Question

Identify 2 challenges each of these 3 presidents had to face
Abraham Lincoln
Theodore Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Answer 1

Abraham Lincoln
- Preserving the Union in the Civil War (1861–1865): he had to lead the country through a brutal, existential conflict, organize and maintain the Northern war effort, and manage military and political leadership to prevent secession from succeeding.
- Ending slavery and shifting the war’s purpose (Emancipation): Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and pushed toward the 13th Amendment, balancing moral aims with constitutional limits, border-state politics, and Northern public opinion.

Theodore Roosevelt
- Reining in corporate power and advancing progressive reform: he confronted large trusts and unsafe business practices (trust-busting, regulatory laws like the Pure Food and Drug Act) while promoting the “Square Deal” to protect consumers, workers, and small businesses.
- Asserting U.S. power abroad and building strategic infrastructure: he managed interventions in Latin America (Roosevelt Corollary), backed the construction of the Panama Canal, and worked to expand the U.S. role as a global naval and diplomatic power.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Fighting the Great Depression: FDR had to stabilize banks and revive the economy through the New Deal’s emergency relief, recovery, and reform programs (e.g., CCC, TVA, Social Security), while facing political and judicial opposition.
- Leading the U.S. through World War II: he had to prepare and mobilize the nation, shift from isolationism to supporting Allies (Lend-Lease) and, after Pearl Harbor, direct wartime strategy and production until victory.