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Audiobooks by Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Browse audiobooks by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, listen to samples and when you're ready head over to Audiobooks.com where you can get 3 FREE audiobooks on us
The following is Roosevelt's Infamy Speech to a joint session of Congress on December 8, 1941, one day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945), was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the leader of the Democrat Party, Roosevelt won a record four presidential elections, directing the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda, which would define modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended in victory shortly after he died in office.
When Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1932, the country was still reeling in the aftermath of the 1929 Stock Market Crash and ensuing Great Depression. The American people were looking for help and direction. In his inaugural address delivered on March 4, 1933, Roosevelt spelled out a clear plan that called for swift, decisive action that would mobilize the power of the federal government to put people back to work and reminded the public that America had a proud history of exceptional accomplishments and an inherent collective strength that could (and would) prevail. The speech is most famous for its declaration that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, but is also notable for his bold statement that 'I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis -- broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.' The address continues to stand as a model of decisive, bold action fused with stirring, patriotic fervor. This is leadership at its best.
This audiobook contains a new reading of the text of Roosevelt’s address as well as a recording of the original.
Shortly after taking office in 1933 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered the first of his radio broadcasts to the American public. In simple, plain language, he took pains to explain the basic mechanics of the banking system, the causes of the present banking crisis, and the steps he was taking to stabilize the system. It was an extraordinary moment – the first time an American President had bypassed the traditional channels of communication (newspapers largely owned by conservative Republicans) and taken his message directly to the people. In doing so, he conveyed a sense of intimacy and engagement with the decision-making process that earned the trust and affection of the American people. He was able to squelch rumors and build public support for the most radical social changes and the largest war in the history of the United States. They are an astonishing testimony to what great leadership looks like, sounds like, and what it can accomplish.
There are thirty addresses in all, ranging from about ten to thirty minutes, given at the rate of about one every five months, with the timing dictated by public events. The term “fireside chat” was coined by Harry C. Butcher at CBS in a press release in 1933. Most, but not all, of the original addresses were recorded in part or in full. The sound quality, however, is often quite poor. Thus, these new recordings of the published texts of the original addresses. While it is impossible to capture the cheery, affable charm of President Roosevelt, we hope the readings convey the spirit of the times and the temper of the man.
