Anniversary of FDR's First Fireside Chat

March 12, 2009 marks the 76th anniversary of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first fireside chat. Although we face our own economic crisis today, it's difficult to grasp the enormity of the Great Depression for those who weren't alive to witness it.

Imagine a quarter of our workforce unemployed. Imagine shantytowns across the nation. Imagine youths hitching railroad rides across the country in search of a job.

And on March 6, 1933, imagine the president closing the nation's banks, assuring that they'll reopen on March 8. March 8 passes, and the president announces he must extend the bank holiday. If you had not yet pulled your savings from your bank (and put it under the mattress for safekeeping), you have no idea if you'll ever see your money again.

It was under these circumstances that FDR made his first fireside chat. On March 12, 1933, FDR took to the radio waves to calm a panicked nation. He used plain language. "I want to tell you what has been done in the last few days, and why it was done, and what the next steps are going to be," he said. He then explained how rushes on banks crippled the economy, and why banks needed the money in its system to stay afloat.

His fireside chat was a success. When the banks reopened, they stopped their freefall. Historian H.W. Brands notes that by the end of March, Americans deposited about a billion dollars back into the banks.

FDR would make a total of 30 fireside chats during his presidency. Viewed as paternal and comforting in the uncertain times of the Great Depression, FDR's chats outranked the most popular radio programs.

The fireside chats changed how presidents communicated with the American public. Ever since FDR, presidents make weekly radio addresses to keep Americans abreast of the latest issues. None of them, however, stands out quite as much as FDR's iconic chats.

As we struggle with the economic crisis, can President Barack Obama deliver comfort to the American people via personable talks? Obama has expressed interest in revolutionizing how the president communicates with the country. He broadcasts his weekly addresses on Youtube where users can leave comments and keeps a blog.

But FDR's success may not be replicable no matter who tries or what method they use. FDR's fireside chats were truly events-there were relatively few of them considering his time in office, the "Golden Age" of the radio was in full swing, and many Americans had only hope left.

FDR did what he could to provide people with hope. His programs would alleviate the worst of the depression. But as historian Brands points out, the Great Depression was too big for any one person to defeat; it would take a world war. In the meantime, FDR's chats ultimately served as a way to keep despair at bay and keep optimism alive.

Sources:

Brands, H. W. Traitor to his Class. New York: Doubleday, 2008.

Bunite, Russell D., and David W. Levy, eds. FDR's Fireside Chats. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992. Accessed through: http://www.enotes.com/history-fact-finder/government-politics/what-were-fireside-chats

"The Great Depression." Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/depres24.html#