By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library, with Reagan Brown, intern. 80 years ago, on July 29th 1936, Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Campobello Island for the next to last time. It was a short visit, just two days, and it was only the second time he had returned since he came down with polio there … Continue reading Summertime, and the Livin’ is easy…
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is swarming with Pokemon Go characters. Visitors are wandering around staring at their phones, and catching them left and right. I’ve caught four and I never played the game before and only spent ten minutes at it. We have several Poke … Continue reading Pokemon Go has come to the FDR Presidential Library and that’s a good thing.
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. June 30th, 1941 dawned a magnificent summer day in Hyde Park. A ferocious thunderstorm the day before had broken a torrid heat wave and left the air clear and fresh. The roses were in full bloom and FDR’s beloved birds sang in the treetops. A large crowd gathered … Continue reading An Act of Faith -The 75th Anniversary of the FDR Library and Museum
By Paul Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. The relationship between the Roosevelt family and the Dutch royal family, known as the House of Orange, is both charming and historically significant. New York and the Hudson River Valley were both originally settled by Dutch pioneers. And the Netherlands was the first country to recognize the United States. … Continue reading The Roosevelts and the House of Orange
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. On January 6, 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt delivered his State of the Union address. He had just been elected to an unprecedented third term in office, and he decided to use this speech to articulate his vision for the future in the face of a global war between totalitarianism … Continue reading The Four Freedom Awards
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
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