Chapter 4 Summary: "FDR"
This chapter describes the leadership qualities and presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

According to Hargrove, FDR was an excellent leader who listened to people, and tried to please them. FDR had a lot of political experience before he became president, which helped him have some background in leadership. He was the Assistant Secretary of the navy to Wilson and had many high up friends; like congressmen, labor leaders, and naval officers. Despite FDR getting polio, he was still mentally strong. Hargrove believes that one of the most important characteristics of a leader is that he is a good, moral person. Frances Perkins describes FDR as, “His emotions, his intuitive understanding, his imagination, his moral and traditional bias, his sense of right and wrong- all entered into his mind” (p. 79). One of the best qualities that FDR possessed is the willingness to listen to people. He made many radio appearances and talked to many people, because he actually wanted to know the true public opinion. FDR was known to promote teaching “the spirit of the constitution” (p84). He used the constitution as a tool to get people to like him; saying that he was doing it in accordance to the Constitution, got many more people to side with him. FDR used very motivational and dramatized speaking to get a point across. His most memorable saying was that “the only thing to fear was fear it self (p85)”. Hargrove describes how FDR got the country out of the depression using his New Deal plans. The most prominent technique that FDR used to speak to people was rhetoric. FDR was very much in touch with the public, which according to Hargrove, is a great characteristic as a leader. People did get upset with Roosevelt when he introduced his Court-packing plan. They were upset because they felt that he breached the policy of separation of powers, and was trying to gain too much power. Roosevelt was then in a tough situation, as World War 2 was about to break out. Americans did not want to go to war, but it was inevitable. We started going into the war by aiding our allies, we eventually broke the neutrality act and entered the war. FDR tried to sugarcoat a lot of things and make them seem not as bad. He basically manipulated the country into agreeing to go to war by waiting for an excuse (Pearl Harbor). We think that FDR was an excellent leader who really cared about the people. We think that it is amazing how he got polio, and still managed to be so mentally strong. Although he at times seemed weak he was overall a pretty good leader.