The New Deal FDR Offers Relief & Recovery Roosevelt Takes Charge People lost faith in Hoover s ability to get them out of the depression, so there was not much of a chance for Hoover. Eleanor Roosevelt was a social reformer who combined her humanitarian beliefs with her political skills. She traveled the country, observing the social conditions and reminded the president about the suffering of the nation s peoples. She also urged him to appoint women to government positions. She resigned from DAR because they would not allow Marian Anderson to perform. She focused on child welfare, housing, and equality for all! Not only does FDR win, but the Democrats also gain control of the Senate as well. FDR collects a group of professionals and academics, whom were nicknamed the Brain Trust. Roosevelt decided on a plan called the New Deal. The Plan contained 3 main goals: Roosevelt s First 100 Days FDR restored faith and confidence in the nation s banks by declaring a four-day bank holiday. Banks closed and got their accounts in order and then reopened for business. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp Securities Exchange Commission FDR also passed the FDIC, which insured bank deposits up to $5,000. Congress established the SEC to regulate the stock market and make it a safer place for investments. President Roosevelt delivered informal radio speeches to the American people. These were called fireside chats. These chats became an important way to communicate to the American people. FDR s calming words reassured the Americans.
Agricultural Adjustment Act The AAA did the following: o Paid farmers not to grow crops and raised crop prices by lowering production. o Cotton was plowed under and 6 million pigs were slaughtered. Results: Mixed feelings because crop prices increased and people were starving. 21st Amendment Repeals Prohibition: The main goal was to increase government revenue through the taxation of alcohol. Tennessee Valley Authority Built dams to provide cheap electric power to seven southern states. Set up schools and health centers. Civilian Conservation Corps Provided jobs to 2 million young men. Replanted forests (200 million trees), built trails, dug irrigation ditches, and fought fires. FDR s favorite New Deal program. Federal Emergency Relief Act $500,000 was provided for direct relief and work projects for the hungry, homeless, and unemployed. Home Owners Loan Corporation Created to help homeowners save their houses from foreclosure. Provided funds to pay off mortgages and proved new long-term mortgages at lower, fixed-interest rates. National Recovery Administration Developed codes that established minimum wages for workers and minimum prices for goods. Idea that if a worker made more money then they could buy more goods. Public Works Administration Built bridges, dams, power plants, and government buildings. Created millions of new jobs for workers.
Opposition to the New Deal Roosevelt spent more money than what the government had, which is called deficit spending. Some critics said the New Deal gave too much power to the government. FATHER CHARLES COUGHLIN DOCTOR FRANCIS TOWNSEND SENATOR HUEY LONG He was a radio show host who was initially a supporter of the New Deal, but wanted to nationalize the banks. His anti-semitic views ended up costing him much of his support. He believed that FDR was not doing enough for the poor and the elderly. Found backing from the elderly, thus undermining support for FDR. He supported the New Deal initially as well. Eager to win the presidency for himself, he proposed program known as Share-Our-Wealth. But he was assassinated. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The New Deal The Second New Deal Workers Progress Administration Extending Social & Economic Reform Progress had been made under the New Deal, but there was still much work that needed to be done. The Second New Deal addressed the problems of the elderly, the poor, and the unemployed. It created new public-works projects; helped farmers; and enacted measures to protect workers rights. The WPA built or improved a good part of the nation s highways, dredged rivers and harbors, and promoted soil and water conservation. The WPA even provided programs in the arts for unemployed artists. By 1943 the WPA employed 8 million people. Helped build the San Antonio River Walk and parts of the Appalachian Trail. Social Security Act Set up a system of pensions for retired workers. The law also created insurance for victims of work-related accidents, and provided aid for poverty-stricken mothers and children, the blind, and the disabled. Rural Electrification Administration Loaned money to electric utilities to build power lines. Provided affordable electricity for isolated rural areas.
Labor Unions Find A New Energy Fair Labor Standards Act Banned Child labor. Set the work week at 44 hours. Established a hourly minimum wage. o *New Deal s most controversial legacy.* National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) Outlawed unfair labor practices. Granted workers the right to organize unions and to use collective bargaining. Created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to look into worker s complaints. Challenges To The New Deal The Supreme Court struck down the AAA and the NIRA on the grounds that agriculture is a local matter and should be regulated by the state instead of the federal government. FDR issued a plan to add up to six new justices to the nine-member Court. Critics called his plan Court Packing because all of the new justices would most likely support the New Deal legislation. Historical Significance: Critics saw FDR as trying to upset the balance of power between the 3 branches of government. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The New Deal Effects of the New Deal Women Lead the New Deal Frances Perkins was the first female cabinet member, Secretary of Labor. Sec. Perkins was influential in establishing Social Security and winning approval for the Fair Labor Standards Act (which ended child labor & established a minimum wage). Mary McLeod Bethune helped to organize a Black Cabinet of influential African Americans to advise the Roosevelt administration on racial issues. Historical Significance: Women were strong supporters of FDR and they helped get him elected.
African Americans Make Advances & Face Challenges African Americans were one group that benefited from the New Deal. Mary McLeod Bethune worked to provide jobs for African Americans. FDR met with the Black Cabinet to discuss social issues that African Americans were facing. Did Roosevelt always listen to the Black Cabinet? Why? Overall, African Americans still voted for FDR because he was their best hope for the future. New Deal Aims at Other Groups MEXICAN AMERICANS No. Needed the political support in the South. Generally approved of the New Deal because the CCC & WPA helped some. The New Deal did not interfere with their work on farms. NATIVE AMERICANS John Collier created the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which moved away from the policy of assimilation and land ownership h (tribe not individual). New Deal Coalition This was an alignment of diverse groups dedicated to supporting the Democratic Party. The coalition included Southern whites, various urban groups, African Americans, and unionized industrial workers. Keep the Democrats Dominate! Evaluating The New Deal The New Deal expanded the power of the government and the president. o Regulated business. o Settled labor and management disputes. o The FDIC and SEC restored confidence in the banking and stock market. Government employed deficit spending. o FDR left the country with a large debt. What had the greatest effect? o Social Security Assumed the responsibility for the social welfare of its citizens. o Effects on Agriculture Oversaw the nation s agriculture by setting up quotas on the production of crops. o Environmental Benefits Conserved and promoted policies designed to protect the nation s natural resources. o FDR s Legacy Ranks 3 rd in most Historical Rankings of Presidents. Why do you think? Who s he behind? Helped the country in one of the most trying times in history. George Washington? Abraham Lincoln? What really got us out of the Great Depression? o Historical Significance: WWII was largely responsible for ending the Great Depression. The New Deal did not solve unemployment, the farm crisis, and under consumption.