The New Deal
1933-1941
FDR's New Deal
In A Nutshell
Franklin Delano Roosevelt assumed
the presidency at the darkest hour of
the Great Depression, pledging to
restore prosperity through expansive
government intervention in the
economy. While Roosevelt's New Deal
did not, in fact, end the Great
Depression, it did permanently alter
American society and create many of
the structures that sustained
prosperity following World War II.
Why Should I Care?
Why does Franklin Delano Roosevelt still matter,
sixty years after he died just 82 days into his
unprecedented fourth term in the White House?
Because FDR made the modern presidency.
Because the New Deal made modern American
society.
Whether you love FDR's politics and policies or
loathe them, it's impossible to imagine the world
we live in today without them.
That's why Franklin Delano Roosevelt still matters.
Terms and People
•
Franklin D. Roosevelt – American President
elected at the height of the Great Depression
•
Eleanor Roosevelt – FDR’s wife and First Lady;
known for her active role in the administration
•
New Deal – programs and legislation enacted by
FDR during the Great Depression to promote
economic recovery and social reform
•
fireside chat – informal radio broadcast in which
FDR communicated with the American people
•
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
(FDIC) – government agency that insures bank
deposits
Terms and People (continued)
•
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) – government
agency that built dams in the Tennessee River valley
to control floods and generate electric power
•
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) – New Deal
program that provided young men with jobs on
environmental conservation projects
•
National Recovery Administration (NRA) – New
Deal agency that promoted economic recovery by
regulating production, prices, and wages
Terms and People (continued)
•
Public Works Administration (PWA) –
government agency that improved the nation’s
infrastructure and created millions of jobs
•
Charles Coughlin – Roman Catholic priest who
accused FDR of not doing enough to end the
depression
•
Huey Long – Louisiana Senator and New Deal critic
Early New Deal Policies
How did the New Deal attempt to
address the problems of the
depression?
As poverty and homelessness gripped the
country, many Americans wondered if the
nation could survive the crisis.
They hoped a new leader could bring back
prosperity—and their faith in democracy.
In 1932, President Hoover ran for reelection.
But he had little chance of winning.
• Unemployment stood at
25 percent.
• Bank failures had wiped
out savings.
• The hungry waited for
food at soup kitchens.
Americans
were ready
for a
change.
President Herbert Hoover
1929-1933
Hoover’s opponent in the election
was Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• Harvard graduate
• New York State senator
• Assistant Secretary of
the Navy
• 1920 Nominee for Vice
President
• Polio survivor
• Governor of New York
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
1933-1945
The two candidates offered very different approaches
to the problems of the Great Depression.
Hoover
Roosevelt
State and local
governments
and private
agencies should
provide relief.
Leadership
should come
from the
federal
government.
Roosevelt won in a landslide.
14
15
FDR’S NEW DEAL
RELIEF
REFORM
RECOVERY
MANY OF HIS PROGRAMS
COMBINED ELEMENTS OF ALL
THREE
16
PROGRAM TYPE
PROGRAM
PURPOSE
RELIEF
FEDERAL EMERGENCY
RELIEF ACT (FERA)
PROVIDE FUNDS TO STATE RELIEF
AGENCIES (WELFARE, UNEMPLOYEMENT)
RELIEF
WORKS PROGRESS
ADMINISTRATION (WPA)
GAVE UNEMPLOYED WORK IN BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION
RELIEF
CIVILIAN CONSERVATION
CORPS (CCC)
PROVIDE JOBS TO YOUNG UNMARRIED
MEN TO WORK ON CONSERVATION AND
RESOURCE PROJECTS
RELIEF
NATIONAL YOUTH
ADMINISTRATION (NYA)
PROVIDE EDU, JOBS, RECREATION FOR
AGES 16-25
PROGRAM
PROGRAM
PURPOSE
RECOVERY
FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION (FCA)
GIVE LONG TERM MORTGAGES TO FARMERS
RECOVERY
AGRICULTURAL ADJUSTMENT ACT (AAA)
PAYING FARMERS $ TO LOWER PRODUCTION
RECOVERY
RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE
CORPORATION (RFC)
GOV’T GAVE $ TO OWNERS OF COMPANIES
RECOVERY
PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATION (PWA)
SPONSORED MASSIVE PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS (DAMS, ETC)
RECOVERY
HOME OWNERS LOAN CORPORATION
(HOLC)
PROVIDE LOW COST MORTGAGE FINANCING
RECOVERY
FEDERAL
HOUSING AUTHORITY (FHA)
PROGRAM
IMPROVE HOUSING CONDITIONS AND STANDARDS (HOME FINANCING)
TYPE
TYPE
RECOVERY
REFORM
REFORM
REFORM
REFORM
PROGRAM
PURPOSE
ESTABLISHPROVIDE
FAIR LABOR AND
BUSINESS
PRACTICES
RELIEF
FEDERAL
EMERGENCY
FUNDS
TO
STATE RELIEF
NATIONAL
INDUSTRIAL
RECOVERY
ACT
N(I)RA
RELIEF ACT (FERA)
AGENCIES (WELFARE,
INSURED BANK DEPOSITS UP TO $5,000
UNEMPLOYEMENT)
FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE
CORPORATION
(FDIC)
RELIEF
WORKS PROGRESS
GAVE UNEMPLOYED WORK
IN
ADMINISTRATION (WPA)
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
REGULATED
THE STOCK
MARKET
AND
PROTECTED
INVESTORS
SECURITIES
RELIEFEXCHANGE COMMISSION
CIVILIAN
PROVIDE
JOBS
TO
YOUNG
UNMARRIED
(SEC)
CONSERVATION CORPS MEN TO WORK ON CONSERVATION AND
SOCIAL SECURITY ACT
PROVIDE OLD AGERESOURCE
PENSIONS
(CCC)
PROJECTS
TO BUILD POWER
PLANTS,
EXTEND
POWER LINES, ANDFOR
WIRING HOMES
RELIEF
NATIONAL
YOUTH LOANS PROVIDE
EDU,
JOBS,
RECREATION
RURAL
ELECTRIFICATION
ADMINISTRATION
(REA)
ADMINISTRATION (NYA)
AGES 16-25
REFORM
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY (TVA)
PROVIDE HYDROELECTRIC POWER, FLOOD PROTECTION, AND REC IN TN
REFORM
WAGNER ACT
LABOR UNIONS RIGHT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
REFORM
FAIR LABORS STANDARD ACT
ABOLISH CHILD LABOR AND ESTABLISH A MINIMUM WAGE
FDR USED THE RADIO GIVING “FIRESIDE CHATS” TO
EXPLAIN HIS PROGRAMS TO THE AMERICAN
19PEOPLE
FDR’S PHILOSOPHY
KEYNESIAN OR "PUMP PRIMING" ECONOMICS
BASED ON THE WORK OF BRITISH ECONOMIST JOHN MAYNARD
KEYNES. HE ARGUED MONEY SHOULD BE INVESTED IN THE
PEOPLE, THE WORKING CLASS. SPENDING WOULD THEN
INCREASE WITH NEW MONEY IN CIRCULATION. AS SPENDING
INCREASED IT WAS EXPECTED BUSINESS WOULD EXPAND TO
MEET THE NEW DEMAND AND HIRE NEW WORKERS. THIS WOULD
BRING ON MORE SPENDING AND MORE GROWTH.
THIS PLAN WAS THE OPPOSITE OF THE REPUBLICAN PLAN
ASCRIBED TO BY HOOVER AND EARLIER LEADERS. THEY HAD
BELIEVED IN SUPPLY SIDE OR "TRICKLE DOWN" ECONOMICS. IN
THIS PHILOSOPHY MONEY WAS TO BE INVESTED AT THE TOP, IN
BUSINESS. THEN BUSINESSES WOULD EXPAND, HIRE NEW
WORKERS AND THIS IN TURN WOULD SPUR ON SPENDING AND
FURTHER ECONOMIC GROWTH.
20
To help him
plan, FDR
sought the
advice of a
diverse group
of men and
women.
His “Brain Trust” consisted of
professionals and academics.
His wife Eleanor Roosevelt
helped him throughout his
presidency. She traveled
widely and acted as the
president’s “eyes and ears.”
FDR’S BRAIN TRUST
HE SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH BRILLIANT SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL THINKERS AS
ADVISORS TO HELP DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO PULL THE NATION OUT OF THE DEPRESSION. MANY
OF THEIR IDEAS CAME FROM THE BRITISH ECONOMIST JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES.
BRAIN TRUST MEMBERS
-Harry Hopkins –
-Henry Morgenthau
-Louis Lowe
-Cordell Hull
-Frances Perkins –
-Sam Rosenman
-Raymond Moley
-Rexford Tugwell
TUGWELL
ROSENMAN
22
Together with his “Brain Trust,” Roosevelt
moved quickly to carry out his promise of
giving Americans a New Deal.
