Mr. Judd Streetsboro High School

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: First Inaugural Address March 4, 1933 History Sound Bite “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

The New Deal, a phrase taken from a campaign speech in which Roosevelt had promised “a new deal for the American people”, focused on three general goals: 1) relief for the needy 2) economic recovery 3) financial reform

The First 100 Days Roosevelt’s first step as president was to carry out reforms in banking and finance. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) -provided federal insurance for individual bank accounts of up to $5,000. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)- regulate the stock market by preventing people with inside information about companies from “rigging” the stock market for their own profit.

While working on banking and financial matters, the Roosevelt administration also implemented programs to provide relief to farmers, perhaps the hardest hit by the depression. The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) sought to raise farm prices by paying farmers to slaughter hogs and leave land unseeded. The theory was that reduced supply would boost prices. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) created thousands of jobs building dams and provided flood control and hydroelectric power for an impoverished region.

The Public Works Administration (PWA), created as part of the National Recovery Act (NRA), provided money to states to create jobs chiefly in the construction of schools and other community buildings.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): Provided almost 3 million men aged with work and wages between Planted over 3 billion trees, developed over 800 state parks, and built more than 46,000 bridges Were paid $30 dollars a month, of which $25 was automatically sent home to the worker’s family. The Legacy of the CCCThe Legacy of the CCC Did You Know?

Roosevelt gave many fireside chats, or radio talks, to explain issues and/or lift people’s morale during the depression.

FDR was elected to four consecutive terms as president: 1932, 1936, 1940 and His lengthy term inspired the 22 nd Amendment. FDR was the 5 th cousin of Theodore Roosevelt. FDR struggled with polio. Only two photos exist of him in a wheelchair. FDR died while posing for a portrait at his Warm Springs, Georgia home in April, 1945.

New Deal Comes Under Attack Conservative critics argued that Roosevelt spent too much on direct relief and used New Deal policies to control businesses and socialize the economy. Many critics believed the New Deal interfered with the workings of a free-market economy.

President Roosevelt reluctantly agreed to a policy of deficit spending- spending more money than the government receives in revenue. In theory, deficit spending would jump start the economy by giving consumers more money to spend on goods and services thus fueling economic growth. Late British economist and promoter of deficit spending John Maynard Keynes

Obama and a “new” New Deal A *New* New Deal Is Obama's Recovery Act the new New Deal

Perhaps the most serious challenge to the New Deal came from Senator Huey Long of Louisiana. Like Robin Hood, his program would empower the government to confiscate wealth from the rich through taxes and then provide a guaranteed minimum income and a home to every American family. Senator Huey Long

Other “Voices of Protest” Dr. Francis Townsend proposed that the federal government pay citizens over the age of 60 a pension of $200 a month. Recipients would have to retire and spend their entire pension check each month. Father Charles Coughlin, a Catholic priest from Detroit, called for the government to inflate currency and nationalize the banking system.

Angered that the Court had declared several of his New Deal measures unconstitutional, Roosevelt called attention to the ages of the justices, labeling them “Nine Old Men,” and asked congress to allow him to appoint one new justice for each of those 70 or older, up to six new justices. Critics charged that this “court-packing” would tamper the delicate balance of legislative, executive, and judicial powers.

Banking and finance are reformed Government takes a more active role in the economy Workers benefit from labor standards Social Security system continues to provide security Conservation efforts continue to preserve the environment