Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was born October 11, 1884, in New York. Her family was wealthy and well respected. Despite her family's wealth and social standing, Eleanor's childhood was full of heartache. Both Eleanor's parents died before she was ten years old, leaving her in her grandmother's care.

Her grandmother had very strict rules. She wouldn't let Eleanor play many games or talk at the dinner table. Eleanor did have happy times when she visited her uncle, Theodore Roosevelt. Her uncle, who would become president of the United States, told Eleanor she was his favorite niece.

When Eleanor was 15, her grandmother sent her away to school in England. Eleanor loved to learn and was a good student. Her favorite teacher taught her to think for herself. It was a lesson she would never forget.

Eleanor was about eighteen years old when she returned to America. Eleanor wanted to go to college, but her grandmother said no. It was time for Eleanor to go to parties and meet other young people. At these parties, she often saw Franklin Roosevelt. She liked him.

When Eleanor was not attending parties, she worked to help children and improve working conditions. She taught dance and exercise classes for children. She inspected factories and local businesses.

When Eleanor was 19, Franklin surprised her by asking her to marry him. She couldn't understand why this handsome young man would want to marry her. She thought she was ordinary. Eleanor loved Franklin, so she accepted and they were married.

In the years that followed, Eleanor concerned herself with her duties as a mother and wife. Eleanor helped Franklin as he started a career in politics. He became a state senator and later was appointed assistant navy secretary.

The United States entered World War I in 1917. While Franklin was busy at the Navy Department, Eleanor was busy, too. She worked long hours for the Red Cross and visited hospitals whenever she could.

In 1921, something happened that would test Eleanor's courage and strength. Franklin came down with a disease called polio. The illness left Franklin unable to walk. Eleanor worked very hard to help him recover. He did get better, but he would never walk again without help.

While Franklin recovered, Eleanor threw herself into politics to make up for her husband's absence. She did not want him to be forgotten. Eleanor joined the women's division of the New York Democratic Party and put out a newspaper, The Women's Democratic News.

Franklin did re-enter politics and was elected governor of New York in 1928. The next year, America suffered an economic crash called the Great Depression. Millions lost their jobs and businesses closed. People lost their homes and sometimes didn't have anything to eat.

In 1932, Franklin was elected president of the United States. Eleanor and Franklin worked together on Franklin's New Deal programs. The New Deal programs gave people jobs and offered training.

As an outspoken First Lady, Eleanor traveled around the country acting as Franklin's eyes and ears. She gave speeches and inspected relief programs. She visited slums and talked with coal miners.

After Franklin was re-elected president in 1936, Eleanor toured the country speaking about social and civil justice. She felt racial discrimination was wrong. When a group Eleanor belonged to wouldn't let the black singer, Marian Anderson, perform in a hall, Eleanor resigned from the group. She helped arrange a public concert for Marian in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

The United States faced another crisis when it entered World War II in 1941. Eleanor went right to work for the Red Cross. She visited soldiers in the South Pacific and toured the bomb-damaged streets of London, England.

World War II was still raging when Franklin was elected to a third term as president. The presidency and all the world's troubles had left him exhausted. In 1945, Franklin died while Eleanor was away. She was sad. She told reporters that "the story is over." She thought that her life in the public eye was finished, but she was mistaken.

After the war ended, President Harry Truman asked Eleanor to serve as a delegate to the United Nations. The United Nations is a group of people who represent different countries. They work together to help solve problems.

At the United Nations, Eleanor was concerned with the people who were homeless after the war. Many of the homeless were children. Eleanor worked with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF, to find homes for these children.

In 1946, Eleanor became the leader of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. She helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration, which was approved in 1948, said that people everywhere were guaranteed freedoms and rights.

Eleanor retired from the U.N. when she was about 70 years old. However, she continued to travel and speak in many places. She traveled to Russia, Japan, Israel and India, visiting poor people and government leaders.