A New Deal Fights the Depression

1
A New Deal Fights the Depression

• Chapter 15, Section 1 Notes

2
Objectives

• Summarize the initial steps Roosevelt took to
  reform banking and finance
• Identify critics of FDRs New Deal
• Describe New Deal work programs

3
Main Idea and Why It Matters Now

• After becoming president, FDR used government
  programs to combat the Depression.

• Americans still benefit from programs that were
  begun in the New Deal, such as bank and stock
  market regulations and the Tennessee Valley
  Authority.

4
Presidential Election of 1932

• People were suffering
• Lack of jobs, food, and hope
• Republicans re-nominated Hoover
• Little chance of winning
• Democrats nominated FDR
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• 2 terms as governor of NY
• Reform minded leader

5
Election of 1932

• FDR wins overwhelmingly
• Democrats win a 2/3 majority in the Senate
• Democrats win ¾ majority in the House
• FDR has to wait four months to take the office of
  President
• Plans for his term

6
A Cartoon Depicting FDRs entrance into the
Presidency
7
The New Deal

• Brain Trust
• FDRs highly skilled advisors
• Formulate a set of policies for his
  administration
• The New Deal
• Program designed to alleviate the problems of the
  Great Depression
• 3 Goals
• Relief for the needy
• Economic Recovery
• Financial Reform

8
The First New Deal

• The First 100 Days
• Period of intense legislative activity
• 15 pieces of legislation
• Focus of tomorrows lesson
• Expanded the federal governments role in the
  nations economy
• Reforms banking and finance bank holiday
• Revive public confidence
• Help the American people
• Relief to farmers, jobs to the unemployed

9
FDR

• Born into a wealthy family
• Stricken with polio partially paralyzed
• Confident leader
• First President to use live radio to address the
  American public
• Fireside Chat
• Talked about issues of public concern
• Explained the New Deal in clear terms

10
The New Deal Under Attack

• FDR used Deficit Spending
• Spending more money than the government receives
  in revenue
• Keynesian economics government spends money to
  stimulate economic recovery
• More money in the hands of consumers to fuel
  economic growth
• A necessary evil?
• The New Deal did not end the depression

11
The New Deal Under Attack

• Liberal critics
• Did not go far enough to reform the system
• Conservative critics
• Too much direct relief
• Socialist!
• Interfered with free market ideology

12
Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court struck down New Deal programs
  as unconstitutional
• Too much power in executive branch
• Interfered with state-federal roles (federalism)
• FDR proposes a court-packing bill
• Reorganize judiciary and allow FDR to appoint new
  justices
• Storm of protest
• FDR gets to appoint new judges anyway due to
  retirements/resignations

13
3 Critics

• Father Charles Coughlin Roman Catholic priest
  with a radio show
• Wanted government controlled banks and a
  guaranteed annual income
• Dr. Francis Townsend
• FDR not doing enough for poor and elderly
• Pension plan to help the aged
• Senator Huey Long of Louisiana
• Share-Our-Wealth program
• assassinated