What I Hope to Leave Behind: The Essential Essays of Eleanor Roosevelt

by Eleanor Roosevelt, Allida M. Black (Editor)

Hillary Clinton has a long way to go to catch up to the prolific Eleanor Roosevelt, as this collection of 126 of the former first lady's articles and speeches attests. Essays on human rights and democratic responsibilities, originally published in titles such as the New York Times , Look , and Ladies' Home Journal , demonstrate the development of her style from a self-effacing political journalist to a self-assured activist. Subjects include civil rights, education, women, the United Nations, and human rights. Includes b&w photos, and a bibliographic essay. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Genres: Nonfiction

682 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political leader who used her influence as an active First Lady from 1933 to 1945 to promote the New Deal policies of her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as taking a prominent role as an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, she continued to be an internationally prominent author and speaker for the New Deal coalition. She was a suffragist who worked to enhance the status of working women, although she opposed the Equal Rights Amendment because she believed it would adversely affect women. In the 1940s, she was one of the co-founders of Freedom House and supported the formation of the United Nations. Eleanor Roosevelt founded the UN Association of the United States in 1943 to advance support for the formation of the UN. She was a delegate to the UN General Assembly from 1945 and 1952, a job for which she was appointed by President Harry S. Truman and confirmed by the United States Congress. During her time at the United Nations chaired the committee that drafted and approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. President Truman called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements.
She was one of the most admired persons of the 20th century, according to Gallup's List of Widely Admired People.

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains speeches, essays, news articles, etc. that Eleanor Roosevelt wrote. Right now I'm just reading the ones related to the UN/Human Rights to find one for my class to read.