Eleanor Roosevelt, New Deal speech

My name is Eleanor Roosevelt, I am the First Lady of the United States but also an activist. My husband Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the president of the United States, expanded his idea of a New Deal for the government. This politic promotes a strong government, regulating the economy and improving the life of the poorest. On my side, I am interested in the concerns of the black community and of women rights. This powerful government system preached by the opinions of my husband is in favor of the poor, unemployed or segregated Americans. Hence, the New Deal was a benefit in my fight for the justice and the equity for black people and women.

The black community during the 1930s was segregated, particularly in the South of the United States. With the political power of my husband but also mine, I tried to pass an anti-lyching law. This violence was majorly used in the Southern States, and killed approximately 4000 black people from 18882 to 1950. Unfortunately, South senators blocked the application of this law in the House of Representatives, which had the power to decide wether or not a law would be accepted. Even if my plan failed, this project could have been exposed thanks to the New Deal government, which was totally in accordance with my idea.

The PWA (Public Works Administration), a legislation of the New Deal program, was funded by Harolds Ickes, secretary to the interior, and permitted 4 million unemployed people to benefit from regular paid work. This federal project gave work and stability to many Americans, but particularly to black Americans. This community suffered a lot from segregation at work. On one hand, the conditions were horrible, and on the other hand, when laws were passed to increase the work conditions, black people were not employed anymore. Therefore, this legislation of the New Deal government helped me in my fight for the rights of the black people.

I wasn’t only fighting in the government, I was also socially near of the community I was defending. Trying to respond to the concerns of the black community, talking with black leaders and addressing myself to black audiences was a major point in my fight against segregation. For example, I visited and Afro-American nursery in Des Moines, funded buy the Public Works Administration. I could, thanks to the support of the New Deal government, in particular through infrastructures, staying in contact with the black community, who needed a massive support during the 1930s facing the segregation.

My other major fight was the place of the women in the society and their equity with the men. Harry Hopkins, who worked with Harold Ickes, and I were involved to ensure that women could participate to the government, particularly to the federal projects and that women received equal pay for equal work. The New Deal participated to this equality between men and women thanks to a major activist in the government of Roosevelt who helped me to give the rights women deserve.

Even if only one woman was elected as a senator in the 1930s and even if only a handful became Congresswomen in each election, greater numbers of women were elected to the various state assemblies and more women found jobs in positions associated with the New Deal. I encouraged my husband in the appointment of female administrators for New Deal programs. Indeed, Roosevelt appointed the first woman to serve in the government, making Frances Perkins his Secretary of Labour. She was in charge of government policy and getting people back to work, a major challenge for the New Deal. Thanks to my fight and thanks to the power of my husband, we managed to get women into more important places, such as the one of secretary of labor Frances Perkins has.

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