The person who would definitely qualify to win the person of the modern era award would have to demonstrate several characteristics. Such as innovation, education, and strong leadership skills. That person is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. President Roosevelt is a man of brilliance that has been able to get America out of both the Great Depression and economic despair back in the early twenties and also pull us out of World War II in the forties. If not, our country could have possibly still been in a depression state. Additionally, if the United States wouldn’t have pulled out of the war the rest of Europe could have been put under Nazi control and maybe even the world.

One of the main reasons I chose President Roosevelt as the person of the modern era is because he showed great innovation skills both in the political field with his presidency and with his everyday life. Franklin’s innovation resulted in a program called the New Deal. This bill was made to help many people that were affected by the Great Depression. The Deal was to help care for the people that could not care for themselves. He called for unemployment relief, farm relief, old-age pensions, improvement for workers, tax increases, and other reforms. Under his leadership New York became the first state to provide major assistance to those affected by the economic collapse. (Franklin Delano Roosevelt 3) Not only was Franklin able to innovate ways to help our country in economic despair but also innovative enough to personally design his own pair of hip and leg braces to fit his own comfort ability standards after contracting polio in 1921 and becoming paralyzed from the waist down. (“FDR’s splendid Deception” 45) He even built a custom ramp in front of the White House to feel more welcoming to both his family and coworkers since the fact that he couldn’t walk on his own. He said that it brought up his self-esteem and confidence knowing that people didn’t judge him on his disability. (“FDR’s Splendid Deception” 28) Having a great attitude towards his disability and ingenious ideas on his inventions and plans to help our country is just one reason why Franklin D. Roosevelt is a more than acceptable candidate for this award.

Furthermore, Franklin had quite the education. As a child he was brought up in a catholic private school. After turning fourteen Franklin attended Groton High School. Once he became a junior he was able to graduate because the school acknowledged his spectacular school performance. Shortly after, Roosevelt enrolled in law school at Columbia University, studied for just over two years, then passed the New York bar, and joined a respective law firm. Approximately five years later Roosevelt got accepted to Harvard where he majored in history and political science. Failing to make the football team, he became a cheerleader instead and worked on the school newspaper, The Crimson. Where he met his wife to be Eleanor. (Franklin Delano Roosevelt 2) Later after marrying Eleanor he learned the arts of political strategy and persuasion so he could win the nomination of Woodrow Wilson at the 1912 National Democratic Convention. And as a reward Franklin was named assistant secretary of the navy. (Franklin D. Roosevelt 6) Our president was not only a genius at the study of political science but he used this knowledge to come up with the New Deal and also good reasons and timing to pull out of the war. Carefully may I add. This is just one more reason out of plenty why FDR should be the person of the modern era.

Equally important is Franklins strong leadership skills. Franklin was a great leader in many ways. For one is that he was able to skillfully mobilize the American economy for wartime production; he conducted brilliant person-to-person strategic negotiations with allied leaders and pursued his dream of the United Nations. He was also able to make peace with both Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. And even ended up using their help against an attack on Japan. (“Roosevelt The Soldier of Freedom” 238) Which all helped in the long run to get out of both World War II and the Cauldron War. He was also successful in creating the United Services Organization (USO), which is a group of other organizations such as Travelers Aid, Salvation Army, and National Catholic Community Service that supported people during the Great Depression. He led the economy from the biggest fall in economic history to a raging high in less than ten years. (Franklin D. Roosevelt 9) He shows such great leadership skills especially in the depression that President Barack Obamas new stimulus plan is almost exactly like Franklins New Deal. Unfortunately we don’t have FDR as our current president to bounce America’s economy back into shape yet again.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt has portrayed nothing but excellence in the years that he was in office. He showed amazing innovative ideas, a high level of education; and maybe not many but key leadership roles that were life saving. I strongly believe that the person of the modern era award should go to Franklin D. Roosevelt because he wasn’t some singer or some kind of actor like Charlie Chaplin, he was a president that helped this country become what it is today one step at a time.