beyond the 00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:47.000 declaration. She consistently pushed for organizations 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:49.960 focused on global needs, particularly concerning 00:36:49.960 --> 00:36:52.420 poverty and hunger. Like the creation of the 00:36:52.420 --> 00:36:55.449 Food and Agriculture Organization. Exactly. She 00:36:55.449 --> 00:36:57.869 was an early supporter of establishing a U .N. 00:36:57.889 --> 00:37:00.610 agency focused on food and nutrition, following 00:37:00.610 --> 00:37:03.170 a crucial memorandum on freedom from want of 00:37:03.170 --> 00:37:05.750 food by an Australian nutritionist, Frederick 00:37:05.750 --> 00:37:08.110 McDougall. She arranged a meeting between McDougall 00:37:08.110 --> 00:37:10.750 and FDR, which laid the groundwork for the creation 00:37:10.750 --> 00:37:15.429 of the FAO in 1945. Later, in 1960, she pushed 00:37:15.429 --> 00:37:18.110 the U .N. to create the Food from Hunger campaign, 00:37:18.489 --> 00:37:21.170 mobilizing NGOs against global malnutrition. 00:37:21.489 --> 00:37:23.750 Even after leaving the White House, she... remained 00:37:23.750 --> 00:37:26.110 fiercely engaged in American partisan politics, 00:37:26.389 --> 00:37:28.849 particularly in her home state of New York. She 00:37:28.849 --> 00:37:31.389 became a key figure in trying to dismantle the 00:37:31.389 --> 00:37:34.269 old political machine structure. She grew disgusted 00:37:34.269 --> 00:37:36.750 with Tammany Hall boss Carmine DiSapio after 00:37:36.750 --> 00:37:38.849 he engineered the defeat of her son, Franklin 00:37:38.849 --> 00:37:41.829 Jr. For listeners unfamiliar, Tammany Hall was 00:37:41.829 --> 00:37:44.210 the notorious political machine that had controlled 00:37:44.210 --> 00:37:47.210 New York City politics for over a century, relying 00:37:47.210 --> 00:37:49.829 on patronage and often corruption. And she took 00:37:49.829 --> 00:37:52.230 him on directly. She joined friends like Herbert 00:37:52.230 --> 00:37:54.510 Lehman to form the New York Committee for Democratic 00:37:54.510 --> 00:37:57.710 Voters, dedicated to opposing DiSapio and the 00:37:57.710 --> 00:38:00.539 machine. And this long -running, bitter political 00:38:00.539 --> 00:38:03.380 battle eventually succeeded, forcing DiSapio 00:38:03.380 --> 00:38:06.920 out of power in 1961. She maintained her influence 00:38:06.920 --> 00:38:09.099 in presidential politics, even though she resigned 00:38:09.099 --> 00:38:11.679 from her U .N. post when Republican Dwight Eisenhower 00:38:11.679 --> 00:38:15.019 was elected in 1953. She supported Adlai Stevenson 00:38:15.019 --> 00:38:19.219 in both 1952 and 1956. When John F. Kennedy ran 00:38:19.219 --> 00:38:22.599 in 1960, she had significant reservations about 00:38:22.599 --> 00:38:26.440 him. primarily due to his past failure to unequivocally 00:38:26.440 --> 00:38:29.619 condemn McCarthyism, which he found morally reprehensible. 00:38:29.820 --> 00:38:32.500 Yet she ultimately supported him. And Kennedy 00:38:32.500 --> 00:38:35.619 recognized her continued global stature, reappointing 00:38:35.619 --> 00:38:37.679 her to the U .N. and the National Advisory Committee 00:38:37.679 --> 00:38:40.500 of the Peace Corps in 1961. I want to revisit 00:38:40.500 --> 00:38:43.199 her longstanding complicated opposition to the 00:38:43.199 --> 00:38:46.559 Equal Rights Amendment or ERA. She had historically 00:38:46.559 --> 00:38:49.099 opposed the ERA. because she feared it would 00:38:49.099 --> 00:38:51.320 erase decades of legal protections achieved for 00:38:51.320 --> 00:38:53.599 women workers through unionization and progressive 00:38:53.599 --> 00:38:56.340 legislation. Her worry was that one constitutional 00:38:56.340 --> 00:38:59.360 amendment could undo all that protective legislation. 