Hi, I'm Jeff Sickinga, executive director of the Ashbrook Center, and this is the American

idea, where we discuss the ideas, people, and events that have made America what it is today.

We believe that by understanding our history and our principles, we can better

live up to the promise of the American founding and preserve our ongoing experiment in self-government.

Welcome to the American Idea.

I want to welcome everyone to this episode of the American Idea.

Today we're going to be talking about one of the most important American presidents, and

one who is widely regarded as one of the greatest American presidents.

But I think our guest today gives a contrarian view, if I could say that.

And it asks us to think a little bit differently about Franklin Delano Roosevelt,

his actions, and his legacy.

We'll be talking about that issue today with David Beto.

He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at the University of Alabama,

also a research fellow with the Independence Institute. He's been a chair of the Alabama State Advisory Council of the U.S.

Commission on Civil Rights and a widely published author in American history. Lots of great books. A couple of them

deserve notice. One, his wonderful book on TRM Howard, Dr. Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer, and, of

course, the book that's largely the subject of our conversation today. His newest, The New Deal's

War on the Bill of Rights, the untold story of

FDR's concentration camps, censorship, and mass surveillance. David Bado, thanks for being with us

on the American idea. Well, thanks for this opportunity. I'm looking forward to it.

Well, anytime anybody is critical of FDR, it raises big questions because he's so widely regarded in the American, by most American historians, by presidential scholars.

We don't hear often about the dark side of FDR.

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