The Era of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945: A Brief History With Documents

by Richard D. Polenberg

The era of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal was a time of depression and despair, economic rebirth and renewal, and mobilization for a war spanning two oceans. Richard Polenberg's introduction to this new volume provides an engaging historical and biographical overview of the period. This is followed by over 45 topically arranged primary sources that provide readers with a rich context in which to understand FDR's multi-faceted role as President, reformer, policymaker, and Commander-in-Chief.

Genres: History, Read For School, Nonfiction

270 pages, Hardcover

First published January 21, 2000

About the author

Richard Polenberg is professor of history at Cornell University, where he has received the Clark Distinguished Teaching Award and was appointed Goldwin Smith Professor of American History in 1986. He has been a Fulbright Visiting Professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and has published widely on twentieth-century American history, including The World of Benjamin Cardozo: Personal Values and the Judicial Process (1997); Fighting Faiths: The Abrams Case, the Supreme Court, and Free Speech (1989), for which he won the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award and the Gustavus Myers Foundation's Outstanding Book Award; and One Nation Divisible: Class, Race, and Ethnicity in the United States since 1938 (1980).

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Reviews

[Maggie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book on how the U.S. looked during FDR’s time in office

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my US history class my first semester of college and write an essay using the book as a source. It was easy to read and I liked how the book was organized.

If you actually have an interest in history, FDR, the New Deal, WW2 you’ll like this book. It contains actual sources which is pretty cool.

[Jack Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

A solid collection of primary sources but the authors introductions fail to give proper context to each source. The book also fails to address key factors of FDR’s presidency, most notably wartime efforts. There also should have been transcripts of the fireside chats.

[Renae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of primary sources during the era of the New Deal, with short intros before each piece. Very useful, easy to find information.

[LOLA · Rating 2 out of 5]

My soul is leaving at the mere mention of FDR due to all the reading I endured in my history class. The book itself is okay.

[emily ganter]

HIS 383 :)

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent primer on the career of FDR. It consists of a brief, but well put-together biography, and a diverse selection of important contemporaneous documents, consisting of speeches, Supreme Court Decisions, Congressional Hearings, and other documents.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good selection of primary sources that can be used in classroom.

[Jacqueline Broussard · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you're interested at all in FDR in terms of his political career and his personal life, you will enjoy this book.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars