FDRs Critics: Huey Long and Father Coughlin

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FDRs CriticsHuey Long and Father Coughlin
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FDRs Critics Huey Long and Father Charles
Coughlin

• Populist critics of President Roosevelt
• Long - Louisiana Governor and U.S. Senator the
  rich should share wealth
• Coughlin - Catholic priest,
• Both used radio effectively
• Long - the rich should share wealth (as
  Kingfish from AmosnAndy show)
• Coughlin - sermons, attacked money changers,
  but also socialists
• Both had large following in the early 1930s
• Long - 8 million members of Share Our Wealth
  Clubs
• Coughlin - 40 million listeners in 1930
• At first support FDR, then disillusioned
• Long - till 1933 as U.S. Senator (Democrat)
• Coughlin - till 1935 through sermons on the
  radio
• Long shot in 1935, used for the main character
  in Robert Penn Warrens novel All the Kings Men
• Coughlin turned anti-semitic and conservative
  after FDRs reelection in 1936, ordered by his
  bishop to cease all political activity in 1940

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FDRs Critics Father Coughlin, Oh You Poor
Laborers and Farmers, 1937
In this excerpt Coughlin denounces private
bankers for controlling the money supply, and
depicts the New Deal and the Federal Reserve as
tools of those banking interests. It also
expresses his frustration that though "we have
tried to tell you" again and again about the
dangers of a privately regulated money supply, no
one seems to be listening.
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FDRs Critics Huey Long, My First Days in the
White House (1935)
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FDRs Critics Huey Long, Share Our Wealth
(1935)
In this April 1935 radio address, Senator Huey
Long sharply criticizes FDR and the New Deal and
then sketches out his alternative program to
"share our wealth" by limiting the size of
fortunes and incomes and then redistributing the
excess to provide a minimum income, a homestead
for all, and old-age pensions for the elderly.
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Historical Research and Writing
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Writing Rules are helpful but may be broken to
persuade the reader
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Writing 50 ads is a too small statistical sample

• Possible solutions
• analyze all ads for one profession from 3 days
  in the beginning, middle, and end of the decade
• look all ads that discussed only one attribute
  (race, appearance, etc.) from 3 days in the
  beginning, middle, and end of the decade
• read ads from various periods to find a pattern
  and then try to verify that pattern by looking
  for more similar ads

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Writing Statistics and History
Statistics Illnesses kept slaves from work only
12 days a year Fogel and Engerman, Time on the
Cross (1974) This low illness rate tends to
support the impression that slaves were well
cared for. Gutman, Slavery and the Numbers Game
(1975) Slaves were permitted to leave work only
infrequently and only for the most severe
illnesses.
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Writing Statistics and History
Statistics An average slave received 0.7
whippings per year Fogel and Engerman, Time on
the Cross Slavery was a benign
institution. Gutman, Slavery and the Numbers
Game Whipping was a cruel instrument of social
discipline Slaves saw one of their number
whipped every every four and a half days.
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Writing Statistics and History
Statistics 1.92 percent of all slaves were sold
each year Fogel and Engerman, Time on the
Cross Slaves were rarely sold and slave families
usually stayed together. Gutman, Slavery and the
Numbers Game Slave trade destroyed slave
families In the course of 35-year lifetime the
average slave had a 50-50 chance of being sold at
least once himself and was likely to witness the
sale of at least eleven members of his immediate
family (parents, siblings, spouse, children)
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Writing Statistical evidence vs. quotes and
examples
The increasing entrance of women into the labor
force dated from the end of World War I. It was
not limited to young women. While the
participation rate of women twenty to twenty-four
years old rose from 37.5 percent in 1920 to 45.6
percent in 1940, that of women of prime marriage
age (twenty-five to forty-four years) rose even
faster, from 21.7 percent to 30.5
percent. Michael Bernstein, Why the Great
Depression Was Great.
The fragile line between the worlds of folk and
popular culture is documented by those in the
radio audience who seem to have regarded radio as
a welcome part of their community. If I am tired
of the voices around me, a listener testified,
I turn on the radio. There I hear a new voice.
it is as if a friend had entered the room. I
feel your music and songs are what pulled me
though this winter, a Chicago listener wrote to
station WLS in June 1935. Lawrence Levine,
The Folklore of Industrial Society.
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Writing Provide exact information about your
evidence
As the Depression deepened, the opportunities for
women diminished in general.
An examination of 43 help wanted ads published in
the New York Times between 1929 and 1940 shows
that as the Depression deepened, job
opportunities for women diminished.
An examination of 50 help wanted ads published in
the New York Times between 1929 to 1940 shows
that as the Depression deepened, job
opportunities for women diminished.
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Writing Provide a clear thesis
At the time New York was a growing economy and
the question about racism and prejudice did
affect some employers, as well as employees but
for the majority of the two groups, what was
essential was the qualifications the applicant
had, and what they would be able to give to the
company to ensure future success.
At the time New York was a growing economy and
racism and prejudice did affect some employers,
as well as employees. However, an examination of
50 job ads published in the New York Times
between 1929 and 1940 shows that prejudice did
not play a major factor in hiring decisions.
Employers impartially looked for qualifications
indispensable to their companys future success.
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Writing Provide specific examples with footnotes
Modeling was a much more effective means for a
young woman to be financially independent than
the more common fields of office or domestic
help, often earning twice what even highly
qualified individuals would have made in their
respective fields.
Modeling was a much more effective means for a
young woman to be financially independent than
the more common fields of office or domestic
help. A model could earn up to 35 a week in 1940
while a housekeeper in 1936 was offered only 35
a month.1 1 Model, attractive, New York Times,
4 January 1940, 7 Cook, general household
work, New York Times, 12 April 1936, 5.
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Writing Provide specific statistics from the
database
The fact that sales outnumbered all jobs in this
research shows that the occupational structure in
New York was very lopsided in the sense that if
you had what it took to be a great salesman,
which was a very popular job at the time, there
was room for future progression, however if you
didnt succeed in sales, the opportunities for
your future declined immensely.
The fact that sales jobs constituted over 75 of
all jobs in this research shows that the
occupational structure in New York was lopsided.
If you had what it took to be a great salesmana
very popular job at the timethere was room for
future progression. However, if you did not
succeed in sales, your opportunities declined
immensely.
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Writing Style

• New York Times should be in italics
• Paragraphs should be indented
• Avoid contractions do not instead of dont
• Format footnotes according to the Chicago style
  
• "CHAUFFEUR, white," New York Times, 5 January
  1930, 5.
• Format decades as 1930s, not 30s or 1930s