Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt was arguably the greatest president to ever reside in the White House and has many qualities that make him a hero. He was a very brave man that stood up for what he thought was right, he always perservered and never once gave up, and he was very passionate about what he believed in and strove to succeed.

Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill

Franklin D. Roosevelt was a very brave man. He stood up to Congress, Stalin and the Axis powers and, even though this may not sound brave, it is just as brave as someone running into a burning building. Picture the man running into the building, sweating, scared, and knowing that if he fails or gets scared and gives up that someone is going to die, and that is exactly how FDR felt except if he failed or backed down many people would have died. He was also very brave at the meeting of the Big Three when Stalin was pressuring him to give in to his and Russia's demands on what they should do about the war, but Roosevelt held strong and stood up to his ally and refused to listen to an idea that would only benefit Russia.

FDR in his wheelchair

FDR persevered through many challenges that he faced throughout his presidency and life. Early in his life Roosevelt was diagnosed with a severe case of Polio that ended up paralyzing him from the waist down. Imagine having so much potential and so much life ahead of you and then you have your legs taken away. You can no longer stand unassisted and walking is completely out of the question, you are completely restrained to your wheelchair and you have to go through hours of agonizingly painful rehabilitation. This, however, didn't stop him from running for office for 3 terms and successfully leading the country through a war where the number of American casualties was the third highest in history, Behind only the American Civil War and the Vietnam conflict. He never gave up on the war and he was like a candle in the darkness of World War II that the American people looked to for comfort and reassurance. He always kept on fighting and never once showed any sign of giving up or backing down.

Roosevelt had a passion for finding a cure for Polio. After he was diagnosed with Polio he went for rehab at Warm Springs, Georgia where the warm water made rehabilitation much less painful and made for a more relaxing environment. Warm Springs is where Roosevelt had first thought that he was starting to get feeling back in his legs. That later turned out to be a false hope but Roosevelt still thought that the warm, relaxing, and comfortable springs were the best place for victims of Polio to rehabilitate. Roosevelt's concern for the victims of Polio and his hope for finding a cure was as important to him as his military concerns/challenges.