E FFECTS OF THE N EW D EAL 22.3

O BJECTIVES Describe how the New Deal affected different groups in American society. Analyze how the New Deal changed the shape of American party politics. Discuss the impact of Franklin D. Roosevelt.on the presidency

K EY P ARTS Women Help Lead the New Deal African Americans Make Advances and Face Challenges A New Deal Affects Native Americans The New Deal Creates a New Political Coalition The Role of Government Expands

I NTRODUCTION Read Section 22.3 Answer Critical thinking question 5-6.

W OMEN H ELP L EAD THE N EW D EAL The New Deal provided some women with the opportunity to increase their political influence and to promote women’s rights. The main one was First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. She was noted for transforming the role of First Lady from a ceremonial role to a position of action and deep involvement in the political process.

C ONT. Eleanor’s cause was to advance public health, education, arts, and even flood control. She traveled more than 60,000 miles in two years working to better the nation. The Roosevelt Administration included the first female Cabinet member, Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins.

A FRICAN A MERICANS M AKE A DVANCES AND F ACE C HALLENGES When the Great Depression hit the African Americans were first to lose their jobs. By % of African Americans were unemployed. Eleanor Roosevelt used her position to protest against racial discrimination. She held a Conference on Human Welfare in Birmingham Alabama and gave a speech against discrimination.

C ONT. The President invited many African American leaders to advise him. These unofficial advisors were known as the Black Cabinet. The cabinet members were Robert Weaver, William Hastie and Mary McLeod Bethune. She was the founder of the Bethune Cookman College.

T HE N EW D EAL A FFECTS N ATIVE A MERICANS Attempting to improve the lives of Native Americans, the Roosevelt administration made major changes in long standing policies. In 1887 the Dawes act allowed 138 million acres for American Indians, however by the 1930s only 48 million remained in American Indian Hands. To prevent further loss of land and improve living conditions for Native Americans, John Collier developed the Indian New Deal.

T HE N EW D EAL C REATES A N EW P OLITICAL C OALITION By the time he died in 1945 Roosevelt had been elected to four terms as President. His legendary political skills had united an unlikely group of Americans into a strong political force called the New Deal Coalition. They used southern whites and blue collar workers, poor famers, and African Americans to increase the democratic power, based on pure population numbers.

T HE R OLE OF G OVERNMENT E XPANDS New Deal programs greatly increased the size and scope of the federal government. The New Deal did not immediately end the depression but it did restore the American Economy and created the foundation for sustained and stable growth. The New Deal strengthened Capitalism and made possible the economic boom after WWII

C ONT. The New Deal had a great impact on rural Americans. It provided them water and electricity that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. New Deal reforms provided the framework for the debate over the proper role of the federal government in the private lives of Americans. The New Deal also helped restore the environment from the industrial revolution and Dust Bowl and began new parks across the United States.