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Alumni Expert Adds Insight on FDR
Recently, history students in Parker’s 8th and 11th grades participated in a special Zoom-based class session on the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt with American political journalist, best-selling author, documentary filmmaker, former Newsweek magazine senior editor and Parker alumnus Jonathan Alter ’75.
In this gathering, Alter tapped into his past and future projects to share a rich overview of what he viewed to be the milestone accomplishments associated with Roosevelt’s leadership of the federal government following the Great Depression and implementation of his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S. history.
Students and faculty who shared this experience had the opportunity to pose follow-up questions to Alter following his remarks, including:
- How much was Roosevelt willing to work with experts like ecologists in setting up the CCC?
- To what extent did the New Deal influence Keynes? Has the legacy of the New Deal improved the public perception of Keynesianism?
- To what extent do we credit FDR for getting us out of the Great Depression? Or was WWII the real cause?
- How did FDR’s fireside chats influence the public’s opinion of him?
- Sen. Moynihan said that America “used to be a society that rewarded people who did things, now we reward people who stop things.” What has changed since the FDR-Truman years that has made “doing things” (e.g., mass mobilization) more difficult?
Alter deftly answered each query in turn, noting their complexity and timeliness.
All are welcome to enjoy this experience virtually by clicking the video below.
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.