The New Deal

Roosevelt elected President The Big Picture: The New Deal was President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s plan for overcoming the Great Depression. Although New Deal programs achieved varied levels of success, they did represent a basic change in American society.

1932 Election Franklin D Roosevelt had a strong political past. Suffered from polio that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Became governor of New York in Launched a relief program to aid the victims of the Great Depression, provided relief to 1 out of 10 families. During his campaign he promised relief and public works that would provide jobs. Attacked the Republicans response to the Great Depression. Roosevelt won the Presidential Election of 1932 by a landslide.

Roosevelt had a personality that appealed to the American public – cheerful and optimistic. Used the radio to connect with Americans in his fireside chats. Roosevelt believed that it was the government’s duty to provide direct aid to the people.

Banking Crisis In order to stop the “run” on banks, Roosevelt issued an executive order to temporarily close the banks. He called it a bank holiday. He also pushed through the Emergency Banking Act that gave government officials power to examine each bank, determine its soundness, take steps to correct problems, and if necessary close the bank. This was the first of his Fireside Chats. The plan worked, banks began to reopen and ordinary Americans began to return their funds to the banks. The Glass-Steagall Act created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that provides government insurance for depositors’ savings.

The Hundred Days The resolution of the banking crisis was just the beginning of a critical period of government activity that came to be known as the Hundred Days. Roosevelt called his new relief programs The New Deal. 3 Main goals: 1) Relief 2) Recovery 3) Reforms

Hundred Days Programs

Civil Works Administration (CWA): provided winter employment to 4 million workers that built highways, sewer lines, and airports. Some critics believed that the New Deal programs violated the constitution and challenged them in court. Found parts of the New Deal unconstitutional.

Second New Deal The Second New Deal sought to expand one of the successful parts of the New Deal – work relief programs. The Emergency Appropriations Act which created job opportunities for Americans. Created the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that employed 8.5 million Americans for all kinds of public works projects (parks, zoos, oral history, arts). Americans appreciated being able to work hard for a paycheck rather than just get a handout.

Social Security The Social Security Act was passed in 1935 that set up a pension or regular payments for Americans 65 and older. No need to fear hunger and homelessness once you couldn’t work anymore. Included unemployment insurance so that you could have a financial cushion while looking for work. Roosevelt would have to raise taxes in order to fund the new Social Security Act. To avoid a tax increase some workers were left out of it including farmers, government employees, and household workers.

A Bad Year (1936) Frustrated that the courts had ruled many of his legislative acts unconstitutional Roosevelt came up with a plan to reorganize the court system. Wanted to add six judges and give the president the power to appoint new judges. Many people were against this and felt it gave the president too much power.

New Roles for Women Eleanor Roosevelt became an important figure in campaigning for women’s issues. Other women also moved into political roles – Frances Perkins became Secretary of Labor. Roosevelt appointed women to many different political roles while he was president. Women in society still experienced discrimination. New Deal programs paid men more than women. Women in the workforce were looked down upon – men believed they shouldn’t be working.

New Roles for African Americans Roosevelt appointed many African Americans to different federal positions while he was president. Unofficial group called the Black Cabinet met under Mary McLeod Bethune and advised the president. African Americans still experienced hardships in society. Roosevelt could not pass as much legislation affecting African Americans as he wanted because of Southern Democrats. African Americans were still voting Democrat for the first time since before Lincoln.

Entertainment in the 1930s People started going to the movies weekly. Few movies were depression themed. Movies tried to help movie goers escape from their problems. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire appeared in movies with glamorous dance themes. New movie techniques allowed different types of movies to be released. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became the first full length animated movie. The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were also released.

Radio brought a variety of news and views into American homes. Roosevelt conducted his fireside chats over the radio and other political and religious views. Entertainment radio was also very popular – The Lone Ranger, War of the Worlds and other entertainment shows were broadcast over Radio. Radio broadened the appeal of Jazz and helped popularize swing. Swing featured “big bands” and allowed for different dance styles. Duke Ellington and Count Basie were two famous African American swing musicians.

Analyzing the New Deal Relief programs successfully helped millions of people get some sort of relief from the Great Depression and became a permanent fixture of the American government. Social Security and Unemployment insurance still exist today. New Deal was not as successful in recovering the American economy, unemployment remained high. Many gains were wiped out in the recession of New Deal reforms were more successful and long lasting. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation helped restore public confidence in the Banking system.

The New Deal had mixed results. Some historians believe the New Deal hurt businesses confidence and slowed down the pace of recovery. Some believe the New Deal was too timid and a lot more money should be spent to help relieve hard times. The New Deal overall had an impressive track record for internal improvements for America. Many roads, bridges, dams, and public buildings were built through New Deal programs.