00:38:59.659 --> 00:39:02.960 But her view shifted later in life. It did. By 00:39:02.960 --> 00:39:05.679 the 1950s, she stopped publicly criticizing it. 00:39:05.739 --> 00:39:08.820 And in the early 1960s, she conceded that due 00:39:08.820 --> 00:39:11.239 to the increased strength of unionization and 00:39:11.239 --> 00:39:14.239 changes in the workforce, the ERA might no longer 00:39:14.239 --> 00:39:16.840 pose the existential threat it once did. Her 00:39:16.840 --> 00:39:18.900 final public position was chairing the Presidential 00:39:18.900 --> 00:39:21.179 Commission on the Status of Women, appointed 00:39:21.179 --> 00:39:24.079 by JFK in 1961. And that commission's conclusion 00:39:24.079 --> 00:39:27.309 was a very careful compromise. Yes. The final 00:39:27.309 --> 00:39:29.989 report issued after her death concluded that 00:39:29.989 --> 00:39:32.449 equality for women was best achieved by recognizing 00:39:32.449 --> 00:39:35.170 gender differences and needs and by pursuing 00:39:35.170 --> 00:39:38.309 legal reforms state by state rather than through 00:39:38.309 --> 00:39:40.710 the sweeping language of the ERA. It reflected 00:39:40.710 --> 00:39:43.250 the ongoing tension within feminism between those 00:39:43.250 --> 00:39:46.110 seeking uniform constitutional equality and those 00:39:46.110 --> 00:39:48.369 prioritizing legislative protections for specific 00:39:48.369 --> 00:39:50.789 groups. And one of her last diplomatic missions 00:39:50.789 --> 00:39:53.070 demonstrates the sheer level of global trust 00:39:53.070 --> 00:39:56.130 placed in her. After the disastrous 1961 base. 00:39:56.199 --> 00:39:59.079 of pigs invasion, JFK asked her, along with labor 00:39:59.079 --> 00:40:01.460 leader Walter Reuther and Milton S. Eisenhower, 00:40:01.539 --> 00:40:03.920 to undertake the incredibly sensitive task of 00:40:03.920 --> 00:40:05.800 negotiating the release of captured Americans 00:40:05.800 --> 00:40:09.059 with Cuban leader Fidel Castro. This speaks volumes 00:40:09.059 --> 00:40:11.599 about her nonpartisan global credibility and 00:40:11.599 --> 00:40:13.940 the belief that she, perhaps more than any official 00:40:13.940 --> 00:40:16.480 diplomat, could connect with a challenging counterpart. 00:40:17.019 --> 00:40:19.159 Eleanor Roosevelt remained incredibly active 00:40:19.159 --> 00:40:22.619 well into her late 70s, averaging 150 lectures 00:40:22.619 --> 00:40:25.820 a year throughout the 1950s. She seemed tireless. 00:40:25.960 --> 00:40:29.179 How did her final years unfold? Her tremendous 00:40:29.179 --> 00:40:32.059 energy finally began to wane in 1960 when she 00:40:32.059 --> 00:40:34.960 was diagnosed with a plastic anemia. Unfortunately, 00:40:35.260 --> 00:40:38.480 two years later, in 1962, the treatment she received 00:40:38.480 --> 00:40:40.739 for that condition activated a dormant case of 00:40:40.739 --> 00:40:43.440 tuberculosis in her bone marrow. She died on 00:40:43.440 --> 00:40:47.139 November 7, 1962, at the age of 78, from resulting 00:40:47.139 --> 00:40:49.750 cardiac failure. cared for by