The third episode of American Compassion dives into the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, exploring who he was and focusing on how FDR, born to wealth and privilege, arrived at the empathetic outlook that guided and in many ways defined his presidency.

We investigate how small events allowed FDR to avoid dictatorship at a time when dictatorship was seen as a viable, even desirable response to the economic crises. And we tell the story of how by chance, by character, and by will, FDR and his administration, in their response to The Great Depression, also saved Democracy itself.

Through the incredible story of FDR’s first 100 days in office, we show how the ideas of the New Deal and how the ideals of a collective social democracy were laced throughout all the New Deal programs, creating a new vision of America and its compassionate structures.

To tell these stories, we are joined by: Erine Gray, CEO of Findhelp.org; Jonathan Alter, author of, "The Defining Moment FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope;" historian and biographer H.W. Brands, author of "American Colossus: the triumph of capitalism;" scholar Dana Cloud, author of "Reality Bites: Rhetoric and the Circulation of Truth Claims in U.S. Political Culture ;" and historical geographer and author Gray Brechin, founder project scholar of The Living New Deal at UC Berkeley.