Roosevelts New Deal

Roosevelts New DealSection 2Chapter 24Focus QuestionsHow did President Roosevelt and Congress try to help Americans during the Hundred Days?How did the New Deal help Americans suffering from the Depression?Why did some people criticize the New Deal?The Election of 1932Franklin Roosevelt won a landslide victory in the 1932 electionBefore Roosevelt took office he brought in his Brain Trust (college professors, labor leaders, lawyers, and social workers) to find a way to end the depressionRoosevelt told the people on inauguration day that the only thing we have to fear is fear itselfThe Election of 1932Roosevelt called a special session of Congress together and this became known as the hundred days and Congress passed many programs to battle the depressionThese programs became known as the New DealThe Federal government paid for many of these programs by raising taxes and spending more money than they took in

New Deal ProgramsThe New Deals first goal was to restore the nations confidence in the banksRoosevelt called a bank holiday on March 6, 1933 and banks closed temporarilyThree days later Congress passed the Emergency Banking Act Federal government planned to inspect each banks finances and then reopen only healthy banksNew Deal ProgramsThe New Deals first goal was to restore the nations confidence in the banksRoosevelt called a bank holiday on March 6, 1933 and banks closed temporarilyThree days later Congress passed the Emergency Banking Act Federal government planned to inspect each banks finances and then reopen only healthy banks

New Deal ProgramsRoosevelt also began giving his fireside chats radio addresses to the American peopleThe day after Roosevelt's first chat banks started reopening and by the end of the month $1 billion dollars had been deposited in banks

New Deal ProgramsCongress also created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that protected peoples money deposited in banks (up to $5,000)By 1933, one-fourth of all Americans wage earners were joblessIn May 1933, Congress created the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) gave money to states to give to their needed

New Deal ProgramsHarry L. Hopkins was put in charge of the Civil Works Administration that built airports, roads, and sewersThe Civilian Conservation Corps hired 18-25 year old men to live in army camps and fight fires, improve national, parks and plant treesThe Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built dams along the Tennessee Rive and improved flood control and provided Hydroelectric power

New Deal ProgramsDuring the Hundred Days Congress passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act that paid farmers to cut production of certain crops (Supreme Court will find this unconstitutional)Congress also passed the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) and it refinanced more than 20 percent of all farm mortgages

New Deal ProgramsRoosevelt then turned to economic recovery and proposed the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) to suspend antitrust laws and stop unfair competitionThe NIRA formed the National Recovery Administration (NRA) to help companies in the same business create codes of fair competition to prevent business failures

New Deal CriticsThere were two main groups of critics of the New DealOne group felt the New Deal did not go far enough in helping societyThe other group felt the New Deal would bankrupt the countryFather Charles Coughlin and Huey Long both wanted distribution of wealthNew Deal CriticsLong proposed the Share-Our-Wealth plan every family would get $2,500 a year funded by higher taxes of the wealthyLong never ran for president as he was assassinated in 1935

The Second New DealIN 1935Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to put Americans to work millions of workers built hospitals, parks, roads, and schoolsThe National Youth Administration (NYA) was a program that gave part time work to high school and college students jobs so they could stay in schoolThe Second New DealIn 1935, Congress created the Social Security Act to help older people, those with disabilities, children and job seekersThe Social Security program had three main partsSet up a pension system for retired workers over 65Gave unemployed short-term cash benefits while they looked for workOffered payments to women with dependent children as well as people with disabilities

New Deal Labor ProgramsFrances Perkins became the first women in cabinet when she became Roosevelts secretary of laborIn May of 1935 the Supreme Court declared the NIRA unconstitutionalCongress passed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) that protected unions and gave them the opportunity to collectively bargainFrom this Act the National Labor Relations Board was created to enforce their rulesNew Deal Labor ProgramsA new pro-labor society benefited Democrats the mostThe Congress of Industrial Organizations was founded in 1938 to organize both skilled and unskilled workers

New Deal Labor ProgramsThe attempt to improve working conditions led to a number of large strikesThe sit-down strike is when the workers sit down and refuse to workSitting down would keep owners from replacing them with new employees

The Election of 1936Democrats worried that businesses backed Republicans and labor unrest, the Supreme Court, and the depression could hurt RooseveltRoosevelt won 523 electoral votes to Landons 8The Election of 1936Some felt that Roosevelt had gone to far but after his election in February of 1937 he asked Congress to pass the Judicial Procedures Reform Act allowed the president to appoint a new justice for everyone that was over 70 years of ageEven his own party objected to the court packing issued and it failed but after this, the court never ruled against his legislation again

Evaluating the New DealThe New Deal changed almost every aspect of American life and greatly expanded the role of the federal governmentHe also expanded the role of the presidentSome critics feel that the New Deal promoted deficit spendingEvaluating the New DealSupporters of the New Deal feel that it saved the United States from economic and political collapseExpansion of governmental powers was a necessity during a time of crisisSome also reel that the New Deal Programs helped keep future depression from happening

Focus QuestionsHow did President Roosevelt and Congress try to help Americans during the Hundred Days?How did the New Deal help Americans suffering from the Depression?Why did some people criticize the New Deal?