FDR and the

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FDR and the New Deal Fighting the Depression
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Photo of Roosevelt and Hoover on the way to
Roosevelts Inauguration in 1933
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Roosevelt Prepares to Take Over

• There Was a 4 Month Lay-Over Between When
  Roosevelt Was Elected and Inaugurated
• The 20th Amendment Pushed Inauguration to
  January, But Didnt Apply to Roosevelt
• Roosevelt and His Most Trusted Advisors Worked
  in the Mean Time to Come Up w/ Programs to
  Alleviate Struggles of the Depression
• The Brain Trust
• His Program Eventually Became Known as the New
  Deal
• The New Deal Focused on
• Relief (for the Needy) Immediate (Food,
  Shelter, Clothing)
• Recovery (economic) Jobs
• Reform (financial) Government Legislation

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The Hundred DaysMarch 9 June 16, 1933

• Hundred Days Period of Intense Political
  Activity During the First 100 Days of Roosevelts
  Presidency Where 15 Major Pieces of New Deal
  Legislation Was Passed by Congress

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Fixing the Banks

• Declared a Banking Holiday From March 5 - 12
  and Closed all Banks in the United States
• Purpose To Prevent Further Money Withdrawals
• Emergency Banking Relief Act
• Treasury Department Inspected All Banks in U.S.
• Solvent Banks Could Re-Open
• Banks That Couldnt Pay Debts Remained Closed and
  the Government Helped to Reorganize / Give Loans
  to Eventually Open Back Up
• Roosevelt Then Made the First Fireside Chat
• Informal Radio Talks About Public Concern Issues
  and Explaining New Deal Programs to Americans
• Convinced Americans to Reinvest Money into Banks
  and that they Were Secure and Stable

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Ensuring the Money System in America

• Helping the Banks Glass Steagall Act (1933)
• Established the Federal Deposit Insurance
  Corporation
• Federal Insurance Provided for Individual Bank
  Accounts Up to 5,000
• Securing the Stock Market
• Federal Securities Act
• Required Companies to Give Complete Information
  of Stock Offerings and Held Companies Liable for
  Misrepresentations
• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
• Regulated to Stock Market
• Main Goal Prevent People w/ Inside Information
  About Companies from Rigging Stock Market in
  their Favor

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1925
1931
1932
1920
1930
1933
1934
1935
1935
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Finding Jobs For the Jobless
Roosevelt believed government money should go to
help the unemployed in America. He called it
Priming the Pump
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The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

• Employed Young Men (18-25) in Fresh Air
  Government Camps
• Men Who May Otherwise Be Driven to Criminal
  Corruption
• Useful Work
• Reforestation
• Firefighting
• Flood Control
• Swamp Drainage
• Recruits Required to Send a Portion of Wages
  Home to Parents

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The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

• Goal To Raise Crop Prices by Lowering Production
• How
• Government Would Pay Farmers For Every Acre of
  Unplanted Soil
• Government Paid Farmers to Plow Under Already
  Planted Crops
• Government Paid Hog Farmers to Slaughter Hogs and
  Used as Fertilizer
• Some Americans Were Upset that Food Was Being
  Destroyed at a Time When Millions Were Hungry

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The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

• Problem
• The Tennessee River Drained Poorly and Eroded in
  an Area the Size of England
• 2.5 Million of the Most Poverty Stricken People
  in the U.S. Lived in the Area
• Solution
• Use Governmental Money to Construct an
  Electricity Plant to Create Hydroelectric Power
  from the River
• Result
• Many People Will be Provided w/ Jobs (Pump
  Priming)
• The Government Can Have this Electricity and
  Provide to People at a Cheap Rate (As Opposed to
  the Expensive Electric Producers in the Area)
• Conclusion
• Rivers in Area Ran Blue Instead of Brown
• Soil Did Not Erode Allowing for Agricultural Use
  of the Area

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National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)

• Purpose
• To Authorize the President to Regulate Business
  in the Interests of Promoting Fair Competition,
  Supporting Prices, Creating Jobs for Unemployed
  Workers, and Stimulating the Economy to Recover
  From the Depression
• Public Works Administration (PWA)
• Provided Money to States to Create Jobs in the
  Construction of Schools, Community Buildings, and
  Highways
• National Recovery Administration (NRA)
• Attempted to Help Industry, Labor, and the
  Unemployed
• How (to stop the trend of falling wages, prices,
  and layoffs)
• Reduced Hours of Labor
• Ceiling on Maximum Hours
• Floor on Minimum Wages
• Workers Given Formal Rights of Collective
  Bargaining

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Providing Food, Clothing, and Shelter to Americans

• Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC)
• Government Loans Provided to Homeowners Who Faced
  Foreclosure
• Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)
• Specifically Granted Money to States to Give to
  Unemployed Who Needed Food and Clothing
• Money Was Given in Aid and Also in Work Relief
  Programs
• Wheras money helped people buy food, it was
  meaningful work that enabled them to gain
  confidence and self respect
• Civil Works Administration (CWA)
• Designed to Create Jobs in the Winter of 34-35
• Boondoggle Jobs Created
• Spent More Money Creating Jobs Than Actually Paid

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Problems and Critics of the New Deal
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Problems With the New Deal

• The New Deal Helped Millions of Americans and
  Instilled a Public Confidence and Faith in FDR
  and the Government
• Deficit Spending
• Government Spending More Money Than Revenues
• Critics Arguments
• Liberals New Deal Didnt Do Enough to Help the
  Poor and the Economy
• Conservatives New Deal Went too Far in Helping
  Americans
• Believed the Government Interfered too Much in
  American Society and Free Enterprise

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Huey Kingfish Long
"Every Man a King"

• Was an Early Supporter Then Critic of the New
  Deal
• Personally Wanted to Become President Himself
• Proposed a Share the Wealth Program
• Caps on Net Worth / Year
• Families Guaranteed Yearly Allowances and Minimum
  Wage
• Higher Income Taxes for Rich to Be Given to Poor
• Eventually Assassinated by a Lone Gunman in 1935

Louisiana Senator Huey Long
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Dr. Francis Townsend

• Was a Retired Doctor Who Lost Most / All of His
  Wealth in the Market Crash
• Believed Roosevelt Wasnt Doing Enough to Help
  the Poor or the Elderly
• Plan to Help Elderly
• Each Retired American Received 200/Month to
  Allow to Live Middle Class Lifestyle
• Had to Spend Within 30 Days of Receiving Pension

California Doctor Francis Townsend
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Father Charles E. Coughlin

• Catholic Priest From Detroit Who Gave Sunday
  Radio Sermons That Included
• Economic
• Political
• Religious Ideas
• Criticized New Deal and Called It a Raw Deal
• Supported a Guaranteed Income for All Citizens
  and the Nationalization of Banks
• Eventually Included Anti Semitic Views Which
  Cost Many Supporters and Silenced by the Church

Father Charles E. Coughlin The Radio Priest
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Supreme Court Opposition to the New Deal

• Conservative Opposition to the New Deal
  Eventually Led to Two Supreme Court Decisions
  That Struck Down New Deal Programs
• The NIRA Was Struck Down as Unconstitutional
• Too Much Control on Interstate Commerce by the
  Government
• The AAA Was Also Struck Down
• Agriculture Was a Local Matter and Should Not Be
  Regulated by the National Government

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Roosevelt and the Second Hundred Days
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Problems With the First New Deal

• The First New Deal Wasnt Incredibly Successful
• The Economy Remained Stale and Unemployment Was
  Still Extremely High
• Roosevelt Was Looking For Ways to Build on His
  First New Deal Programs
• Roosevelt Launched a New Campaign Often Called
  the Second Hundred Days
• The Second New Deal Changed Course From the First
  New Deal
• More Focus on Fighting Poverty and Unemployment
• Less Efforts to Support and Help Business and
  More to Help Individual Citizens

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How Roosevelt Tried to Help the Farmers Again

• The First AAA Was Ruled Unconstitutional By the
  Supreme Court
• Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of
  1936
• Rewarded Farmers for Planting Soil Conserving
  Crops and Cutting Production Not Ending
  Production Completely
• The Supreme Court Supported This
• Second Agricultural Adjustment Act 1938
• Further Gave Farmers Rewards for Observing
  Restrictions on Planting Specific Crops (Cotton,
  Wheat)
• Didnt Have a Processing Tax to Pay for Farm
  Subsidies that the First AAA Had

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Works Progress Administration (WPA)

• Purpose
• To Set Up a Series of Programs to Help Youths,
  Professionals, and Other Workers
• Spent 11 Billion to Give Jobs to Over 8 Million
  People Between 1935 and 1943
• Many of the Projects Were Public Works Programs

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New Deal Programs to Help Labor

• National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act)
• Purpose
• To Reinstate the Right of Labor to Engage in Self
  Organization and Bargain With Their Own
  Representatives
• Tried to Prohibit Unfair Labor Practices,
  Threatening Workers, and Firing Union Members
• Done as a Result of the Unconstitutionality of
  the NIRA
• Created National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
• Heard and Made Decisions on Testimony About
  Unfair Business Practices
• Result
• Many Unskilled Workers Began to Organized in
  Unions
• Fair Labor Standards Act 1938
• Maximum Weekly Work Hours to 44
• Minimum Wage of 25 Cents / Hour
• Set Limitations of Age of Workers

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The Development of the Social Security System

