FDR's Pen: The New Deal and The Working Man

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidency was a strong rebound from the preceding administration and the Great Depression. President Roosevelt's agenda was The New Deal policies that he signed into existence throughout his term. FDR sported the Waterman fountain pen, a regal, classy, yet simple writing utensil that symbolizes his pro-worker agenda.

The pen itself was made of bakelite, brass, and various other metals, the pen was austere, much like FDR's hopes for a prosperous and wealthy America. The set of pens were gifted to FDR from a friend and political advisor, Daniel Basil O'Connor. (1892-1972)

President Roosevelt accomplished much during his term, and he became a model leader for many who followed. His "alphabet agencies" helped reconstruct and protect America during a time when the nation was unstable, and his fighting strength during the Second World War defeated Nazism in Europe and Fascist Imperialism in the Pacific. FDR stood for the workers of America, and his legacy lives on through the bills he signed.

Like all Presidents, FDR is not without fault. His policy of the institution of Japanese interment camps left a scar on his administrative history. It was a sheer display of racism and xenophobia that was characteristic of white supremacy in America at the time.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt triumphed for the workers and fought hard to keep it that way, despite his flaws.

Works Cited/Sources

Bourque, Joseph. The Waterman Pen. American Heritage 43, no. 4 (1992): https://www.americanheritage.com/waterman-pen

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Desk Fountain Pens. National Archives , Accessed May 1, 2025. https://fdr.artifacts.archives.gov/objects/3408/desk-fountain-pens;ctx=6a12f23eba17a056981acbb69b300d098018537d&idx=11

Jeffries, John W. The ‘New’ New Deal: FDR and American Liberalism, 1937-1945. Political Science Quarterly 105, no. 3 (1990): 397–418. https://doi.org/10.2307/2150824

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