Extra Entry: Children's Letters to the First Lady

During the depression, many children were affected when their families lost everything. Children became homeless and others went without food or clothes. In their desperation, children wrote letters to the first lady. In these letters they would describe what they were going through. Many children considered the first lady their confidant. I think it is interesting that so many people felt like they could instantly trust her with their secrets and stories. In addition to many children being homeless, many schools were shut down due to the lack of funding. Although Eleanor Roosevelt didn't always respond, she did acknowledge what children were going to as a result of the poor economy. It interests me that people felt so sure that Eleanor Roosevelt was reading all their letters. I think it shows a lot about the image she put out and that she was in a position that she could do things to help children impacted by the depression. In response, Eleanor Roosevelt created the National Youth Administration to help children stay in school. I think she strongly valued education. Education could help people better their lives because it created more opportunities. Eleanor Roosevelt also supported and helped with other programs offered by the New Deal. Programs that helped underprivileged children were necessary because they were the future of the nation. If children were brought up without the necessities in life, they would not be able to contribute to the country later on in their lives.