2. FDRFDR Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal

3.  Before he was elected president in 1932, Franklin Roosevelt had at one time been nominated for vice-president, an assistant secretary of the navy and the governor of New York.

5.  The Election of 1932

6.  In 1932 Franklin Roosevelt campaigned on the promise that as president he would attack the Great Depression by giving a “New Deal” for the American people.

9.  The 1932 Democratic party platform called for:  repealing prohibition.  experimenting with bold new programs for social and economic reforms.  Balancing the national budget.

10.  The New Deal would cause the National Debt to increase dramatically in the 1930’s.

11.  One striking feature of the 1932 presidential election was that African Americans became a vital element in the Democratic party.

12.  Roosevelt Wins  Roosevelt = 22,809,638 votes (472 electoral votes)  Hoover = 15,758,901 votes (59 electoral votes)

13.  The Lame Duck  While Franklin Roosevelt waited to assume the presidency, Herbert Hoover tried to bind his successor to an anti-inflationary policy that would make much of the New Deal impossible.

14.  Hooverites later blamed Roosevelt’s inactivity for making the Depression worse.

15.  “Happy days are here again…”

17.  FDR and the New Deal

18.  The Hundred Days  Franklin Roosevelt showed great decisiveness and a disposition prone to act on intuition.

19.  The most pressing problem facing Roosevelt was the banking system followed by the chaotic currency situation.

22.  In his first act as president Roosevelt declares banking holiday -  March 6-10 all banks closed.

23.  FDR summons an emergency session of Congress

24.  The Hundred Days. (March 9 - June 16)  Giving the president unprecedented support Congress passes an enormous amount of remedial legislation -

25.  The Hundred Days = legislation passed in the first hundred days.  Based on the Three R’s

26.  The Three “R’s”  Relief  Recovery  Reform

27.  Progressive Ideals  Legislation came from the sidetracked ideals of pre- war Progressivism such as:

28.  Unemployment Insurance, Old- Age Insurance, Minimum Wage,

29.  Conservation Arthur Rothstein's "Fleeing a Dust Storm"

30.  Development of Natural Resources, Child Labor restrictions and other Social Welfare reforms.

31. Banking Reforms Banking Reforms  Emergency Banking Relief Act  passed the first day of the special session.  Gave FDR broad powers to reform and reopen closed banks.

32.  FDR gave a “Fireside Chat” over radio to reassure the people it was safe to put their money back in the banks.

33.  Glass-Steagle Banking Reform Act (June 16) - created the Federal Depositors Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured depositors up to $5,000  (now raised to $100,000).

34.  FDR ordered all gold to be surrendered for paper currency and took the US off the gold standard.  Congress canceled gold-payment clause of all contracts.

35.  Federal Securities Act (truth in securities act) required stock promoters to give realistic appraisal of stock value.

36.  Unemployment  Unemployment Relief Act created the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) to hire young men to work in government camps fighting fires and building flood control projects.

38.  Federal Emergency Relief Act - created the Federal Emergency Relief Administration run by Harry Hopkins - gave $3 billion to states for welfare to the unemployed.

39.  Farmers

40.  First Agricultural Adjustment Act - created the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)  paid for by taxing processors of farm goods.

41.  gave subsidies to farmers who curtailed production or destroyed excess produce or livestock.

42.  Created “parity” prices to create real value of produce before the war.

43.  The program put many small farmers out of work and was eventually ruled unconstitutional.

44.  Homeowners  Home Owner’s Refinancing Act - created the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation to help refinance non-farm homes. Lasting until 1936 it refinanced over 1 million homes.

45. Conservation of Natural Resources  The CCC was used to reforest and control erosion in the National Forests.

46.  The Tennessee Valley Authority  The TVA created a massive flood control project on the Tennessee River.

47.  created erosion - abatement, navigational aids and hydroelectric generation dams on the Tennessee River.  Brought full employment to the region.

48.  TVA was criticized for being “Creeping Socialism” by competing with private industry by selling electricity.

49.  TVA was considered to be the most radical of the New Deal programs.

50. “Brother can you spare a dime……” “Brother can you spare a dime……”

51. Industrial Recovery and Labor Reform.

52.  National Industrial Recovery Act  National Recovery Administration (NRA) - created standards of “fair competition” - minimum wage floors and maximum hours ceilings established.

53.  Labor received the right to organize and collectively bargain.  “Yellow Dog” contracts outlawed and restriction put on child labor.

54.  The complexity of the program made it unpopular.  NRA businesses displayed the Blue Eagle.

55.  Law would later be ruled unconstitutional in Schechter v. N.Y.  The Schechter “sick chicken” case will lead to Roosevelt’s court packing scheme..

57.  Public Works Administration (PWA) - created massive public works projects including the Grand Coulee Dam.

58.  The Beer and Wine Revenue Act - allowed the manufacture and sale of 3.2% beer and wine and put tax on its production.

59.  The 21st Amendment (passed later in 1933) would repeal prohibition.

60.  Roosevelt’s New Dealers

61.  Harry Hopkins  frontman for the New Deal and Roosevelt’s “administrator of relief” - ran the Civil Works Administration, Federal Emergency Relief Administration and Works Progress Administration.

