Lesson 1: FDR's Fireside Chats: The Power of Words (2024)

Background

The literature on FDR's Fireside Chats is extensive, both in print and on-line. Teachers will want to read some of the material to get a sense of what historians think about FDR's use of the medium, as well as the content of the actual speeches.

Roosevelt made a total of thirty-one Fireside Chats, from the initial days of his first administration to the dark days of World War II. He used these opportunities to explain his hopes and ideas for the country, while inviting the citizenry to "tell me your troubles." The combination of the novelty and intimacy of radio with the believability of his message created a powerful force that enabled him to pass a sweeping set of legislation in the first 100 days of his presidency and then go on to many other accomplishments in the following twelve years.

The first broadcast set the pattern for the content and tone of the rest: FDR patiently and calmly explained the complexities of the nation's banking crisis in a way that was understandable and accessible to the masses.

The care and attention that he put into his addresses is apparent and something that teachers may want to emphasize with students. He used words, phrases, analogies, and terms that people could grasp easily; eighty percent of his words were among the one thousand most commonly used words in the English vocabulary, and they were being delivered to a nation where nearly ninety percent of the populace had a radio. It is no wonder that his words were eagerly awaited and devoured by a devastated and depressed nation.

To get a general sense of the power of FDR's speeches and their words, see: Between The Wars: Franklin Roosevelt as a Communicator on the EDSITEment-reviewed Center for History and New Media website.

At the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, you can find links for ALL the Fireside Chats linked from the EDSITEment-reviewed American Presidents website.

The public's response to FDR's voice and speeches can be gauged in part through the letters Americans wrote him. Some of these letters, responding to his first and second Fireside Chats, are available online from the EDSITEment-reviewed History Matters site. Teachers may also want to read the introductory sections on the first and second Fireside Chats from Lawrence and Cornelia Levine's book The People and the President: America's Conversations with FDR (Beacon Press, 2002). Each chapter contains an interesting overview of a Fireside Chat, with good insights about the structure of the speeches, FDR's thinking at the time, and the effectiveness of the message, followed by letters to FDR from citizens responding to his speeches.

The First Fireside Chat

The American Presidency Project contains text and a short audio clip of the first Fireside Chat (link from History Matters, an EDSITEment-reviewed website).

The Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia site allows students to download the complete audio of the first Fireside Chat (link from American President, an EDSITEment-reviewed website).

The Second Fireside Chat

The FDR library site provides the full text of the second Fireside Chat (link from American President.org).

To understand the power of FDR's radio addresses, read letters responding to the first and second Fireside Chats at EDSITEment-reviewed History Matters.
Editorial cartoons responding to FDR and his programs are available on The Real Deal: The Battle to Define FDR's Social Programs (link from American Studies at the University of Virginia, an EDSITEment-reviewed website).

Lesson Activities

Activity 1. Listening to the Fireside Chats

Students listen to the First Fireside Chat. They can access the text and a link to an audio clip of the First Fireside Chat (link from History Matters, an EDSITEment-reviewed website) or by way of the Study Activity.

After listening to a portion of the speech, they will work together to determine the main points that FDR is making. They should focus on:

The key elements of the bank holiday he has announced.
Specific examples of how he explains the banking system.
Examples of simple, yet powerful imagery and language that he employs.
The overall effectiveness of the speech.
Why they believe this speech would have been so effective in 1933.

Students then will read the Second Fireside Chat to get a sense of how different it is to read the speech, rather than to listen to FDR's words. First, they should work collaboratively to understand the major issues that FDR is addressing in this speech. They can make a chart of the principle contents—what are the different programs that he is proposing? Then, they should comment on those parts of the speech that they believe would have been more effective in a radio broadcast -- to a 1933 audience. (They will be asked to base their analyses on their own experience with Fireside Chat 1.)

Students will then debate which format they think would have been more effective in 1933—and why. In addition, they can make connections to their own experiences listening to political speeches in their lifetime.

Activity 2. Letters from Listeners

Students will revisit the themes and impact of Fireside Chats One and Two, examining letters that people wrote to FDR after they heard these addresses.

They will annotate the portions of the letters that show the power of FDR's use of the radio by way of worksheets. In addition, they could be required to go back to the text and include one example of an issue or topic that the letter writer is highlighting - adding that to their annotation.

Five letters responding to the first Fireside Chat are at: "You have a marvelous radio voice, distinct and clear": The Public Responds to FDR's First Fireside Chat. Five letters responding to the second Fireside Chat are at: "I A Socialist Trust You": Americans Support FDR's Legislative Agenda. Both are available on the text document.

Activity 3. Cartoon Analysis

Students will conduct an analysis of editorial cartoons - mostly positive about the First 100 Days - and connect this legislative success to the power of the Fireside Chats. The cartoons can be accessed at: New Deal Editorial Cartoons They are also available on the worksheet.

Students should examine a series of early 1933 editorial cartoons, first attempting to understand their meaning. Then, they should annotate them by drawing their own original cartoon and/or responding on the cartoons. Students should pay particular attention to what the editorial cartoons are saying about the content and effectiveness of the early New Deal, making connections to the issues highlighted in the Fireside Chats. (One of the cartoons listed below is negative, implying that FDR was going too far in his efforts to revive the nation.)

Cartoons to Analyze:

Assessment

Students write letters to FDR as a 1933 person, responding to his Fireside Chats, making sure to address both the content and style of the speeches.
Students write an essay, in which they explain why FDR was so successful in his Fireside Chats, paying particular attention to the novelty of the medium, the structure of the speeches, and the content.
Students engage in an in-class debate about what was the most important element of the addresses: the newness of the medium; the content of the speeches; or the structure, tone, and language of the Chats.
Students create their own Editorial Cartoons, as 1933 cartoonists, critiquing the Fireside Chats.
Students create the editorial page of newspapers on the day after the first Fireside Chat, commenting on the newness of the medium, the content of the speeches, and/or the structure, tone, and language of the Chat.

Lesson Extensions

Compare and contrast later Fireside Chats to the early ones—is anything changing? Becoming commonplace? Do historians think they became less effective as time went on? Students will need to do some additional research—on their own—to learn more about historians' assessment of FDR's Fireside Chats. Teachers can find the text of all of the Fireside Chats online at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, linked from American President, an EDSITEment-reviewed website.
Have students listen to speeches by other presidents who are trying to convince the nation about a new course of action. Ask them to compare and contrast the effectiveness of FDR's Fireside Chats with the later addresses. Possible choices:
JFK announcing civil rights initiatives. One example would be President Kennedy's Radio and Television Report to the American People on Civil Rights, June 11, 1963 available in audio file and transcript through the Kennedy Library.
LBJ announcing Great Society programs such as Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" speech from May 1964, from EDSITEment-reviewed American President.
George Bush discussing progress of War in Iraq, June 28, 2005, a link on EDSITEment-reviewed American President.