F.D.R. & the New Deal

F.D.R. & The New Deal

Essential Questions: How did the New Deal attempt to address the problems of the Depression? What major issues did the Second New Deal address? How did the New Deal change the social, economic, and political landscape of the United States for future generations?

The Election of 1932 and the Great Depression / · 
o  Believed that Depression relief should come from state, local, and private agencies
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o  Believed that Depression relief required strong action and leadership by the Federal government
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The First 100 Days / ·  Roosevelt proposed, and Congress passed, 15 bills in his first 100 days in office
o  These bills became known as the First New Deal
§  Three main goals
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·  The first problem FDR deals with is the banking and stock crisis
o  The Emergency Banking Bill
§  Roosevelt ordered that banks close for four days
·  This allowed the banks to recover before they reopened
o  The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
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·  Insured bank deposits up to $5000
o  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
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·  Helping farmers and rural Southerners
o  The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
§  Paid farmers subsidies to stop planning crops or to kill their excess livestock
o  The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
§  The Tennessee Valley was one of the poorest places in the country
·  Most people did not have electricity, running water, or plumbing
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·  Industrial relief and recovery
o  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
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·  Planted forests
·  Built trails
·  Fought fired
o  The Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA)
o  The Civil Works Administration (CWA)
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o  The Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC)
o  The Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
·  Roosevelt had two significant pieces of recovery legislation in the First New Deal
o  The National Recovery Administration (NRA)
·  Established minimum wages and minimum prices for goods
o  The Public Works Administration (PWA)
·  Workers built dams, bridges, power plants, and government buildings
·  Roosevelt was able to convince the American public to support his efforts in a series of radio broadcasts
o  These broadcasts became known as “Fireside Chats”
Opposition to the New Deal / o  Many Democrats sided against the President because they believed that he was going against the party’s platform of limited Federal government
·  Others criticized the New Deal as benefiting the elite or being to socialist/communist
The Second New Deal / ·  By 1935, Roosevelt turned his efforts to finding solutions to the ongoing problems caused by the Great Depression
o  The Second New Deal was meant to promote general welfare
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·  Job creation
o  The Works Progress Administration (WPA)
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·  Workers built or improved highways, dredged rivers and harbors, promoted soil and water conservation and provided programs in the arts
§  The WPA spent about $11 billion
·  This deficit spending increased the national debt
·  Social security
o  The Social Security Act
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§  Established unemployment insurance and insurance for work-related accidents
·  Aiding farmers
o  The Rural Electrification Administration (REA)
·  By 1950, more than 80% of American farms had electricity
o  The government also committed to providing subsidies to agriculture in order to stabilize farm prices
·  Labor union reform
o  The Wagner Act
o  The Fair Labor Standards Act
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§  Set the work week at 44 hours
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Challenges to the New Deal / o  The Court declared the National Recovery Administration and the Agricultural Adjustment Act unconstitutional
·  Roosevelt’s solution was to attempt to “pack” the Court
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o  This turned out to be unnecessary as the court began to rule in favor of the New Deal, and justices who opposed it began to retire
Effects of the New Deal / ·  Women
o  The New Deal allowed women to have increased political influence and further attention to women’s rights
§  Eleanor Roosevelt promoted her husband’s reforms
·  African Americans
o  The First Lady also encouraged her husband to improve the situation for Black Americans
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·  Known as the Black Cabinet
§  Additionally, many New Deal reforms did now apply to professions typically held by Black Americans
·  Native Americans
o  It had finally become clear that the Dawes Act was harming Native Americans
o  The Indian New Deal was developed
§  The government began to encourage the practice of traditional Native religion, language and customs
§  The Indian Reorganization Act of 1943 restored tribal control over Native American lands
·  Politics
o  United many Americans into the New Deal Coalition
§  Southern and Northern white, blue collar workers, Midwestern farmers, and African Americans
o  The New Deal Coalition allowed the Democratic Party to control the government for most of the years between 1932-1995
·  Government
o  The New Deal greatly increased the size and power of the Federal Government, and the role it directly played in the lives of average Americans
§  This broke with the laissez faire policy that was followed for most of American history
o  The New Deal created a welfare state
§  The government took responsibility for the welfare of children, the poor, the elderly, the sick/disabled, and the unemployed
·  Environmental
§  This included ending the Dust Bowl and the establishment of new national parks
o  However, some of these policies, such as dams, caused upsets in natural habitats
·  The Presidency
§  Many of the New Deal agencies answered to the President, not Congress
§  The fireside chats helped Americans feel they “knew” the President
§  FDR established a close relationship with the press, which helped increase his popularity