Eleanor Roosevelt Case

r's role in her husband's life? And her role after his death?

What are your thoughts about her life?

Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, in New York City. She was the niece of Theodore Roosevelt. This means she ended up marrying her cousin (Franklin). Eleanor was the daughter of Anna Hall and Elliot Roosevelt. She was the firstborn of the couple. She was their "miracle from heaven." (p.26) She was a shy child who grew up to be one of the most outspoken women in the White House. Eleanor's mother died in 1892 of inferior. She was only eight years old. Two years later, Eleanor became an orphan at the age of 10 because her father ended up passing away. Eleanor went through a lot of tragedy as a kid. And through it all she ended up still becoming a successful woman. Her father had some problems and went to live in Virginia to straighten out his life. Eleanor was without her father most of the time. While she was still young, Eleanor's mother died. So much tragedy for such a young girl, these trials eventually became some of the things that made her such a strong woman. After her mother's death, Eleanor ended up living with her grandmother. She was a very shy child. She never knew where she really fit into the world. In 1899, Eleanor started school at Allenswood in England. It was here that she began to learn about herself and the world. Eleanor came from a good family that had lots of money. She was fairly sheltered from the outside world that consisted of "normal people." She had much insecurity, many of which remained with her throughout her adult life. These insecurities may have held her back, but sometimes they made her the compassionate woman she was. In 1905, Eleanor married Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was a lawyer and interested in politics. Eleanor strived to be a good wife to Franklin, but she was always under her mother in law, Sara's thumb. One of the biggest hurdles of insecurity Eleanor had to overcome was the fact that Franklin cheated on her. She did get past this however, but the marriage was never the same. The couple ended up having six children. Their names were: Anna, James, Franklin (whom died as a baby), Elliott, Franklin Jr., and John. She did not let her growing family prevent her from helping others.

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