"Let's Talk Turkey" Poster (MO 2005.13.34.252) During World War II, the U.S. Government created a wide range of posters aimed at inspiring Americans to contribute to the war effort. Many concentrated on increasing defense production. As the war progressed, new initiatives and methods for improving production were embraced. Ideas were collected from all sources, … Continue reading From the Museum
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Thanksgiving Proclamation At the beginning of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, Thanksgiving was not a fixed holiday; it was up to the President to issue a Thanksgiving Proclamation to announce what date the holiday would fall on. President Abraham Lincoln had declared Thanksgiving a national holiday on the last Thursday in November … Continue reading Found in the Archives
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and "Chief" Charles Alfred Anderson, 1941 In 1941, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt flew with one of America's first black pilots, Charles Alfred Anderson, over Tuskegee, Alabama. Mrs. Roosevelt's flight was well-publicized, and it demonstrated to the public and the military that African Americans could be competent pilots. Shortly after the flight, … Continue reading Found in the Archives
Armistice Day, November 11,1941 On November 11, 1941 - seventy years ago - President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his Armistice Day Address at the Amphitheater at the sacred site of Arlington National Cemetery. Although this annual event was a presidential tradition, the speech this year took on special meeting, for the world was again aflame … Continue reading Found in the Archives
Women in the Military Rag Dolls (MO 1945.47.13-16) Millions of young Americans served in America’s military during World War II. With FDR’s support their ranks included 350,000 women, who served as nurses and in special service branches established throughout the military. In May 1941, Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts proposed a bill to … Continue reading From the Museum
The following is an excerpt from the Fall 2009 Rendezvous article, “Eleanor Roosevelt at 125,” by Allida Black: In 1962, as ER battled fatal illness, she also sought to complete her final call to action. In Tomorrow is Now, she dared us to recognize the power we had as citizens and to use our power … Continue reading 49th Anniversary of Eleanor Roosevelt’s Death
Thinking of Sunnier Climates The recent October nor-easter snowstorm made us all think about warmer and sunnier places. And once again, the serendipity of archives provided us with a vicarious escape from the piles of snow. In July 1934, FDR took a lengthy fishing and inspection cruise aboard the USS Houston, traveling to Haiti, Puerto … Continue reading Found in the Archives
The Washington Star published this political cartoon by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Clifford Berryman on October 31, 1934. The parade of jack-o-lanterns asking, “FDR, how long will the cash hold out?” refers to expenditures by President Roosevelt’s New Deal “alphabet agencies.” These agencies, often referred to by their acronyms, were created to reform the nation's financial … Continue reading From the Museum
FDR's Bedside Note In the early morning hours of September 1, 1939, President Roosevelt was awakened in his bedroom at the White House by a telephone call from his Ambassador in Paris, William C. Bullitt, who advised the President that Germany had invaded Poland and that several Polish cities were being bombed. After FDR gave … Continue reading Found in the Archives
Einstein Letter In the summer of 1939, a group of physicists, including several who had fled Hitler’s Germany, met to discuss their fears of Germany developing a uranium-based weapon. It was decided that the best course of action was to inform President Roosevelt immediately of their concerns. Because Albert Einstein had a previous personal relationship … Continue reading Found in the Archives
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