her daughter Anna 00:40:49.750 --> 00:40:52.349 in her Manhattan home. The national and international 00:40:52.349 --> 00:40:54.829 response to her death was massive. It showed 00:40:54.829 --> 00:40:57.090 the respect she had commanded globally. President 00:40:57.090 --> 00:40:59.690 Kennedy ordered all U .S. flags lowered to half 00:40:59.690 --> 00:41:01.690 staff throughout the world. She was interred 00:41:01.690 --> 00:41:04.070 next to Franklin in the Rose Garden at Springwood 00:41:04.070 --> 00:41:06.989 Estate in Hyde Park, with JFK, Lyndon B. Johnson 00:41:06.989 --> 00:41:09.449 and former Presidents Truman and Eisenhower all 00:41:09.449 --> 00:41:11.889 in attendance. She received the U .N. Human Rights 00:41:11.889 --> 00:41:15.300 Prize posthumously in 1968. and was named the 00:41:15.300 --> 00:41:18.619 most admired woman by Gallup 13 times between 00:41:18.619 --> 00:41:22.699 1948 and 1961, which is truly unparalleled. Her 00:41:22.699 --> 00:41:24.920 recognition and legacy have only grown since 00:41:24.920 --> 00:41:27.260 her death, cementing her status in the American 00:41:27.260 --> 00:41:29.579 political firm of men. She holds several unique 00:41:29.579 --> 00:41:32.400 honors that speak to her singular status. The 00:41:32.400 --> 00:41:34.840 Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Val 00:41:34.840 --> 00:41:37.679 Kill, is the only residence she ever personally 00:41:37.679 --> 00:41:41.079 owned, a monument to her independence. Uniquely, 00:41:41.119 --> 00:41:43.199 the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and National 00:41:43.199 --> 00:41:45.980 Mall is the only U .S. presidential memorial 00:41:45.980 --> 00:41:48.860 that explicitly depicts a first lady. Her bronze 00:41:48.860 --> 00:41:51.219 statue is displayed prominently with a U .N. 00:41:51.239 --> 00:41:54.159 seal, specifically honoring her post -White House 00:41:54.159 --> 00:41:56.639 achievements. And what does the consistent historical 00:41:56.639 --> 00:41:59.280 consensus say about her role? It is remarkably 00:41:59.280 --> 00:42:01.829 consistent. The Siena College Research Institute 00:42:01.829 --> 00:42:04.369 conducts periodic surveys asking historians to 00:42:04.369 --> 00:42:06.510 assess first ladies on metrics like intelligence, 00:42:06.750 --> 00:42:09.309 courage, accomplishments and leadership. In every 00:42:09.309 --> 00:42:11.409 one of those surveys since they began in 1982, 00:42:11.809 --> 00:42:14.150 Eleanor Roosevelt has been consistently ranked 00:42:14.150 --> 00:42:17.119 as the greatest American first lady. She dominates 00:42:17.119 --> 00:42:19.699 those rankings across all criteria. She topped 00:42:19.699 --> 00:42:22.619 nine out of 10 criteria in the 2003 survey and 00:42:22.619 --> 00:42:25.559 eight out of 10 in 2008. Historians also ranked 00:42:25.559 --> 00:42:27.780 her and Franklin as the highest power couple 00:42:27.780 --> 00:42:29.960 in presidential history. And she was consistently 00:42:29.960 --> 00:42:33.380 cited as the greatest 20th and 21st century first 00:42:33.380 --> 00:42:36.340 lady in categories like advancing women's issues, 00:42:36.519 --> 00:42:39.219 being a political asset, public service after 00:42:39.219 --> 00:42:42.059 leaving office, and crucially for creating a 00:42:42.059 --> 00:42:45.469 lasting global legacy. What an incredible trajectory 00:42:45.469 --> 00:42:48.610 we've traced. Eleanor Roosevelt was a figure 00:42:48.610 --> 00:42:52.309 shaped by profound early tragedy, an ugly duckling 00:42:52.309 --> 00:42:55.050 struggling with loss and insecurity, who navigated 00:42:55.050 --> 00:42:56.989 a shattered marriage that she converted into 00:42:56.989 --> 00:42:59.409 a foundational political partnership. She became 00:42:59.409 --> 00:43:02.030 a groundbreaking first lady who literally used 00:43:02.030 --> 00:43:04.949 every available media platform, print, radio, 00:43:05.070 --> 00:43:07.610 television, to force the expansion of American 00:43:07.610 --> 00:43:10.110 democracy, fighting for civil rights and New 00:43:10.110 --> 00:43:12.630 Deal ideals. And she didn't stop there. Going 00:43:12.630 --> 00:43:15.159 on after her husband's death, to quietly but 00:43:15.159 --> 00:43:17.820 forcefully draft the moral foundation for global 00:43:17.820 --> 00:43:20.480 human rights. Eleanor Roosevelt's legacy is the 00:43:20.480 --> 00:43:22.800 definitive proof that the role of a political 00:43:22.800 --> 00:43:25.840 spouse could be leveraged far beyond mere hostessing. 00:43:26.199 --> 00:43:28.780 She was a singular force who demonstrated that 00:43:28.780 --> 00:43:30.900 influence could be wielded both domestically 00:43:30.900 --> 00:43:33.760 through her aggressive, often controversial advocacy, 00:43:33.820 --> 00:43:37.139 and internationally, defining the moral architecture 00:43:37.139 --> 00:43:40.039 of the post -war world. She created an enduring 00:43:40.039 --> 00:43:43.239 global legacy that vastly surpassed the expectations 00:43:43.239 --> 00:43:45.900 and limitations of her time. Absolutely. The 00:43:45.900 --> 00:43:47.579 ultimate takeaway for me, and the final question 00:43:47.579 --> 00:43:49.239 I want to leave you with as you reflect on her 00:43:49.239 --> 00:43:52.139 life, is about the nature of true political courage. 00:43:52.880 --> 00:43:55.360 Eleanor Roosevelt was constantly willing to publicly 00:43:55.360 --> 00:43:59.219 align herself with and advocate for deeply unpopular 00:43:59.219 --> 00:44:02.099 groups, whether they were youth communists, marginalized 00:44:02.099 --> 00:44:04.539 African -Americans fighting for basic dignity 00:44:04.539 --> 00:44:07.739 or Jewish refugees fleeing Nazism. And she often 00:44:07.739 --> 00:44:09.940 did so even when it put her directly at odds 00:44:09.940 --> 00:44:11.860 with her husband, the press, the public and even 00:44:11.860 --> 00:44:14.690 her own family. What is the true value of that 00:44:14.690 --> 00:44:17.550 kind of unwavering political courage when it 00:44:17.550 --> 00:44:19.809 means risking the popular political standing 00:44:19.809 --> 00:44:22.070 of your closest ally, the president of the United 00:44:22.070 --> 00:44:25.030 States? She lived with that tension, that necessity 00:44:25.030 --> 00:44:27.769 of moral protest versus political pragmatism 00:44:27.769 --> 00:44:30.670 her entire public life. A phenomenal question. 00:44:31.230 --> 00:44:33.710 It forces us to consider whether standing firm 00:44:33.710 --> 00:44:36.829 on principle, even if unpopular, creates a deeper, 00:44:36.869 --> 00:44:39.309 more lasting political impact than achieving 00:44:39.309 --> 00:44:42.190 immediate legislative wins through silent compromise. 00:44:42.530 --> 00:44:44.610 Exactly. Thank you for joining us for this deep 00:44:44.610 --> 00:44:46.550 dive into the extraordinary life of Eleanor Roosevelt. 00:44:46.769 --> 00:44:47.590 See you next time.