American History Hit — “What Did FDR Get Wrong?”

Host: Don Wildman
Guest: David Beito, Professor Emeritus, University of Alabama
Air Date: March 5, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Don Wildman talks with historian David Beito about the lesser-discussed failures and controversial decisions of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). Often celebrated as a giant of American leadership who steered the country out of the Great Depression and through World War II, FDR is also the subject of deeper scrutiny—his policies, civil rights record, and the far-reaching consequences of his presidency are examined here with a critical lens.

FDR’s Reputation: Monument vs. Reality

[01:34–05:30]

• FDR’s Grand Memorial: Wildman describes the FDR Memorial in D.C. as a symbol of unqualified celebration, reflecting the tendency to mythologize presidents and smooth over their failings.
• Historical Ranking: FDR is almost always listed among the top U.S. presidents, but Beito questions why, given ongoing issues like high unemployment, the lack of a federal anti-lynching bill, and a tepid response to crises in Europe by 1940.
• Quote:
  • “If we look at his record again, we did not get out of the Great Depression. We still have double-digit unemployment on the eve of World War II. Why is he ranked so highly? It has a lot to do with the ideology of most historians... they’re inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.” — David Beito [05:30]

The New Deal: Myth vs. Effectiveness

[10:45–14:01]

• Overstated Recovery: Beito argues that FDR and Hoover’s policies worsened or prolonged the Great Depression. The 1930s saw massive unemployment which wasn’t significantly alleviated until WWII.
• Resurgent Downturns: Unemployment remained high; a “Depression Number Two” hit in 1937, and even by 1939, nearly one-fifth of the workforce was jobless.
• Quote:
  • "By 1939, six years after the commencement of the New Deal, 17.2% of the labor force remained officially unemployed. The Dow Jones average doesn't pass its 1929 peak until 1952." — Don Wildman [12:38]

Federal Power and Executive Overreach

[14:05–16:44]

• Expanding the Presidency: FDR used more executive orders than any prior president, most notoriously for Japanese internment, but also for actions like the bank holiday and removing the U.S. from the gold standard.
• Comparative Failures: Beito compares U.S. banking crises with Canada’s stable system, suggesting American policy errors deepened the Depression.

Criticisms of Specific Policies

[19:06–24:00]

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

• Destroying Surplus During Scarcity: Farmers were paid to destroy crops and livestock to raise prices, even while Americans starved.
• Black Sharecroppers Suffered: Southern planters expelled tenant farmers—mostly African American and poor whites—who lost both income and land.

National Recovery Administration (NRA)

• Intrusive Regulations: The NRA imposed price/wage controls, sometimes absurdly (e.g., limiting number of strip shows per night).
• Small Businesses Penalized: Example: a tailor jailed for charging less than the mandated price to press a suit.
  • "He went to jail for charging 35 cents for pressing a suit when the official price was 40." — David Beito [23:40]

The 1937 “Court Packing” Crisis

[26:11–32:35]

• Supreme Court Strikes Down New Deal Laws: The AAA and NRA declared unconstitutional as excessive delegations of power to the executive.
• FDR’s Plan: Proposed adding new justices for every sitting justice over 70, ostensibly to relieve their workload—but transparently to secure favorable rulings.
  • "No one took the argument seriously … Even a lot of FDR supporters said, ‘Why not be honest about it?'" — David Beito [26:39]
• Bipartisan Pushback: The plan was resoundingly defeated by Congress—including key New Deal Democrats—defending judicial independence.
• Resonance Today: Wildman draws parallels with modern court expansion debates.

Four Terms and Political Maneuvering

[34:21–39:00]

• Breaking Precedent: FDR runs for an unprecedented third and fourth term, using political theater to claim he was a reluctant candidate.
• Quote:
  • "FDR is saying, ‘I don’t want to run,’ but he wouldn’t make the announcement…It was all orchestrated. Shamelessly orchestrated." — David Beito [34:46]
• Health Concealed: FDR’s serious illness was hidden from the public; Beito calls him a “walking dead man” in 1944, a fact unlikely to go unnoticed in the TV/media age.

Civil Rights: A Damaging Record

[39:00–45:51]

Japanese American Internment

• Executive Order 9066: Authorized the forced relocation and incarceration of Japanese Americans, including citizens, in 1942—largely driven by the administration, not popular demand.
  • "FDR refuses to give a reassuring speech … He just sort of lets everything drift and people start coming forward calling for internment." — David Beito [39:52]
  • “Attorney General Francis Biddle … was opposed to and would have nothing to do with the evacuation. I do not think [FDR] was much concerned with the gravity or implications of this step, nor do I think that the constitutional difficulty plagued him.” — Francis Biddle, quoted by Wildman [43:26]
• Internal Opposition: Many officials—including Biddle, J. Edgar Hoover, Harold Ickes, and Harry Truman—objected but were ignored.

The Anti-Lynching Bill and Supreme Court Appointment

• No Action on Anti-Lynching: FDR consistently refused to support federal anti-lynching legislation, prioritizing his southern political support.
• Hugo Black Appointment: FDR’s appointment of Black to the Supreme Court is tainted by Black’s former membership in the KKK.
• Quote:
  • “There’s a coldness there that is just unmistakable, and a cynicism.” — David Beito [47:49]

World War II and the Holocaust

[49:06–52:13]

• Failure to Aid Jewish Refugees: Beito charges FDR with inaction—most infamously, turning away the SS St. Louis and refusing to negotiate with governments offering to release Jews for ransom or as part of surrender.
  • “FDR did really very little to help Jewish refugees.” — David Beito [49:06]
• Unconditional Surrender Policy: FDR’s insistence on unconditional surrender from Axis powers prolonged the Italian campaign and discouraged anti-Nazi resistance inside Germany.

Concluding Reflections

[47:51–52:13]

• Enduring Legacy — But Not a Uniquely Great President:
  • Wildman suggests it’s healthy for Americans to revisit presidential legacies critically, rather than through nationalist triumphalism.
• Beito’s Final Assessment:
  • “I put him in the failed category...The Great Depression, civil rights, Japanese American internment, response to the Holocaust—these are failures that can’t be papered over by his successes.”

Key Timestamps

• FDR’s Glorification and Reputation: [01:34–05:30]
• New Deal Critique: [10:45–14:01]
• Executive Overreach and Policy Failures: [14:05–19:06]
• AAA/NRA Controversies: [19:06–24:00]
• Court-Packing Crisis: [26:11–32:35]
• Four-Term Presidency: [34:21–39:00]
• Civil Rights and Internment: [39:00–45:51]
• World War II / Jewish Refugees: [49:06–52:13]

Memorable Quotes

• “We polish our presidents into monuments…we smooth away the rough edges, the miscalculations, the moral compromises.” — Don Wildman [01:34]
• "I call him Thurston Howell III with a heart." — David Beito [08:00]
• "He doesn't care about you, he doesn't care about me, but he brought the country into the 20th century." — Francis Biddle, quoted by Beito [09:08]
• “The Department of Justice…was opposed to and would have nothing to do with the evacuation. I do not think he was much concerned with the gravity or implications of this step, nor do I think that the constitutional difficulty plagued him.” — Francis Biddle, quoted [43:26]
• "There’s a coldness there that is just unmistakable, and a cynicism.” — David Beito [47:49]
• “I put him in the failed category.” — David Beito [49:06]

Summary

This probing episode dispels the purely heroic narrative of FDR, as Don Wildman and David Beito examine the often-overlooked shortcomings of one of America’s most celebrated presidents. Listeners are left with a nuanced appreciation — and a call to question — the legacies of the nation’s most mythologized figures.