fdr and the new deal. franklin d. roosevelt came from one of the wealthiest families in the country...

FDR

and

The New Deal

Franklin D. Roosevelt

• Came from one of the wealthiest families in the country

• Cousin of Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt (26th president)

• Married his 5th cousin, Eleanor

• New York state senator from 1910 – 1913

FDR

• Assistant Secretary of the Navy during World War I

• Started a law practice (lawyer) between WWI and 1929

• Governor of New York from 1929 – 1933

• Democrat, elected president in 1932

• Won 4 presidential elections

FDR• In 1921, Roosevelt contracted polio

• A viral infectious disease that can be spread from human to human• In some rare cases, it can cause total and permanent paralysis

• In Roosevelt’s case, he became paralyzed from the waist down• He refused to admit that he was paralyzed• Would not allow photographs taken that showed his disability• Fitted his legs and hips with iron braces so that he could walk short distances

using a cane• While in public, FDR attempted to stand upright and hide any disability• Founded the March of Dimes (his leadership in this organization is one of the

reasons he is commemorated on the dime)

• “a new deal for the American people”

Introduced by the FDR administration, the New Deal hoped to bring the 3 “Rs”:

• Relief (meet immediate needs)

• Recovery (regain economic foundations)

• Reform (change so that it won’t happen again)

RA (eventually became the FSA)

• Farm Security Administration

– Rural Rehabilitation– Rural Resettlement– Land Utilization

– Over the course of the Great Depression, the FSA loaned over $1 billion to farmers

– Set up camps for migrant workers

So which of the 3 Rs does the FSA fall under?:




CCC• Civilian Conservation Corps

– Focused on unemployed men (and later women)

– Vocational training– One of the more popular programs– Provided economic relief for more than 3

million men and women– Made $1 per day, however, $25 per month

was sent back home to parents or spouse.

CCCThe agency had several project areas that it would

focus on:

1.Structural improvement

2. Transportation / trail improvement

3. Erosion control

4. Flood control

5. Forest rehabilitation

6. Forest protection

7. Landscape and Recreation

CCCSo which of the 3 Rs does the CCC fall under?:




WPA• Works Project Administration

• Largest of all New Deal agencies, employed millions to complete public works projects

• Construction of. . . .

• Roads

• Bridges

• School buildings

• Other public buildings

So which of the 3 Rs does the WPA fall under?:




Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, Oregon

WPA• Help went to all, including African Americans who for much of U.S. History had been left out

–3.5 million African Americans acquired assistance such as school lunch programs

–250,000 African Americans were employed on WPA work projects

–Altogether, 45% of African American families were either receiving assistance or employed by the WPA

So which of the 3 Rs does the WPA fall under?:




New hydroelectric dams

Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River,

Oregon

Distribution of electricity

FAP (a program within the WPA)

• The Federal Art Project employed artists to complete paintings, and sculptures as well as develop plays among other works of art– Many of the paintings were inspired by

Mexican muralist of the time such as Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Sequeriros

TVATennessee Valley Authority

• This mostly rural area, consisting of Tennessee, parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia was hit especially hard during the Great Depression

• Nearly 30% of the population suffered from malaria

• More than 80% suffered from malnutrition

• Some families lived on as little as $100 PER YEAR!!!

• Farm land was overused

• Timber land was destroyed

TVA

The goal of the TVA was to modernize the area by:

• Educating farms about the use of fertilizers and crop rotation

• Replant forest lands and improve wildlife habitat• The largest impact however was the creation of

electricity through hydroelectric dams on major rivers• Only 10% of rural dwellers in the Tennessee Valley

had access to electricity

TVA

• Constructed 16 dams in the Tennessee Valley

• Employed 28,000 people to help construct and run the hydroelectric dams

• Brought power to thousands of rural residents

So which of the 3 Rs does the TVA fall under?:




Social Security Administration

• Before the 1930s care for the elderly was done by family

• The Great Depression and the widespread unemployment, homelessness and suffering that ensued, created a need for an “insurance” program for the elderly

• Contributions from employer and employee go to a “pension” or retirement account for each individual

• When the person retires, depending on the amount each pays into the system, a monthly amount is dispensed

• This is possibly the longest lasting New Deal program

Social Security Administration

So which of the 3 Rs does the Social Security Administration fall under?:




NLRA (The Wagner Act)

• In 1934 alone, over 2,000 strikes occurred throughout the U.S. involving over 2 million workers.

• Labor conflict continued long after the Gilded Age, however, in 1935, the Wagner Act was passed which gave labor unions the legal right to form as well as collectively bargain with employers and strike if necessary

NLRA (The Wagner Act)

So which of the 3 Rs does the NLRA fall under?:




New Deal Critics• Although most Americans hailed the efforts of

FDR and the New Deal, many raised questions about it’s effectiveness– Big Business (corporations such as General Motors

and General Foods) were alarmed at the “socialist” leanings of FDR as well as the skyrocketing federal deficit

– Small rural farmers disliked many policies of the New Deal because they were not eligible for most federal loans and grants

New Deal Economic Legacy

• The rate of unemployment dropped every year• The overall number of business failures dropped

during the 1930s• Farmers benefitted from the New Deal by

learning improved farming practices• FDR and the New Deal restored confidence in

banks• Overall, millions of Americans were aided by

New Deal programs

New Deal Economic Legacy

• Unemployment was still at 19% in 1939• The Gross National Product (GNP) grew, yet

extremely slowly in the 1930s• And possibly most importantly, the federal deficit

skyrocketed under FDR and the New Deal

fdr and the new deal. franklin d. roosevelt came from one of the wealthiest families in the country...

Documents

oregon slide

dime slide

recreation slide

new deal slide

forest rehabilitation

erosion control slide

flood control slide

economic relief