Masters Thesis

Suspending the two-term tradition

The election of 1940 was unique in the one hundred fifty-two years of the United States history. That year the American people approved their first third-term President. There were many obstacles, some seemingly insurmountable , to be overcome before any candidate could be nominated and elected to a third term. Experience reveals that custom is often a great re-strainer of change. The grandeur of individuals and events can create mental shrines or reservations, perhaps unjustified, that find expression to the establishment of tradition. The respect or awe that accompanied the two-term tradition was not a barrier sufficient in strength to restrain Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The purpose of this paper will be to study and evaluate the conditions that made it possible to overcome the two-taw tradition. First, an overview of the establishment of the tradition will be conducted. Secondly, the domestic and foreign scene from 1936 - 1940 will be reviewed. Finally, a study will be made of the voter reaction in order to reveal why and how the two-tens tradition terminated.

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