FDR in American Memory: Roosevelt and the Making of an Icon

National Archives Museum
Online

How was FDR's image constructed—by himself and others—as such a powerful icon in American memory? In FDR in American Memory, author Sara Polak analyzes Roosevelt as a cultural icon in American memory, one who carefully and intentionally built his public image. Focusing on FDR's use of media and his negotiation of the world as a disabled person, she shows how he consistently aligned himself with modernity. Drawing on recent and well-known cultural artifacts—including novels, movies, documentaries, popular biographies, museums, and memorials—Polak looks at portrayals of FDR in cultural memory from the vantage point of the early 21st century.