page 956


page_956 < previous page page_956 next page > Page 956 of clergy and laity, or the provocative witness of the church against some of the failings of American culture. And the American church's options continued to be limited by its loyal membership in the world church. The pontificate of John Paul II made it clear that the plans of American Catholics remained subject to authoritative criticism (as well as endorsement) from Rome. Jay P. Dolan, The American Catholic Experience: A History from Colonial Times to the Present (1985); James Hennesey, S.J., American Catholics: A History of the Roman Catholic Community in the United States (1981). ROBERT D. CROSS See also Abortion; Birth Control; Coughlin, Father Charles E.; Day, Dorothy; Ethnicity; Missionaries; Religion; Serra, Junípero. Roosevelt, Eleanor (18841962), social reformer, Democratic politician, and First Lady (19331945). Roosevelt overcame personal adversity and a sheltered upper-class background to become one of the twentieth century's most passionate advocates of social justice and international cooperation. Marriage to her cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in 1905 brought together two strong-willed personalities whose lack of personal intimacy was more than compensated for by shared values and political goals. Their marriage represents one of the greatest political partnerships in American history. At the very least, Eleanor Roosevelt expanded, if she did not revolutionize, the role of the political wife. Her genius was to take a position that had no institutional responsibilities or duties and turn it into a base for independent political action. Throughout her husband's public career, Eleanor Roosevelt spoke out forcefully on issues that she believed in and then followed up her public advocacy with behind-the-scenes prodding. As New Deal politician Molly Dewson recalled, if she ever wanted help on some point, Eleanor would seat her by the president at dinner and the matter would be settled before they had finished their soup. The First Lady's support gave an individual or cause instant credibility, and civil rights activists, youth leaders, WPA administrators, urban planners, and labor reformers were among the beneficiaries. Although Eleanor Roosevelt remained controversial throughout the 1930s, she often won people's respect for having the courage of her convictions even if they did not share her views. The New Deal would have been a far less humane undertaking without Eleanor Roosevelt in the White House. Eleanor Roosevelt's public image shifted after World War II as she became more identified with international cooperation and world peace. Confounding her critics who hoped she would fade from public view after Franklin's death in 1945, she played a central role in the adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948, one of her proudest accomplishments. After she retired from the U.N. delegation in 1953, she continued her active support for internationalism. Yet to remember her as a gray-haired elder stateswoman of the postwar world fails to do justice to her influence as one of the most effective politicians the twentieth century has produced. Her wide-ranging involvement in Democratic politics throughout the 1950s continued the pattern set in the 1920s and New Deal years. Throughout her life, Eleanor Roosevelt supported movements for social change that presented radical challenges to prevailing attitudes and institutions: civil rights for black Americans, full equality for women, liberation for the world's subject peoples, a vision of the federal government as a positive, caring force for the betterment of its citizens' lives. A person of enormous energy and curiosity, she touched millions of individual lives through her extensive travels, lectures, and writings. At her death in 1962, she was widely recognized as the twentieth century's most influential woman, and her reputation has continued to rise ever since. Few politicians, male or female, can match such a legacy. Joseph P. Lash, Eleanor and Franklin (1971) and Eleanor: The Years Alone (1972); Eleanor Roosevelt, This Is My Story (1937) and This I Remember (1949). SUSAN WARE See also Roosevelt, Franklin D.  < previous page page_956 next page >

Wyszukiwarka

Podobne podstrony:
page6
page6
page6
page6
page6
page6
page6

więcej podobnych podstron