fireside chat A fireside chat is a Presidential address to the nation characterized by a warm, intimate, and informal tone. It is designed to build confidence in the President's policies. The tradition of the fireside chat was begun by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 12 , 1933, speaking to the nation by radio shortly after his inauguration, in the midst of the Great Depression.
He discussed the banking crisis, the bank holiday he had declared on March 6 and its results, and his plan to reopen banks the next day. Entitled “An Intimate Talk with the People of the United States on Banking,” it was delivered in plain English to ordinary people. As the humorist Will Rogers put it, Roosevelt took up the subject of banking and “made everyone understand it, even the bankers.” The talk was successful in preventing a run on deposits and restored stability to the banking system.
The term fireside chat was first used by a CBS radio executive to promote an audience for Roosevelt's second address. Roosevelt gave 30 such addresses throughout his Presidency. Many of the chats described the bills that Roosevelt had gotten Congress to pass to deal with the depression. Other chats offered lessons in democracy.
President Jimmy Carter gave a televised fireside chat in 1977, complete with roaring fire in the Oval Office, and wore a cardigan sweater instead of the customary suit. That gesture earned him the nickname Jimmy Cardigan.
See also Carter, Jimmy; Public opinion; Roosevelt, Franklin D.
Sources
Russell D. Biuhite and David W. Levy, eds., The Fireside Chats of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991).
How to cite this entry:
"fireside chat" The Oxford Guide to the United States Government. John J. Patrick, Richard M. Pious, and Donald A. Ritchie. Oxford University Press, 2001. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 25 October 2011
The term fireside chat was first used by a CBS radio executive to promote an audience for Roosevelt's second address. Roosevelt gave 30 such addresses throughout his Presidency. Many of the chats described the bills that Roosevelt had gotten Congress to pass to deal with the depression. Other chats offered lessons in democracy.
President Jimmy Carter gave a televised fireside chat in 1977, complete with roaring fire in the Oval Office, and wore a cardigan sweater instead of the customary suit. That gesture earned him the nickname Jimmy Cardigan.
See also Carter, Jimmy; Public opinion; Roosevelt, Franklin D.
Sources
Russell D. Biuhite and David W. Levy, eds., The Fireside Chats of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991).
How to cite this entry:
"fireside chat" The Oxford Guide to the United States Government. John J. Patrick, Richard M. Pious, and Donald A. Ritchie. Oxford University Press, 2001. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 25 October 2011
