Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Franklin D. Roosevelt and the First Amendment
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, commonly known as FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States. He is best known for his role in leading the country out of the Great Depression and during World War II. In addition to his leadership in this critical time, President Roosevelt also championed fundamental rights for the people of the United States through his business and political endeavors. Specifically, he showed strong backing for the First Amendment’s freedom of speech, assembly, and religion when some employers attempted to limit and control those rights. This essay will focus on Roosevelt’s advocacy and promotion of the First Amendment, particularly when those rights were at risk of infringement.
During FDR’s presidency, a large portion of the country’s citizens were struggling to make ends meet, particularly through employment. Seeking to reduce high unemployment and stimulate the American economy, the President led Congress in rolling out the New Deal, a series of government relief measures, public investments, and business regulations. This effort successfully jump-started industries and put thousands of Americans back to work.
Unfortunately, some large employers, such as steel and steel-related companies, sought to interfere with the rights of their workers in the name of eliminating labor-union movements and ensuring higher profits. Specifically, the employers sought to prevent Americans from forming or joining labor unions, and soon developed what became known as “company unions,” where employees could only join companies’ unions and thus were in no way able to lower wages, improve working conditions, and otherwise influence their own employment situation. FDR was outraged with this taking of the right to intellectual, economic, and political freedom embodied in the First Amendment and strongly condemned this practice, writing the following in the July 14th, 1933 issue of the New York Times:
It is of the greatest importance that the people of the United States, regardless of their political beliefs, shall realize fully the principles and powers of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States—freedom of speech and of the press, protection of peaceful assembly and of religious worship, and the assurance to every person of equal and impartial justice under the laws.
Under the leadership of FDR, Congress immediately took action. Initially, the National Labor Relations Act was passed, which explicitly outlawed company unions and ensured that workers had the legal right to join or form labor organizations. Later, various labor bills were passed in an effort to further protect the rights of American workers, many of which owed something to Roosevelt’s advocacy for the First Amendment.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt showed strong and unwavering support for the First Amendment. When some employers attempted to limit the right of assembly and/or expression of their workers, he addressed the issue head-on, condemning the practice and promising to take legislative action. As a result of his commitment to protecting the citizens of the United States and their fundamental rights, Congress passed laws to guarantee the rights of speech, press, and assembly, and to ensure that workers would be protected under the law. As a champion of the First Amendment, FDR is a timeless hero whose accomplishments and advocacy remain relevant to this day.
