The American Dream Reconsidered Conference: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s American Dream

Celebrating its 80th anniversary, Roosevelt University will focus this year’s conference on the University’s namesakes—Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. The Roosevelts had an enormous influence during a tumultuous time as President Roosevelt navigated the country through the Great Depression and WWII and as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt fought for social justice. Both created lasting legacies that continue to shape America today. The year 1945, marking the end of World War II and the founding of Roosevelt University, served as an inflection point. The University’s founding represented an idealism and determination to test boundaries in pursuit of the president’s Four Freedoms. The end of the war ushered in a period of terrific prosperity and optimism that led to an ascendant liberal order. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s New Deal and wartime programs, aimed at providing all Americans a measure of economic security, continued to expand in the ensuing decades, and the Civil Rights Movement led to profound gains in racial equality.

Now, in 2025, we are at another inflection point. Increasingly, these achievements have become sources of political conflict, and key elements of those legacies are being undermined. Everything from America’s place in the larger world order to federal support for racial and gender justice—once considered settled elements of the modern American state—is under attack. This conference will offer an opportunity to consider what was achieved during the Roosevelt era—and what may be lost. We hope these panels will help recapture the spirit of the Roosevelts and their optimism about what America could become and help push today’s students to consider how we can continue to move the nation in a more democratic and socially just direction.