![]() ![]() ![]() Despite her own efforts for peace, Roosevelt was a realist. Her discussion of African-American civil rights likewise provoked those who opposed her efforts.Īs the threat of fascism and war increased, "My Day" delved more deeply into foreign policy. Her support for such programs as the Resettlement Act, the Rural Electrification Act, the National Youth Administration, the Federal Theatre Project and FDR's "court packing plan" inspired her critics. She attempted to use "My Day" to shore up support for the New Deal with mixed results. ![]() While journalists may have discounted her simplistic style, they nevertheless appreciated "My Day's" importance indeed, one New York Times editor considered it "required reading for those seeking insight into administration policies." FDR also appreciated the influence "My Day" exerted and was not above asking his wife to float an idea in her column to gauge reader response. These letters reveal the palpable connection their authors had with Roosevelt as they shared their experiences as well as their most private dreams and fears.Įleanor Roosevelt talks with civil rights icons Rosa Parks (left) and Autherine Lucy Foster (right). She encouraged her readers to write her and often incorporated their stories, questions and criticisms into her columns. By 1938, she had moved away from the trivial and mundane and begun to concentrate more on her responsibilities as citizen and political symbol. They hoped the column would be "glittering with names" and highlight "pleasant and personal news of events and people," which no one but Roosevelt could "reveal." They wanted her to imagine writing the columns "as if they were letters written to a dear friend."Īs Roosevelt grew more comfortable with the "My Day" format, she took greater risks with it. The syndicate selected the title and suggested that Roosevelt discuss those "day-to-day experiences, interests and observations" she would be "willing to make public." They also urged her to use "My Day" to discuss the "real life stories" of her correspondents and the "trend of thought" their letters revealed. Initially, the United Features Syndicate defined the column. As Roosevelt told her daughter Anna in August, "my column circulation has been going up steadily." Ultimately, 90 papers would carry the column and Roosevelt would remain with United Features for twenty-six years. Even FDR's sudden death in April 1945 did not diminish readers' interest in learning what she thought. By 1940, interest in "My Day" was so strong that United Features Syndicate offered her a five-year contract even though it had no expectation that the Roosevelts would remain in the White House for another term. By 1938 it was appearing in 62 papers across the nation, providing Roosevelt with a readership of more than four million people and making her one of the nation's most popular columnists. Upon its debut, "My Day" was an immediate success. Roosevelt's Page" in the fall of 1935, leaving the First Lady without the monthly outlet she had enjoyed since 1933. Finally, Women's Home Companion, perhaps concerned that Roosevelt's column in its pages might imply support of FDR's re-election, discontinued "Mrs. ![]() At the same time, Roosevelt had grown increasingly impatient with some of the president's gatekeepers and FDR's policy decisions, and decided that a daily column would allow her to rally support for the causes she espoused. By that time, Eleanor Roosevelt's popularity was at its peak and Franklin, who was beginning to plan his re-election campaign, saw a column as an asset to the campaign and the New Deal generally. Roosevelt had a varied but already well-established publishing career before beginning "My Day." She had been offered a daily column in 1933, but did not accept until 1935. In sum, "My Day" offers a remarkable window into Roosevelt's public and political life. They chronicle her development from awkward "diarist" to skilled advocate for the New Deal, civil rights, the United Nations and myriad other domestic and international concerns. The columns, while no means a complete record of Roosevelt's daily activities, do reveal much about whom she met, where she traveled, which books she read, which plays she attended and how she handled the pressures of public life. Thus "My Day" is the only consistent existing account of her public actions. She did not keep a regular diary and her extant appointment books are woefully incomplete. Eleanor Roosevelt at a spinning wheel on a 1952 trip to India.Įleanor Roosevelt wrote "My Day," a national syndicated newspaper column, from 31 December 1935 until 26 September 1962 (six days a week until January 1961, then three days a week thereafter). ![]()
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