• The Social Security Act 1935
• Purpose
• To Help the Needy in Society and to Cushion
  Further Depressions
• Major Parts
• Old Age Insurance for Retirees 65 or Older and
  their Spouses
• Helped to Make Retirement Comfortable for Many
  Americans
• Unemployment Compensation System
• Funded by Federal Taxpayers
• Payments From 15 18/Week
• Aid to Families w/ Dependent Children and the
  Disabled
• Result The Government Recognizes Its
  Responsibility to Care for the Citizens

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Expanding and Regulating Utilities

• The Second New Deal Also Attempted to Promote
  Rural Electrification
• 12.6 of Americans Had Electricity in 1935
• Rural Electrification Administration (REA)
• Attempted to Bring Electricity to Rural Areas
• 90 of Americans Had Electricity by 1949
• Public Utility Holding Company Act 1935
• Outlawed Ownership of Utilities by Multiple
  Holding Companies

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The Election of 1936

• Republican Candidate Alfred Landon
• Governor of Kansas
• Moderate Who Accepted Some New Deal Reforms
• Challenged Deficit Spending of Roosevelt

• Democratic Candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt
• New Deal Success
• Support From the Forgotten Men

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Election Results
Franklin Roosevelt 523 Electoral Votes 98.5
Popular Vote Alfred Landon 8 Electoral
Votes 1.5 Popular Vote

• This Was the First Election That
• All Southern States United Toward Democrats
• Unions Largely Supported the Same Candidate

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FDR and the Supreme Court
The Conflict
The Supreme Court ruled that many New Deal laws
were unconstitutional.
Ex.) AAA
February 10, 1937, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch,
"Trying to Change the Umpiring"
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After winning the 1936 presidential election,
FDR proposed increasing the number of Supreme
Court Justices from 9 to 15.
February 14, 1937, Waterbury (CT) Republican, "Do
We Want A Ventriloquist Act In The Supreme
Court?"
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This would allow FDR to appoint 6 new pro-New
Deal Justices to the Supreme Court.
February 18, 1937, Oakland (California) Tribune,
"New Blood"
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The Results
Many Americans, including New Deal supporters,
felt that FDR was unfairly trying to control the
Supreme Court.
February 28, 1937, Richmond (Virginia) Times
Dispatch, "What Has Become of the Old-Fashioned
Man...?"
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FDR withdrew his plan six months later.
However, one anti-New Deal Justice eventually
changed his mind, and FDR appointed a pro-New
Deal Justice to the Supreme Court after an
anti-New Deal Justice retired.
August 30, 1937 Brooklyn Citizen, "Good
For Another Meal"
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Culture, Life, and Change of the 1930s
Actor, Director, Producer, and Writer Orson
Welles
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How the New Deal Affected Minority Groups
Roosevelt named the first woman, Frances Perkins
(left) to the Presidential cabinet. She played a
key role in the development of the Social
Security System.
Roosevelt and the Democrats kept these minority
groups happy in the United States, thus keeping
control of the political system. The New Deal
Coalition (an alignment of minority groups who
supported the Democratic Party)
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African American Activism

• Roosevelt Appointed Many African Americans to Key
  Positions in Government
• Mary McLeod Bethune
• Head of the Division of Negro Affairs in the
  National Youth Administration
• Ensured the NYA Hired African American
  Administrators and Provided Job Training to
  Africans
• A Black Cabinet Was Organized to Advise
  Roosevelt on Racial Matters
• Roosevelt However Refused to Commit to Full Civil
  Rights
• Didnt Want to Upset White Democrats in the South
• New Deal Agencies Discriminated Against African
  Americans

Mary McLeod - Bethune
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Native American Change

• The New Deal Supported Native Americans
• Moved Away From Assimilation Policies of the Past
• Indian Reorganization Act (1934)
• Native American Lands Belong to Entire Tribe
  (economic)
• Number of Boarding Schools Reduced (Children Now
  Go to Own Schools) (cultural)
• Tribes Given Power to Elect Tribal Councils to
  Govern Own Reservations (political)

Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier He
advocated the revival and support of Native
American cultural life on communal lands held by
self-governing tribes. 
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Entertainment in America

• Movies
• Helped People Escape From Harsh Realities of
  Depression
• Sound Films Emerged for the First Time
• Gone With the Wind (1939), Wizard of Oz (1939),
  Snow White and Seven Dwarfs (1937)
• Radio
• Most Direct Means to Contact American People
• Families Spent Hours Around Radio for News and
  Entertainment Needs
• Fireside Chats
• The War of the Worlds

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Writing and Art in the Depression

• Art During the Depression
• Much Art Depicted Strength of American Character
  and Values of American People
• Federal Art Project (Part of WPA)
• Artists Paid to Produce Public Art and Promote
  Positive Images of American Society
• Writers in American Life
• Federal Writers Project (Part of WPA)
• Writing Investigated Difficulties Living in the
  Depression and Tried to Allow Readers to Get
  Away
• John Steinbeck

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Artist Grant Wood Title American Gothic