Writing Homework Help

Week 5 Assignment – Due June 23

As we move further into the twentieth century, we have access to audio/visual primary sources, which means we don’t always have to just read sources. This week you’ll listen to Franklin Roosevelt’s first Fireside Chat, which you can access here. (The audio can be accessed at the top using the play button. There’s a transcript of the speech if you click on “View Transcript” for reference in case the recording is unclear in places or you’d like to follow along.)

First listen to FDR’s radio address. What message did Roosevelt communicate in this first broadcast to the American people? Keeping in mind the context of what was happening with regard to the American economy in early 1933, what effects do you believe he hoped to achieve through this form of communication? In responding to the prompt, consider not only Roosevelt’s message but also his word choice and the tone. How does being able to actually listen to his address assist us as historical researchers?

Then read FDR’s First Inaugural Address in For the Record (pages 203-205).  Keeping in mind what you heard in FDR’s first fireside chat and what you have been reading in Chapter 23 of America, to what extent did FDR live up to the promises made in his First Inaugural Address?