62.  Brain Trust -- college professors and intellectuals who authored much of the New Deal legislation.

63.  Eleanor Roosevelt -- champion of the dispossessed - the poor and minorities.

64.  Harold Ickes -- Secretary of the Interior and head of the Public Works Administration.  George W. Norris -- Senator from Nebraska - led the fight to create the TVA.

65.  Francis Perkins -- FDR’s Secretary of Labor and first woman cabinet member.

66.  Anti - New Dealers

67.  Father Coughlin  Catholic priest whose radio broadcasts on “Social Justice” denounced the New Deal as Marxist and attacked Jews for causing the depression.  His rabid fascism led to his ultimate censure by the Church.

68.  Huey “Kingfish” Long  Demagogic Governor of Louisiana whose popularity led many to fear his becoming a dictator,

69.  He promised his followers to make “Every Man a King” and to Share Our Wealth”  He was assassinated in 1935.

70.  Dr. Francis Townsend  Promised the elderly they would receive a $200 a month pension.

71.  Major Legislation of the later New Deal  Securities and Exchange Commission -- created to regulate exchanges and transactions involving securities -  first chairman is Joseph Kennedy.

72.  National Housing Act -- created the Federal Housing Administration which gave loans to home buyers and home owners.

73.  United States Housing Authority -- gave loans for low income housing - condemned by conservatives and landlords.

74.  Reciprocal Trade Agreements -- allows the president to negotiate trade agreements without the consent of Congress.

75.  Works Progress Administration  run by Harry Hopkins -  created to quiet the protests of Long and Townsend

76.  the WPA becomes the best known and most popular of the New Deal programs -

77.  Wagner National Labor Relations Act -  creates the Labor Relations Board  known as the Wagner Act.

78.  legitimizes labor unions and labor rights  proved most beneficial to unskilled labor.

79.  The Wagner Act was passed when the Supreme Court found the NRA unconstitutional  The Wagner Act was declared constitutional in 1937.

80.  The CIO  John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers formed the CIO - Committee for Industrial Organization.

81.  The CIO reorganized in 1936 independent of the AF of L as the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

82.  The CIO organized the Flint, Michigan sit-down strike of 1936.

83.  More Legislation of the Second New Deal

84.  The Social Security Act -  creates the Social Security System to guarantee pension for elderly over 65  Paid by a tax on employees and employers. Also cared for blind and disabled.

86.  Public Utility Holding Company Act  Passed in answer to the collapse of Samuel Insull’s multibillion- dollar financial empire,  it outlawed pyramid holding companies.

87.  Soil Conservation Act -  created land banking to allow land to lay fallow or to plant soil binding plants like soybeans.

88.  2nd Agricultural Adjustment Act -  Changed the AAA to correct problems found unconstitutional such as regulatory taxation

89.  The second AAA continued the program of conservation payments and restriction of production.

90.  The 1936 Election  Democrats re-nominate FDR

91.  Republicans turn to the mildly liberal governor of Kansas - Alfred M. Landon  Called the “poor man’s Hoover” by Democrats

92.  Wealthy Democrats and conservative Republicans formed the American Liberty League to fight the creeping socialism of the New Deal.

93.  Roosevelt wins in a landslide 523 to 8 electoral votes.  Democrats took 2/3rds of both the houses of Congress.

94.  Franklin Roosevelt's reelection in 1936 was assured by his strong support from blacks and labor unions  The 1936 election was made notable by the bitter class struggle between the poor and the rich.

95.  Roosevelt’s election the forged the modern Democratic voter base - poor, middle- class, blacks, immigrants, southerners, urban workers, labor.  The Forgotten Man.

97.  The Second Term  Roosevelt takes the oath of office on January 20, 1937 - the “lame duck” 20th Amendment has taken effect.

98.  Claiming a mandate to continue the New Deal - he sets his sights on the one branch of government not in line with his policies:  The Supreme Court.

99.  The Court Packing Scheme  Seven out of nine decisions of the court had gone against the New Deal.  The court was made up of old, ultra-conservative “Old Guard” appointees.

101.  Roosevelt asks Congress to give him the right to appoint a new justice for every one over 70 who refused to retire.  This would “pack” the court with six new justices.

103.  Congress refused to follow and passed only a lower court reform.  The Chief Justice did begin voting with the more liberal justices.

105.  Roosevelt suffered his first major defeat but eventually was to seat nine Justices - more than any president since Washington.

106.  The Roosevelt Recession  The economy having been slowly crawling out of the depression began to slow down in 1937.  The recession caused Congress to balk on passing a government reorganization bill.

107.  Congress was becoming more conservative over time.  The recession led to FDR adopting more “Keynesian” deficit spending - economics.

108.  Many economists feel the depression could have been cured with even higher deficit spending.

109.  The Hatch Act was passed in 1939 - making it illegal for lower level federal officials to campaign.

110.  The international crises of 1938- 39 turned the countries attention to world affairs.