Question

Select the true statements regarding Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

He ended the Great Depression.
He used fireside chats to speak to the nation.
Under his leadership, unemployment was reduced.
He sought good relations with Latin America.
The Supreme Court supported his efforts.
He was a younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt.

Answer 1

Here are the statements with true/false and brief explanations:

- He ended the Great Depression. — False. The New Deal alleviated many problems but most historians agree the Depression was not fully ended until the WWII economic mobilization.

- He used fireside chats to speak to the nation. — True. FDR regularly spoke by radio in “fireside chats” beginning in 1933 to explain policies and calm the public.

- Under his leadership, unemployment was reduced. — True (with nuance). Unemployment fell substantially from its 1933 peak during the New Deal years, though it remained high and fluctuated until wartime mobilization brought it much lower.

- He sought good relations with Latin America. — True. His administration promoted the “Good Neighbor” policy (nonintervention and cooperation) to improve ties with Latin American countries.

- The Supreme Court supported his efforts. — False (oversimplified). The Court initially struck down several New Deal measures; FDR even proposed a controversial 1937 court‑packing plan. Later Court decisions and personnel changes allowed more New Deal programs to be upheld.

- He was a younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt. — False. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a distant cousin (and the husband of Theodore Roosevelt’s niece, Eleanor), not Theodore’s brother.