Google Doc: Dear Mrs Roosevelt Group Project
Children Turn to the President and the First Lady for Help
During the Great Depression, many children wrote to the president and the first lady for support and guidance.
Eleanor Roosevelt had spoken often of her concern for the country's children.
"I have moments of real terror when I think we might be losing this generation. We have got to bring these young people into the active life of the community and make them feel that they are necessary."
--First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, New York Times, 5/34
During her first year in the White House, Mrs. Roosevelt received 300,000 pieces of mail from adults and children. She continued to receive hundreds of thousands of letters in the years that followed.
The First Lady had a secretary who was in charge of the mail. Her secretary would read the mail and either reply to it or send it to another department for action. She would also select about 50 letters a day for Mrs. Roosevelt to read. The First Lady would sometimes dictate replies to those letters.
A number of their letters follow.
During the Great Depression, many children wrote to the president and the first lady for support and guidance.
Eleanor Roosevelt had spoken often of her concern for the country's children.
"I have moments of real terror when I think we might be losing this generation. We have got to bring these young people into the active life of the community and make them feel that they are necessary."
--First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, New York Times, 5/34
During her first year in the White House, Mrs. Roosevelt received 300,000 pieces of mail from adults and children. She continued to receive hundreds of thousands of letters in the years that followed.
The First Lady had a secretary who was in charge of the mail. Her secretary would read the mail and either reply to it or send it to another department for action. She would also select about 50 letters a day for Mrs. Roosevelt to read. The First Lady would sometimes dictate replies to those letters.
A number of their letters follow.
- Letter # 1 : In 1935, a ten-year-old Ohio girl wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to ask for his assistance.
- Letter # 2 : A fifteen year old girl wrote to Mrs. Roosevelt for help.
- Letter # 3 : A fourteen year old girl wrote for money to buy clothes.
- Letter # 4 : A eighteen year old girl asks Mrs. Roosevelt for clothing stored in the White House attic.
- Letter # 5 : A twelve year old girl asks the President and Mrs. Roosevelt for $8.00 for a winter coat.
- Letter # 6 : A thirteen year old girl asks for a dress and a pair of shoes.
- Letter # 7 : A sixteen year old girl asks for clothes for her family.
- Letter # 8 : An eleven year old girl asks for cloth.
- Letter # 9 : A seventeen year old asks for a winter coat.
- Letter # 10 : Another seventeen year old asks for one of Mrs. Roosevelt's dresses
- Letter # 1 1: A child in Kansas asks for help to send his brother to the hospital
- Letter # 12: A child in Georgia asks for a loan of $100
- Letter # 13 : A nine year old boy asks for help for her family
- Letter # 14: A seventeen year old boy asks for a loan of $35.00
- Letter # 15 : A thirteen year old girl asks for a coat to wear to school.
- Letter # 16 : Another thirteen year old girl asks for used dresses.
- Letter # 17 : A thirteen year old girl sent a Sears and Roebuck order for clothes to Mrs. Roosevelt
- Letter # 18 : A seventeen girl in Chicago asks for clothes
- Letter # 19 : A young girl asks for money for college
- Letter # 20 : Another young girl asks for a loan to attend college
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt Addendum Questions:
1. Consider the issues of gender and society. Why might young children feel more comfortable asking Eleanor Roosevelt for assistance rather than Franklin Delano Roosevelt? (50 words)
2. What were the most dominant emotions that children writing these letters expressed? Do you think it is a reasonable thing for children to be experiencing these types of emotions? Explain your response. (50 words)
3. What types of things did the children in these letters ask for? Explain the reasons they gave for the things they requested. (50 words)
4. Commonly, children would express their embarrassment at asking for assistance. Why do you think this was? Do you think this was a fair reaction for a child to have? Explain your response. (50 words)
5. One letter that Mrs. Roosevelt received was as follows:
"Dear Madam:
I am a great admirer of your distinguished husband and have the utmost respect for his talented wife. But who the hell picks those terrible hats for you? Permit me to suggest you appoint your pretty young daughter to select your hats hereafter. You owe it to your 'public' to appear properly dressed.
Sincerely,
A. Married Man"
Consider gender and society at the time. Why do you think someone would feel comfortable saying this to the First Lady of the United States of America? Do you think he has a valid criticism? Why do you think he would write this? (50 words)
6. Consider that these children are reaching out to the First Lady of the United States of America for assistance with their personal problems, as well as sharing tales of their hardship. Would it occur to you to write to the First Lady to ask for assistance? If so, what kind of assistance? What does this suggest about the mentality of the people of the Great Depression and the faith that they put in their leaders? (50 words)
7. Consider these letters from Mrs. Roosevelt's perspective. How do you think that Mrs. Roosevelt must have felt receiving these letters? What would your response be to receiving letters of this sort in such volumes? What do you think would be the most difficult requests to read? (50 words)
8. What are the requests/letters that stand out the most to you? How do those requests/letters make you feel? Do any of these letters speak to you personally? Explain your answer. (50 words)
9. Do these letters help to illuminate the problems that people faced during the Great Depression? Explain your answer. (30 words)
1. Consider the issues of gender and society. Why might young children feel more comfortable asking Eleanor Roosevelt for assistance rather than Franklin Delano Roosevelt? (50 words)
2. What were the most dominant emotions that children writing these letters expressed? Do you think it is a reasonable thing for children to be experiencing these types of emotions? Explain your response. (50 words)
3. What types of things did the children in these letters ask for? Explain the reasons they gave for the things they requested. (50 words)
4. Commonly, children would express their embarrassment at asking for assistance. Why do you think this was? Do you think this was a fair reaction for a child to have? Explain your response. (50 words)
5. One letter that Mrs. Roosevelt received was as follows:
"Dear Madam:
I am a great admirer of your distinguished husband and have the utmost respect for his talented wife. But who the hell picks those terrible hats for you? Permit me to suggest you appoint your pretty young daughter to select your hats hereafter. You owe it to your 'public' to appear properly dressed.
Sincerely,
A. Married Man"
Consider gender and society at the time. Why do you think someone would feel comfortable saying this to the First Lady of the United States of America? Do you think he has a valid criticism? Why do you think he would write this? (50 words)
6. Consider that these children are reaching out to the First Lady of the United States of America for assistance with their personal problems, as well as sharing tales of their hardship. Would it occur to you to write to the First Lady to ask for assistance? If so, what kind of assistance? What does this suggest about the mentality of the people of the Great Depression and the faith that they put in their leaders? (50 words)
7. Consider these letters from Mrs. Roosevelt's perspective. How do you think that Mrs. Roosevelt must have felt receiving these letters? What would your response be to receiving letters of this sort in such volumes? What do you think would be the most difficult requests to read? (50 words)
8. What are the requests/letters that stand out the most to you? How do those requests/letters make you feel? Do any of these letters speak to you personally? Explain your answer. (50 words)
9. Do these letters help to illuminate the problems that people faced during the Great Depression? Explain your answer. (30 words)