By Paul Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. Art is the window to man's soul. Without it, he would never be able to see beyond his immediate world; nor could the world see the man within. - Lady Bird Johnson “The Roosevelts’ Art: Personal Stories” is a special exhibit running from April 1 until April 30th in … Continue reading The Roosevelts’ Art: Personal Stories
by William A. Harris, Deputy Director, FDR Library. Lambasting the President through low comedy or high satire shocks no one these days, especially during an election year. With the exception of editorial cartoons, before the 1960s, that wasn’t always the case. Motion pictures and the legitimate theater traditionally offered reverent presentations of the Presidents. FDR … Continue reading The President on Broadway: FDR, George M. Cohan, and “I’d Rather Be Right”
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. The current debate about the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice during a presidential campaign is a political distraction because the constitution is clear on this. But the core issue about the importance of the President’s power to select Justices is vitally important. The consequences of the selection … Continue reading FDR and the Supreme Court: A Lasting Legacy
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. As we celebrate Black History Month, it is a good time to explore one of Eleanor Roosevelt’s most outspoken campaigns, and one of her greatest disappointments. Throughout American history issues of race and civil rights have challenged our most precious core principal – that all people are created … Continue reading Eleanor Roosevelt’s Battle to End Lynching
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. Birthdays are always a good time to take stock and look back. On this, the 134th anniversary of Franklin Roosevelt’s birth, it is important to remember what made him so special. He was born at Springwood, the family home in Hyde Park. It was a difficult birth on … Continue reading Happy Birthday Franklin Roosevelt
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. Franklin Roosevelt loved winter in Hyde Park. The rolling hills and woods of the family estate at Springwood provided a wonderland of fun and adventure. One of the large bobsleds Franklin loved to ride as a teenager is currently on display in the Henry Wallace Center. Legend has … Continue reading Winter Wonderland
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. There is only one speech in American history that inspired a multitude of books and films, the establishment of its own park, a series of paintings by a world famous artist, a prestigious international award and a United Nation’s resolution on Human Rights. That speech is Franklin D. Roosevelt’s … Continue reading The “Four Freedoms” speech remastered
By Paul Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. One day before the 74th anniversary of President Roosevelt’s historic address to Congress in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor it is important to examine the true meaning of the speech, and how it came to be. It is rare when a presidential speech transcends the political … Continue reading The True Story Behind the Most Important Speech of the 20th Century
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. On November 19, 1939, the cornerstone for the Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum was laid in a very public ceremony. In front of an audience of nearly 1,000 people Roosevelt spoke about his personal connection to the land on which the library was built. He described his vision … Continue reading A Cornerstone of our Democracy
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. There is always a lively debate when people discuss “the most important” presidential elections in American history. Abraham Lincoln’s victory in 1860 and his leadership during the Civil War, the peaceful transfer of power from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson in 1800, and the 1932 election of Franklin … Continue reading The Most Important Presidential Election in History
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