ABSTRACT
Despite a privileged and sheltered background, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt became, both independently and because of her husband, one of the twentieth century's greatest social activists and an important symbol of post-1945 international cooperation. In a time of economic and social strife, Eleanor Roosevelt made sure that disenfran-chised Americans and unpopular causes were heard in government, and that Americans without hope had a place to turn for help. Roosevelt worked tirelessly to promote social justice as a way for people to overcome obstacles that held them back. Perhaps because of her own life long desire for acceptance—she always found herself unattractive and rigid—Roosevelt avoided the cold paternalism that typified the charity of her social class. Besides blazing an activist path that was an important model for women after World War II, she also provided subsequent first ladies with a model for social activism and advocacy.
