Franklin Delano Roosevelt Born Jan. 30, Born into a wealthy and well connected family. Very popular in school and received good grades. Educated at Harvard and Columbia Law school. Distant cousin of Theodore Roosevelt.

Marriage Franklin’s distant cousin Eleanor had volunteered at a settlement house in her youth. Eleanor showed Franklin this house, which would have a profound effect on his life. On March 17, 1905 Franklin and Eleanor were married.

Early Political Career Roosevelt’s political career began in 1910, with a seat in the New York State Senate where he supported progressive reform and opposed party bosses. He was appointed assistant secretary of the navy by Woodrow Wilson in In 1920 he won the Democratic nomination for Vice President. He did not get to office as the Democrats lost the bid that year.

A Setback In 1920 he caught polio, a paralyzing disease with no cure. Roosevelt did not give in to the crippling disease. He relied on his wife, Eleanor, to keep his name prominent in politics. How would Roosevelt and his battle with polio help him become a better leader?

Rising Star Roosevelt did not let the public see him again until He went on to win the governorship in New York in 1928 and In 1932 he accepted the Democratic bid for President.

FDR and the First New Deal The Republicans nominated Herbert Hoover to run for a second term as president. Hoover wanted to use conservative measures to end depression. No direct measures from government. Projected a grim attitude. The Democrats selected New York Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Promised direct action from government. Projected high spirit and warm smile.

The 32 nd President Roosevelt would not be inaugurated until March on During this time many people still lost their jobs. Many people ran to the banks and withdrew all of their money, resulting in the closing of many banks. Many governors would declare a moratorium, or temporary shutdown of banks. This was done to give banks time to replenish their cash and restore public confidence.

Fixing the Banking Crisis When Roosevelt took office, he knew the first thing he needed to do was to restore confidence in the banking system. He called a national bank holiday and called Congress into special session. Congress passed the Emergency Banking Relief Act, which required federal examiners to survey the nation’s banks and issue Treasury Department licenses to financially sound banks.

Fireside Chat In Roosevelt’s first “fireside chat,” where he spoke on the radio directly to the people, he assured Americans that the banks were now secure. The following day deposits in every city outweighed withdrawals, ending the banking crisis. How formal does the fireside chat look to you? Why do you think that people liked the fireside chat?

The New Deal The bills introduced during FDR’s first 100 Days were to address the three R’s: Relief for the unemployed. Recovery measures to stimulate the economy. Reform laws to lessen the threat of future economic disasters. President Roosevelt promised citizens a “New Deal” during his administration.

Reform Laws New regulations for banks and the stock market were implemented with the Securities Act of 1933 and the Glass-Steagall Banking Act. Under the Securities Act of 1933, companies that sold stocks and bonds had to provide complete and truthful information to investors. The Glass-Steagall Act separated commercial banking from investment banking. It no longer allowed depositors’ money to be risked by speculating on the stock market. The act created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that provided government insurance for bank deposits up to a certain amount.

Relief In 1933 FDR asked Congress for $500 million to start the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). Hopkins disliked dole or government charity, but realized that people needed immediate help to eat. Instead of free money people were put to work to preserve their self-respect. This was run by Harry Hopkins.

The Civilian Conservation Corps These men went on to help build and maintain many national parks. This prevented them from going on relief. The CCC puts hundreds of thousands of men between the ages of to work.

The Public Works Administration The PWA was another New Deal project. This project’s main goal was to modernize the nation through: Building schools Refurbishing govt. buildings. Improving highways. Planning sewage systems.

National Recovery Administration This called for quality standards, production levels, prices, maximum work hours, and minimum wages. Relaxed antitrust laws of the early 1900s. The National Industrial Recovery Act created the NRA in June of 1933.

NRA (cont.) This also paved the way for workers to organize labor unions. Business leaders did not have to follow these guidelines. If owners did not follow the guidelines, members of the NRA would not buy from these businesses, hurting owners financially. Why might the NRA be controversial?

The Agricultural Adjustment Act The AAA was established to help the farming community. The AAA paid a subsidy, or financial assistance, to have farmers reduce crops and livestock. This would help supply meet demand causing a rise in price. The problem with this act was that many farmers had already planted their crops before the passing of the act. This meant that farmers had to intentionally waste crops and livestock. This angered some Americans who thought that those crops and livestock could have gone to the needy.

The Tennessee Valley Authority The TVA built dams in the Tennessee River to generate electricity. It would also enrich the land for increased tourism. Some business leaders did not like the government coming in and underbidding them.