Essential Question: How successful was Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal?

The End of the New Deal

End of the New Deal New Deal reached its high point when FDR was re-elected in 1936 FDR experienced more setbacks in his 2nd term than is 1st term but he still remained a popular leader

Packing the Supreme Court The Supreme Court was FDR’s last obstacle to overcome: The Court ruled the NRA & AAA were unconstitutional FDR’s solution was to ask Congress to appt 1 new justice for each justice over 70 yrs old This controversial “court packing” plan would add 6 new justices All 9 justices were old, white men; Only 3 were sympathetic to the New Deal; 2 were unpredictable; 4 wanted to block New Deal NRA- Schecter v US (1935) and AAA- US v Butler (1936)

Packing the Supreme Court The court-packing scheme was legal but set a scary precedent: The Senate strongly resisted FDR & the Court defended itself against “ageism” attacks The crisis ended when the Court declared the Wagner Act & Social Security constitutional & Judge Van Devanter resigned FDR eventually appointed 5 justices to the Supreme Court in his 4 terms

The End of the New Deal 1938 saw the end of the New Deal Other than the Fair Labor Standards Act, FDR’s 2nd term saw no new New Deal programs FDR’s court-packing plan hurt his relationship with Congress The “Roosevelt Recession” of 1937 was the result of FDR’s attempt to reduce gov’t spending & balance the budget FDR’s attempt to balance budget & reduce WPA spending led to 2 more years of Depression hardships

Unemployment, 1929-1942

The Impact of the New Deal

The Impact on Organized Labor Unions were weak in the 1920s: Only 3 million people were union members; Most joined the AFL which barred unskilled laborers In 1938, John Lewis formed the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) & used the Wagner Act to bring collective bargaining to more workers

CIO President John Lewis AFL-CIO merged in 1955 With AFL president Gompers way back in 1922

Republic Steel Strike in 1937

The Impact on Organized Labor For the 1st time, unskilled & skilled laborers were unionized: Women & African-Americans benefited because they made up a large % of unskilled labors While the New Deal’s Wagner Act helped make unions stronger, major steps to unionize were initiated by the unions themselves, not the federal gov’t

The Impact on Women The New Deal brought few economic benefits to women: The New Deal allowed for unequal wages; Social Security, the NRA, & minimum wage laws offered little help for women But, women did see gains in gov’t: The 1st female cabinet member, Senator, ambassadors, & judges were appointed under FDR

The 1st female cabinet member: Francis Perkins (Dept of Labor) The 1st female Senator: Hattie Caraway (D-Arkansas)

The Impact on African-Americans The New Deal did little for blacks: Racism & segregation remained strong during the Depression The NRA allowed lower wage scales for black workers; The AAA allowed for the eviction of sharecroppers & tenant farmers Minimum wage & SS did not apply to farmers & domestic servants (65% were black) Blacks were the last hired and first fired Experienced 50% unemployment rate

The Impact on African-Americans Despite the inequalities of the New Deal, blacks supported FDR: FDR hired African-Americans to key gov’t positions Eleanor Roosevelt spoke out against racial discrimination The RFC brought assistance to 40% of unemployed blacks through the WPA

Eleanor Roosevelt with singer Marian Anderson

The Impact on Mexican-Americans Mexican-Americans fared even less than African-Americans: The Dust Bowl led to a flood of whites into the agricultural fields in the southwest Congress created immigration restrictions & allowed for the deportation of illegal residents to reduce state welfare payments Received few New Deal benefits

The Impact on Native Americans Native-Americans remained the poorest of all U.S. residents but did benefit from the New Deal The Indian Reorganization Act shifted U.S. Indian policy from Indians as yeoman farmers to unified & autonomous tribes Many gained employment in the Indian Bureau

The Impact on the South & West The South & West benefited the most from the New Deal: The AAA helped end Southern dependence on sharecropping in favor of a wage labor system The West received more work relief & welfare than any region Hydroelectric power & irrigation programs helped residents

Conclusion: The New Deal & American Life

The New Deal and American Life The New Deal lasted only 5 years (1933-1938); The majority of laws came in 2 bursts in 1933 & 1935: The New Deal was not very successful economically: Helped relieve suffering but did not end the Depression American wealth remained unequally distributed

The New Deal & American Life The New Deal was more successful socially: Social Security, Wagner Act, & the Fair Labor Standards Act helped elderly & disabled citizens, labor unions, & workers The New Deal did not help women, minorities, domestic workers, or small farmers Fair Labor Standards Act

The New Deal and American Life The New Deal was most successful politically: FDR’s leadership unified a new Democratic voting bloc FDR used his leadership & optimism to provide a vital psychological lift to help citizens endure the Great Depression