LAD #28: FDR's First Inaugural

On March 4th 1933, FDR gave his first Inaugural Address by means of a radio. “Revive and prosper,” he claims, as the promises to remain completely honest with his nation. He gives an inspirational speech which seems to fill the American’s with a sense of hope. He says that no matter how dark the times are, the United States has always and will always make their way back to the light. With so much for these people to really be grateful for, and their happiness, he talks about how work must bring this happiness and warns the people about material things that promote materialistic things. Roosevelt says that one of his biggest plans for the country was to get back on their feet and wants small relief activities planned, acting quickly to repair what was left of the economy before things in the Great Depression were able to get worse. One very positive aspect of Roosevelt’s first steps into his Presidency was that he was never afraid to ask for the people’s help and believed that trading with other nations is secondary to trading throughout our own nation. Roosevelt told us that in order to recover what we’ve lost we must first recover it and go back to pioneering times, or “priming the pump.” The Good Neighbor Policy was another positive attempt he made in his Presidency, which showed that people need to realize more strongly their interdependence on one another. The Constitution Roosevelt felt, was so practical that it could be followed easily and interpreted what he felt was needed.