While reading City of Ambition by Mason B. Williams I came to a new understanding of the backgrounds of one of the U.S.’s greatest presidents F.D.R. and one of N.Y.C.’s most noted mayors Fiorello La Guardia. Although I had previously known of their difference of class, I had never heard of a difference in their motives behind their reform policies. Despite both being inspired by the Progressive movement their initial motives behind wanting social reform were vastly different. La Guardia coming from a working class immigrant family had his own personal experiences with the corruption of government and therefore felt a responsibility to fix that issue. Roosevelt’s motives where both less personal and altruistic. Coming from an upper-class New York family, he felt he had an obligation to society to improve the lower class. At first glance, this seems like a fairly altruistic reason to create social reform. However, as Williams continues to describe Roosevelt, it is clear that it was more about finding social acceptance and recognition amongst the upper-class than it was about helping those less fortunate than he was. This information now made see that even the great F.D.R. was still mortal.