Roosevelt's+Third+Term+(Election+of+1940)

Name: John Shaw Age: 43 Ethnicity: White Hometown: Ohio, USA Birthdate: November 3, 1897 Relationships Status: Married School: Didn't go. Income: A whole lot of corn, wheat, and barley Occupation: Farmer

November 1, 1940 My name is John Robert Shaw. I live on a farm in Northeast Ohio, and make my living from the soil. I farm a variety of crops on the Farm my family has owned for many generations. I am married to Emily Shaw, and we have 5 kids, John Jr., Anna, Mary, Lois, and Bob. On our radio, the family has been gathering around to listen to the news regarding the upcoming election. Running for presidency is our current leader, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Wendell Willkie (Danzer et. al 551). People around here know of Roosevelt and are pleased with his performance as a President. I feel FDR has been doing a fairly good job leading the country. However, he will be the only president to run for three terms, and I wonder if maybe it's time for a change ("Third" 1). Some people say that no man is good for 3 terms, but I'm a bit more open minded (Wallachinsky and Wallace 1). Roosevelt has been deciding issues mostly in our favor since hes been our president. It seems that Willkie really has very similar opinions on how to lead the country during this time of war. I would think that a member of an opposing party would have maybe a different take on matters affecting the president. However, he seems to decied issues just the same as Roosevelt would. Since they both seem to offer the same thing in terms of presidents, I probably will choose Roosevelt, since he's the better known leader.

February 2, 1941 Roosevelt was inaugurated and took his seat in the White House. He won by a 55% victory (Danzer et al 551). Ive been pleased with Roosevelt in his third term. He delivered a speech talking about the four freedoms he felt everyone deserved, such as speech, worship, want, and fear ("Third" 1). He met frequently with foreign leaders such as Winston Churchill, and we always listened to his fireside chats telling us the news of his travels. However, disaster struck on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and as Roosevelt stated, it would be a "Date which will live in infamy" ("Third" 1). He then strengthened the Navy and military, and declared war on Japan,Germany, and Italy. He kept the public informed about his plans, and executed well thought out plans.He allied with Britain and France, and formed the Allied Nations. He decided to attack in Africa first,where the opposing forces were weak, and work their way up. He even delivered a radio speech to the French in their native tongue, the first presdent ever to do such a thing. One of the things, however, that I didn't particularly care for was the fact that he sent many Japanese Americans to internment camps as a sort of punishment for "their countries' bad deeds" ("Third 1). I don't see how it was their fault, and I question FDR's decision. However, he is overall a great president, and if he decides to run again, I will probably vote for him on the ballot.

Works Cited: "Third Franklin Roosevelt Administration." __U-S-History__. 2002. 24 Oct 2007 <[|http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1662.html>.]

Danzer, Gerald A., J. Jorge Klor De Alva, Larry S. Kreiger, Louis E. Wilson, and Nancy Woloch. __The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century__. Boston, MA: McDougal Littel, 2003.

Wallachinsky, David and Irving Wallace. "President Franklin D. Roosevelt: Reelection and Third Term." __Trivia-library__. 1981. 24 Oct 2007 <[|http://www.trivia-library.com/a/president-franklin-d-roosevelt-reelection-and-third-term.htm>.]