In the days before television, President Franklin Roosevelt was an expert at speaking to the American people on the radio. He put complicated problems into simple terms that everyone could understand. He led America during very difficult times: the Great Depression and World War II. Historian David Halberstam wrote this about Roosevelt: "He was the first great American radio voice. For most Americans of this generation, their first memory of politics would be sitting by a radio and hearing that voice, strong, confident, totally at ease. If he was going to speak, the idea of doing something else was unthinkable. If they did not have a radio, they walked . . . to the home of a more fortunate neighbor who did."

Can you think of a person or event that has drawn you to the radio or television in this way? Did you share this moment with family or friends? How do you find out about news from the White House today?

Ask your grandparents or someone of their age if they remember listening to Roosevelt on the radio. What did President Roosevelt talk about, and where were they when they were listening to the radio? How did they react — and how did their family react — to what he said? Ask your parents about their first memory of seeing or hearing a president speak. When did it happen? Who was the president, and what was he talking about? Why do they remember it so well? Take notes and share your answers with your classmates.

A man and his son listen to a battery-powered radio, 1940s National Archives