- Born: October 11, 1884 in New York City, New York
- Died: November 7, 1962 in New York City, New York
- Best known for: Being an active first lady who worked for human rights.
- Nickname: Nellie/Little Nell
Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 11, 1884. Although she grew up in a fairly wealthy family, she had a tough childhood. Her mother died when she was eight and her father when she was only ten.
While her parents were alive, her mother was not very nice and called her "Granny" because she thought Eleanor was serious and old looking. Eleanor didn’t have many friends her age and was a quiet and nervous person. Her father was much nicer, but she didn’t see much of him. He would write and send her a lot of letters that she kept for the rest of her life.
School for Eleanor;
When Eleanor turned fifteen her grandmother sent her to a boarding school near London, England. Eleanor was scared, however the principle liked her and when she graduated, Eleanor was much more confident in herself. She had learned a lot about herself and life.
Love in Eleanor’s Life
Upon her return to the United States, Eleanor began to date her distant cousin named Franklin. He was a handsome young man attending Harvard University. They spent a lot of time together and Franklin fell in love with Eleanor. They were married on March 17, 1905. Eleanor’s uncle Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, gave away the bride in the wedding.
They got married and had six children - Anna, James, Franklin (who died), Elliott, Franklin Jr., and John. Eleanor was a busy housewife taking care of the children.
Franklin’s Disease
Franklin had become a famous politician. He wanted to become president. He became very sick one summer with a disease called polio. He nearly died, but he lived.
He would never walk again.
Franklin decided to stay in politics. Eleanor helped him in any way she could. She became involved in a number of organizations to help poor people, black people, children, and women have better lives.
While her parents were alive, her mother was not very nice and called her "Granny" because she thought Eleanor was serious and old looking. Eleanor didn’t have many friends her age and was a quiet and nervous person. Her father was much nicer, but she didn’t see much of him. He would write and send her a lot of letters that she kept for the rest of her life.
School for Eleanor;
When Eleanor turned fifteen her grandmother sent her to a boarding school near London, England. Eleanor was scared, however the principle liked her and when she graduated, Eleanor was much more confident in herself. She had learned a lot about herself and life.
Love in Eleanor’s Life
Upon her return to the United States, Eleanor began to date her distant cousin named Franklin. He was a handsome young man attending Harvard University. They spent a lot of time together and Franklin fell in love with Eleanor. They were married on March 17, 1905. Eleanor’s uncle Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, gave away the bride in the wedding.
They got married and had six children - Anna, James, Franklin (who died), Elliott, Franklin Jr., and John. Eleanor was a busy housewife taking care of the children.
Franklin’s Disease
Franklin had become a famous politician. He wanted to become president. He became very sick one summer with a disease called polio. He nearly died, but he lived.
He would never walk again.
Franklin decided to stay in politics. Eleanor helped him in any way she could. She became involved in a number of organizations to help poor people, black people, children, and women have better lives.
Eleanor the First lady
Franklin became President of the United States on March 4, 1933 – just six years before my granny was born. Eleanor was now the First Lady. This meant she was to host parties and entertain royal people from other countries and political leaders. Eleanor knew she could do more than this!
It was the time of the Great Depression. There were not enough jobs for people and sometimes they didn’t even have enough to eat. While Franklin though of ways to help Eleanor travelled around the country to see how people were doing. She traveled thousands and thousands of miles. She let her husband know where people needed help and where his programs were and weren't working.
World War II
Japan attacked the USA at Pearl Harbor. Franklin declared World War II. Eleanor kept busy and decided not to stay at home in safety. She went to work for the Red Cross. She traveled to Europe and the South Pacific to visit the sick and the wounded and to let the troops know how much everybody thanked them and wish them well.
Franklin Dies
Franklin died of a stroke on April 12th 1945 – when my granny was just 6yrs old. Eleanor was sad, but she wanted to continue their work. For seven years she represented the United States at the United Nations (UN), which was started by her and her husband. She helped to write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that says that people all over the world should be treated fairly and have certain rights that no government should be able to take away.
Eleanor also wrote a number of books including:
· This is My Story
· This I Remember
· On My Own
She continued to fight for equal rights for black people and women and even chaired the Commission on the Status of Women for President Kennedy.
Eleanor died on November 7, 1962.
She was buried next to her husband Franklin.
After she died - Time Magazine called her the
"world's most admired and talked about woman".
Interesting Facts about Eleanor Roosevelt
- She was born Anna Eleanor, but went by her middle name.
- Franklin asked Eleanor to dance when she was fifteen at a family Christmas party.
- While First Lady she wrote a newspaper column called "My Day" where she told about the daily life in the White House.
- Eleanor often carried a handgun with her for protection.
- Her nick name was “Nellie” and also called “Little Nell”
- She was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize.
I really enjoyed doing this project and I’m so glad that I chose Eleanor. She was a great lady. Kind and caring! I got to talk with my granny about Eleanor and World War II. One of our favorite things that Eleanor said was,
“A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.”