THE NEW DEAL AND ITS

SPECIFIC IMPACT

Women

African Americans

Indians

Workers

WOMEN AND THE NEW DEAL Led by Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt administration employed far

more women than any previous administration had.

Frances PerkinsSecretary of Labor

MOLLY DEWSON Eleanor Roosevelt’s key advisor They connected women to all levels of

government Head of the Women's Democratic

National Committee.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT Relationship with

FDR Her marriage

had “no fundamental love to draw on” so she threw herself into civic activities.

Published a weekly newspaper column

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT AND CIVIL RIGHTS Her primary

objective. The

administrators spokesperson

DAR and Marian Anderson.

“the first lady stood like a Rock of Gibraltar against injustice”

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT AND THE POOR

AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE NEW DEAL

THE NEW DEAL AND AFRICAN AMERICANS The great shift… In 1928 FDR won just 28% of the black

vote. In 1932 FDR won 71% of the black vote. What explains this shift? Considering the past of the democratic

party with race, why is this surprising? Why did Blacks overwhelmingly support

the New Deal? Was the New Deal pro-civil rights?

THE NEW DEAL AND RACE Why the shift? New Deal provided:

Roosevelt! You're my man!When the time come I ain't got a centYou buy my groceriesAnd pay my rent.Mr. Roosevelt, you're my man

Establishment of the Black Cabinet under Mary McCleod Bethune

Civilian Conservation Corps and the Public Works Administration, gave them much-needed aid and jobs

Programs overcame early racism (TVA, NRA)

A NEW DEAL FOR INDIANS? Secretary of Indian Affairs: John Collier “We Took Away Their Best Lands, Broke

Treaties” Revocation of the Dawes Act Indian Reorganization Act Encouraged a reestablishment of

tribalism

ROOSEVELT AND LABOR

ROOSEVELT AND LABOR Passed the NLRB “Supported” workers even in their worst

strikes GM Strike of 1937 “It is ilegal, but shooting them out is not

the answer. Why can’t {GM} meet with the workers?”

Result: all automobile manufacturers except Ford sign on with UAW.

LABOR AND THE NEW DEAL 40 hour work week and higher wages in

steel industry Auto and steel unions had 750,000

members by 1937 Fair Labor Standards Act

Abolished child laborA national minimum wage of .40Overtime paid at time and a half