Exploring American Histories: Printed Page 700

Document 22.2

Minnie Hardin | Letter to Eleanor Roosevelt, 1937

During the 1930s, Americans wrote to President Roosevelt and the First Lady in unprecedented numbers, revealing their personal desperation and their belief that the Roosevelts would respond to their individual pleas. Though most requested government assistance, not all letter writers favored the New Deal. In the following letter written to Eleanor Roosevelt in 1937, Minnie Hardin of Columbus, Indiana, expresses her frustration with direct relief programs.

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Source: Minnie Hardin, letter to Eleanor Roosevelt, December 14, 1937, Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Series 190, Miscellaneous, 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.

  • Question

    How might Hardin explain the existence of poverty in America?

  • Question

    How does Hardin’s “square deal” differ from Roosevelt’s New Deal?

  • Question

    What impact did New Deal policies have on Hardin’s life?

Put It in Context

Question

How did Hardin’s beliefs about the causes of poverty shape her view of the New Deal?