Presidencies of Woodrow Wilson and Research Proposal

Roosevelt believed in an independent presidency and thought this was best for the American people. Milkis notes that Roosevelt was strongly influenced by Wilson and his procedures. Roosevelt shard his vision but he was also more concerned with "practical rather than theoretical considerations" (482). Roosevelt had a vision to establish a "personal party" (484) and Milkis claims that this was an attempt to alter the character of constitutional government in America. Roosevelt won the presidency in 1932 with the pledge "to increase government spending to restore purchasing power" (Noble 1071). We know this as the New Deal and this deal had many government spending programs because it acknowledges many "economic truths as self-evident" (Chodorow 919). For example, Roosevelt believed that individuals had the right to earn enough money to provide for their family, and every family had the right to live in a decent home. These rights were significant because they established security. We can see an example of Roosevelt's scope by examining how he dealt with the Great Depression. He believed in and did what he could to encourage relief, recovery, and reform with relief being a short-term goal and recovery and reform as long-term goals. The Social Securities Act of 1935, offered aid to elderly citizens and is an example of Roosevelt's attempt to provide for Americans from the cradle to the grave.In order to work, money was taken from employers and employees and it illustrates how Roosevelt was working against the notion of self-help with government spending. This act is still practiced today and is one that becomes a talking point around election time.

Party responsibility and the presidency changed in the administrations of Wilson and Roosevelt. Many will claim that Roosevelt's Democratic party created a welfare state that still exists in America today. Roosevelt felt that overhauling the presidency was important and he worked hard at this. Whether these changes are good or bad for the country can be debated endlessly, but one thing that stands to fact is how these men changed the role of the president in America. Their actions demonstrate how the government can be shaped even though sometimes the people do not believe that it can be.

Works Cited

Bailey, Thomas, et al. The American Pageant. Lexington D.C. Heath and Company. 1994.

Chodorow, Stanley. A History of the World. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers. 1986.

Davidson, James, et al. Nation of Nations. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. 1990.

Dimock, Marshall. "Woodrow Wilson as Legislative Leader." The Journal of Politics. 19.1. JSTOR Resource Database. Retreived September 6, 2008. http://www.jstor.org

Milkis Sidney. "Franklin D. Roosevelt and….....