April 12-a sad day in American History

Two very significant events happened on April 12.

April 12, 1861-the first shots of the American Civil War fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina.  The war lasted from April 12, 1861-April 9, 1865.  President Abraham Lincoln was shot five days after the war ended in Ford Theatre and died the next day  What led to the Civil War was the argument of slavery.  Lincoln campaigned in the 1860 Presidential Election against expanding slavery beyond the states that already existed.  Lincoln won the election against Stephen A. Douglas who felt should be left up to the states.

After Lincoln was elected in November, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee seceded from the Union forming the Confederate States of America. These states loved slavery and hated anyone who was not like them.

By April the war was started.  For a few years the South was winning the war, but the Battle of Gettsyburg in 1863 which was won by the Union changed the tide of the War.  Following the battle Lincoln made his famous Gettysburg Address.  The North started pushing back and the following year led by William Tecumseh Sherman burned Atlanta and marched to the Sea  Also in 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all the slaves. 

In 1864 Lincoln was re-elected president defeating one of his Generals George B McClellan.   On April 9, 1865 Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse ending the war.

Fast forward to 80 years later.  April 12, 1945 while at his summer home in Warm Springs GA, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt succumbed to a cerebral hemhorrage.  He was only 63.

Roosevelt was one of the greatest presidents in US history along with Lincoln.  He was also elected to four terms, more than any other president.  He was born in Hyde Park NY on Jan 30, 1882.  He was born into wealth and privilege, graduated from the Groton School and Harvard University.  He married his 5th cousin Eleanor Roosevelt who was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt was elected to the NY State Senate in 1910 and re-elected in 1912.  In 1913 he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy.  He held this position until 1920 when he resigned to run for Vice President of the United States  He was defeated.

In 1921 while vacationing with his family at Campobello Island in Canada, he was stricken with polio and spent several years recovering in Warm Springs and Hyde Park.  He never fully recovered and had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.  In public he would use crutches and a cane.

In 1928 and 1930 Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York.  By 1932 he was considered a contender for the Democrat nominee for President.   He won in a landslide over one of the worst presidents in history Herbert Hoover who would not do anything to stop the bleeding of the Great Depression.

Roosevelt's New Deal helped bring the Depression down some and gave people hope.  Labor legislation such as overtime pay and better working conditions improved lives.  Social Security helped old people retire and enjoy their twilight years.  The FDIC made bank deposits secure.  The SEC cracked down on unethical stock market manipulation which led to the Great Depression.

Roosevelt was elected three more times-1936, 1940, and 1944.  On December 7, 1941 Japan forces bombed Pearl Harbor, dragging the US into World War II.  Roosevelt showed his competence during the war, picking the right commanders, boosting morale at home and on the front lines, and working with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin.  Unfortunately he did not see the end of World War II as he passed away on April 12, 1945.  V-E Day was May 1 and V-J Day was Sept 2, 1945.

It is ironic that April 12 is linked to the two greatest presidents in US History, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. They both handled three of the greatest crises this country has had to endure (Civil War, Great Depression, World War II) very well and as a result the United State of America is a much better country.

Happy President's Day!!

Best President of all time-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

 Worst President of all time-George W. Bush

Who will never be president-Sarah Palin

Who should have been president-Al Gore and John Kerry

No Sarah, your family has not been picked on the most!

Earth to Sarah Palin!

You think your family has been scrutinized the most, think again!

The children of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were esciverated (sp) by the Republican press back in the 1930's and 40's.

During FDR's presidency his daughter Anna and sons James and Elliott all got divorced, Elliott twice. During this time divorce was rare and was considered scandalous. In total the five Roosevelt kids had 19 marriages.

FDR's other sons Franklin Jr. and John did not get divorced during his presidency (they got their turn after their father died) but they were involved in a few incidents that generated a lot of publicity. Franklin Jr. got into a fight with photographer at a wrestling match he attended with his girlfriend (later his wife). John was accused of public drunkensess and dumping a bottle of champagne on the mayor of Cannes, France while attending a festival there. Also John chased down another photographer who was trying to take a picture of Franklin Jr going through a fraternity hazing, he was wearing a dress at the time so a pic of him would be embarrassing. Franklin Jr. also racked up a number of speeding tickets and was sued by a woman he had an accident with.

James was appointed by his father to be his personal secretary, and people screamed nepotism. James was accused of using his position at the White House for personal profit, it got to the point that he had to produce his income tax returns to prove the press wrong. Elliott was also accused of using his family name for personal profit too.

The worst scrutiny for the boys came during the war. All four of them enlisted, didn't even wait for the draft, all served bravely, were decorated on merit, Franklin Jr. won the Purple Heart for the battle of Casablanca, James the Silver Star and Navy Cross, John the Silver Star, and Elliott the Distinguished Frying Cross, and he flew over 300 combat missions during World War 2 and witnessed the death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Yet the press and public accused the President of trying to see them safely during the war and awarding them rankings they did not deserve, when in fact he actually had citations held back for fear of the press.

Never mind the fact that the Roosevelt family (Theodore's family too) did more patriotic things for this country you claim to love, all the press wanted to do was dwell on the negatives, like Elliott's quick ascent to Captain, which became an issue in the 1940 election. Papa I want to be a Captain too, and I didn't raise my boy to be a Private were posted on Wendell Wilkie buttons. Or the "Blaze incident" where a private dumped two enlisted airman to make room for Elliott's Mastiff Blaze on a plane without Elliott's knowledge or consent. Or the fact that James's train was running late to Chicago and he had the conductor there hold his connecting train for him as the inconvienience of the other passengers. That incident was unexcusable.

FDR's wife Eleanor was villified by the likes of journalist Westbrook Pegler for getting involved in her husbands administration, just like Todd was accused of. All she did was go out to the tenement houses and coal mines to talk to people. She also visited the wounded troops and stood for anti-lynching laws. She wrote a newspaper column which she was accused of profting from, where in fact she donated her salary to charity. Eleanor was the Hillary Clinton of her time.

So Sarah the next time you want to bitch about Bristol being written up in the Enquirer, think of FDR's kids and your kids publicity pales in comparison to theirs. In other words SHUT THE FUCK UP!