The country needs, and unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent,

experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly,

and try another. But above all, try something. The millions who are in want

will not stand by silently forever, while the things to satisfy their needs are within easy reach.

We need enthusiasm, imagination, and the ability to face facts, even unpleasant ones, bravely. We need to correct,

by drastic means, if necessary, the faults in our economic system from which we now suffer.

We need the courage of the young. Yours is not the task of making your way in the world, but the task of remaking the world,

which you will find before you. May every one of us be granted the courage, the faith, and the

vision to give the best that is in us to that remaking.

New York Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in his commencement address delivered to the graduates

of Oglethorpe College, May 22, 1932.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

...the 20th century.

... Episode 279.

Persistent Experimentation.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30th, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York, a town in the Hudson Valley.

His father's family, the Roosevelt's, and his mother's family, the Delanoes, were both old and wealthy New York families.

His parents were distant cousins. His father was active in Democratic Party politics,

and once took young Franklin along on a visit to the White House to meet President Grover Cleveland.

The president reportedly told the boy,

My little man, I am making a strange wish for you. It is that you may never be president of the United States. Franklin grew up on the family estate in Hyde Park. His upbringing was typical of an American

of wealth and privilege at the time. He learned to ride a horse, play golf and polo, and sail a boat.

...