The New Deal Assessment Page 252

What were the hundred Days? The period of time during which the newly elected President Roosevelt sent Congress many bills that were the start of the New Deal.

What was the initial response to Roosevelt’s fireside chats? Listeners grew confident and optimistic about overcoming the banking crisis and took Roosevelt’s advice to make deposits rather than withdrawals.

Why was the Wagner Act enacted? It was created to guarantee workers the right to unionize and bargain collectively.

What was the significance of Social Security It provided a safety net, in the form of a monthly retirement benefit and unemployment insurance, that protected people in case of hard times.

Why was the court-packing plan such a mistake for Roosevelt? It made it seem that the president was trying to exceed his constitutional powers and take too much control of the Supreme Court.

Which groups were part of the New Deal coalition? African Americans, women, industry workers, immigrants, ethnic minorities, and progressives.

Tell how the political right and left differed in their objections to the New Deal The right believed that the New Deal restricted business too much and gave the federal government too much power. Meanwhile, the left felt that the reforms of the New Deal did not go far enough to fight the depression and protect the American people.

Why did African Americans shift away from their long tradition of supporting the Republican Party? The Depression had been particularly hard on African Americans and they felt that the Republican Party had done nothing to help them. So, a majority of African American voters shifted their political influence to the Democratic party.

Why was Roosevelt’s cutback of the WPA and PWA premature? He cut spending for the Works Progress Administration and the Public Works Administration at the same time that the first payroll taxes for Social security hit the economy. The disappearance of the two relief agencies alongside the additional taxes needed to fund the Social Security payments combined to cause a recession.

Why did Eleanor Roosevelt like the Quaker project? She liked it because it emphasized individual initiative in improving the lives of the miners.

Based on the excerpt, what are the benefits that she saw in the homestead idea? Giving people land so that they could grow their own food, build a home, and not rely on federal government relief funds.