A GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP - SECOND TERM

Fireside Chats

No country, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources. Demoralization, caused by vast unemployment, is our greatest extravagance. Morally, it is the greatest menace to our social order.

- FDR in his second fireside chat, 1933

George Segal's sculpture of a man listening intently to FDR's fireside chats on the radio shows FDR's importance to the average person during the Great Depression. Many people were still working hard to make a living in FDR's second term - in FDR's second inaugural address he stated, "I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished…" - yet Americans knew that FDR was also working hard to help restore the country to a more stable economy.

The fireside chats, although relatively few in number (between 27-31, depending on the source), are remembered fondly by many in FDR's generation. Like the term "New Deal," the term "fireside chat" was coined by a member of the press and then used widely by press and public. The term fit the friendly manner and unique charm FDR broadcast over the radio.

Imagine listening to FDR on the radio. He explains policy in simple terms, yet he does not talk down to you. Instead, you feel as if he is including you in the process, and he is depending on you to help your country. You feel as if the President of the United States is sitting in your living room, talking to you personally, friend to friend.