 During the Depression, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) provided cheap electricity to poor Southerners, using hydroelectric power  Along with cheap electricity, the TVA provided many jobs to this region  Song of the South Song of the South

 One of the biggest accomplishments of the New Deal was putting people back to work  The Wagner Act forced businesses to recognize labor unions  Because of this, popularity of labor unions rose tremendously

 Because of how much the New Deal assisted labor unions, many unions supported the Democratic party for a long period of time. Some still support the democratic party, no matter what, to this day

 The Social Security Act provided retirement income for all workers 65 and older.  Also provided benefits to unemployed workers  Only New Deal program still in effect today (Who knows how long it will last?)  Social Security turns 78 Social Security turns 78

 FDR’s wife, Eleanor, is one of the most influential first ladies in history.  Before she was first lady, she was already very involved in politics and social matters in New York (FDR was governor at the time)

 One of the biggest ways that Eleanor assisted her husband is that, because of his health condition that left him partially paralyzed, she would make many visits and speeches on his behalf  Since TV was not invented yet, many Americans were unaware of the President’s condition, since they only heard him on radio many times

 Everything was not easy for Roosevelt, as economic recovery did not happen immediately.  Many were against Roosevelt giving the government so much control. Perhaps he had no bigger critic than Senator Huey P. Long from Louisiana.  Long was very much a socialist as he wanted every family a guaranteed income of $2000 per year, with no citizen making more than $1 Million per year. Everything over $1 Million would be taken by the government for taxes

 Roosevelt had a hard time getting many bills passed the Supreme Court  Since the Constitution did not say how many members could be on the Court, FDR tried to “pack” the court by putting 15 judges on the bench. This would allow him to handpick judges who would allow his legislation to pass.  How many Supreme Court Justices do you think we could have today if FDR was allowed to do this?

 FDR was forced to withdraw this idea when he was getting comparisons to dictators in Europe who controlled everything. It would also mess up the balance of power as the president could essentially control two branches of government (which two?)

 While FDR was trying to “fix” America, he was also having to keep an eye on Europe as dictators in Germany and Italy were on the brink of putting that continent back at war.  Japan also got into the act as they tried to take large parts of China using military force  With the U.S. feeling the effects of WWI still, as well as bad economic times, congress passed the Neutrality Act in 1935 that promised to keep the U.S. out of conflict by not allowing the sale of weapons or supplies to other countries  Congress even tried to pass a bill that would require a popular vote before the country could go to war. Could you imagine this today?  As time passed, FDR became more and more in favor of war as he didn’t think that the U.S. could afford to stay out much longer