“I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.”

Eleanor as a teenager Eleanor and her brother Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 Granddaughter of Teddy Roosevelt Always felt out of place in her affluent family “Found herself” when she attended Allenswood in England

Couple remained close despite overbearing nature of Franklin’s mother, Sara Had six children together –Five who lived past infancy Fifth cousins Married on March 15, 1905

Learned about the inner workings of the government –Became the first woman to speak in front of a national convention, to write a syndicated column, to earn money as a lecturer, to be a radio commentator, and to hold regular press conferences Fought for the suffragette movement After her husband developed Polio, she became very involved in his political career

Franklin became the 32 nd president in 1932 Eleanor reinvented the role of First Lady The American people became very aware of their first lady and her ideas –Used the media unlike any woman before her –Traveled frequently –Was a very generous hostess Eleanor made herself available to the people and used her resources to their full potential “OF COURSE I KNOW—IT’S MRS. ROOSEVELT”

Eleanor supported many causes including: –Anti-lynching movements –Minority housing –The Women’s Trade Union League After her husband’s death, in 1945, Eleanor became a strong supporter of Democratic Party leader, Adlai Stevenson Started her own syndicated newspaper column, “My Day” Named a member of the United Nations in 1946 Helped draft the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

 surpassed expectations  broke through social barriers  brought about significant changes in the world  was and still is an inspiration  instead of hating anyone, she defended those she loved