Historical Context
"While developing programs to help America emerge from the Great Depression, Roosevelt also needed to calm the fears and restore the confidence of Americans and to gain their support for the programs of the New Deal...achieved through what became known as 'fireside chats'."
-National Archives and Records Administration
"During the 1930s . . . some 90 percent of American households owned a radio . . . Seeing the potential of mass media to communicate directly and intimately with the public, Roosevelt gave around 30 total radio addresses from March 1933 to June 1944 . . ."
-History.com "He used these opportunities to explain his hopes and ideas for the country, while inviting the citizenry to 'tell [him their] troubles.' The combination of the novelty and intimacy of radio with the believability of his message made a powerful force that enabled him to pass a sweeping set of legislation in the first 100 days of his presidency and then go on to many other accomplishments in the following 12 years of his presidency." |
Redefining the Relationship Between the President and the People
Roosevelt empathized with the struggles of working-class Americans and recognized that they would be more effectively reassured by a friendly father figure than an intimidating figure of authority. He adapted his fireside chats to target the "average American," and established his reputation as the president of the people.
"Through his 'fireside chats' . . . FDR built a bond between himself and the public—doing much to shape the image of the President as the caretaker of the American people."
-William Leuchtenburg, Esteemed FDR historian
"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand."
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"The ability to summon positive emotions during periods of intense stress lies at the heart of effective leadership."
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March 12, 1933: The First Fireside Chat "On the Banking Crisis"
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"Roosevelt's first 'fireside chat' demonstrated the new president's remarkable capacity to project his personal warmth and charm into the nation's living room." "The first broadcast set the pattern for the content and tone of the rest: FDR patiently and calmly explained the complexities of the nation's banking crisis in a way that was understandable and accessible to the masses." |
Public Response
"I never saw him - but I knew him. Can you have forgotten how, with his voice, he came into our house, the President of these United States, calling us friends . . ."
-Carl Carmer, American author, April 14, 1945
"When your radio talk began everyone seemed to become hypnotized, because there wasn't a word spoken by anyone until you had finished and as if one voice were speaking all spoke in union 'We are saved.' . . . This convinces me more than ever that you have the confidence of the people, that you are the man of the hour, and that with the united support of all its people, you are going to rehabilitate this great nation." |
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Legacy
"FDR forged a powerful bond with the public. They trusted him when he said the reopened banks were safe. And they liked the direct, familiar way he spoke to them. Thousands responded by writing to him. Mail flooded the White House. Before 1933, relatively few people wrote to the President. Herbert Hoover’s mail averaged 5,000 letters a week. Under FDR that exploded to 50,000. Roosevelt revolutionized the public’s relationship with the presidency. Americans now felt comfortable communicating directly with their President." Also see Inspired Leaders.
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