Eleanor Roosevelt's Advocacy

Eleanor Roosevelt's life is so rich in so many aspects that to try and do it in one short blog post wouldn't do it justice. So, I've decided to focus on what most know her for, her advocacy.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born into a wealthy New York family. Her father was an alcoholic and her parents' marriage was troubled. She was educated by private tutors until she was 15 and was then sent to a boarding school in England. There, her headmistress promoted social responsibility and independence for young women. After returning to New York she became actively involved in social reform work, working as a volunteer teacher for impoverished immigrant children and joining the Nation Consumers' League which aimed to end unsafe working conditions and labor practices in businesses.

After marrying Franklin Roosevelt, her fifth cousin once removed, and starting a family, she volunteered with the Red Cross as well as in Navy hospitals during WWI. In the 20s, she became active in politics and activist organizations like the Women's Union Trade League. She also cofounded Val-Kill Industries, a nonprofit factory that produced furniture, in addition to teaching history and literature at a private girls' school.

When she became First Lady, Roosevelt worried about losing her hard-earned autonomy as well as having to give up involvement in activities and organizations she cared about. But, after Franklin Roosevelt was sworn in as president, Eleanor worked to transform the role of First Lady from a social hostess to an important and active participant in her husband's administration.

Roosevelt initially traveled across the country acting as her husband's eyes and ears and reporting back after visiting government institutions, programs, and various other facilities created by the New Deal. In addition, she was a champion of civil rights for African Americans, women, American workers, the youth, and the impoverished. She would hold press conferences specifically for female reporters at a time when women were typically kept from White House press conferences. In 1939, when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let African American opera singer Marian Anderson perform, Eleanor resigned her membership to the DAR and arranged to hold a concert at a venue in close proximity to the original which ended up being a huge success. When local officials in Alabama insisted seating at a public meeting be segregated she carried a folding chair to all sessions and placed them in the center aisle.

During WWII, she advocated on behalf of European refugees, worked to boost soldiers' morale, encouraged volunteerism on the home front, and championed women employed in the arms industry.

After President Roosevelt's death, Eleanor worked as a delegate to the United Nations and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Human Declaration of Rights which continues to serve as a model for how people and nations should treat each other. She also headed the first Presidential Commission on the Status of Women at the request of President John Kennedy. She was also involved in the NAACP and served on the Advisory Council for the Peace Corps.

Eleanor Roosevelt died at the age of 78 in 1962 but her legacy has continued since then. She has remained a feminist icon and an inspiration for many because of her advocacy and strength as a woman unflinching in her beliefs.

Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/eleanor-roosevelt
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eleanor-Roosevelt
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-ladies/anna-eleanor-roosevelt/