During his first
100 days in
office, 15 bills
were passed.
First New Deal
The legislation
had three goals:
relief, recovery,
and reform.
Roosevelt began with the bank crisis.
FDR declared a four-day bank holiday, closing the
banks so they could get their accounts in order.
In the first of many fireside chats, FDR explained
that his actions were to halt bank failures.
When the banks reopened, there were no
more runs on the banks.
New Leadership: Full speed ahead
FDR took other steps to reform the
financial system.
Federal Deposit
Insurance
Corporation (FDIC)
Insured bank
deposits
Securities and
Exchange
Commission (SEC)
Regulated the
stock market
Such measures helped restore confidence
in the economy.
Roosevelt then turned to a series of New
Deal programs to bring relief to the
country.
Some programs helped
farmers and those in the
rural South.
• The Agricultural
Adjustment Act (AAA)
sought to end
overproduction and raise
crop prices.
• The Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) built
dams to control floods and
generate electricity.
Many programs focused on job relief.
Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC)
Put young men to work
improving national
parks, forests, and
wilderness areas
Federal Emergency
Relief Agency (FERA)
Granted funds to state
and local agencies to
help the unemployed
Civil Works
Administration (CWA)
Gave people jobs on
public-works projects
C.C.C. Boys at Work
18-25 years old who had a portion of their monthly check withheld
and sent back to their families.
The Public Works Administration (PWA)
created millions of jobs.
Workers built bridges,
dams, power plants,
and government
buildings.
These projects
improved the nation’s
infrastructure.
Roosevelt also took steps to speed
economic recovery.
National
Recovery
Administration
(NRA)
• Established codes
of fair competition
• Set minimum
wages for workers
and minimum
prices for goods
POLITICAL CARTOONS ON THE FIRST 100 DAYS
32
OF FDR’S LEGISLATION
THE NEW DEAL COMES UNDER ATTACK
FROM BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT
“IT SEEMS CLEAR THE HONEYMOON IS OVER”
(HARLAN STONE, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
COMMENTING ON THE GROWING OPPOSITION
TO THE NEW DEAL)
LEFT
LIBERAL
RIGHT
CONSERVATIVE
THOSE WHO WANTED THE
GOVERNMENT TO DO MORE TO
END THE DEPRESSION BY
INTERVENING IN THE
ECONOMY
THOSE WHO WANTED THE
GOVERNMENT TO STAY OUT
OF THE ECONOMY AND LET
THE DEPRESSION CURE
ITSELF
POLITICAL SPECTRUM
33
Not everyone, however,
supported the New Deal.
Conservatives charged that it
was making the government
too powerful.
• Destroying free enterprise
• Undermining individualism
Such critics
formed the
American Liberty
League.
WHO WAS IN THE LIBERTY LEAGUE AND WHY DID THEY
OPPOSE FDR AND THE NEW DEAL?
REPUBLICANS AND CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRATS
AL SMITH, FORMER DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK AND
DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN 1928
NORTHERN INDUSTRIALISTS AND EXECUTIVES OF MAJOR
CORPORATIONS SUCH AS DUPONT AND GENERAL MOTORS
THOSE WHO BELIEVED NEW DEAL PROGRAMS WOULD BE PAID FOR
BY NEW TAXES ON THE RICH AND BUSINESS
THOSE WHO BELIEVED THE NEW DEAL RAN COUNTER TO THE
AMERICAN TRADITION OF INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY, LOCAL
CONTROL, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF LAISSEZ-FAIRE WHERE THE
GOVERNMENT DID NOT REGULATE BUSINESS
THEY FADED AWAY AFTER THE 1936 ELECTION
35
While conservatives
thought the New
Deal did too much,
others took the
opposite position.
Some argued that
the New Deal did
not do enough to
end the depression.
• Socialist Party
• American
Communist Party
The
opponents
who gained
the largest
audience
were Populist
critics.
Dr. Francis
Townsend
Proposed giving each
person 60 or older $200 a
month to spend
Father
Charles
Coughlin
Used his radio show to
attack the New Deal,
calling it communist
Proposed a “Share Our
Senator
Huey Long Wealth” program that
taxed the rich and gave
money to the poor
THE LEFT-WING CRITICS
THEY WERE A MORE DIVERSE AND
COLORFUL GROUP WITH NONTRADITIONAL PLANS FOR ENDING
THE DEPRESSION
HUEY LONG
FATHER CHARLES COUGHLIN
FRANCIS E. TOWNSEND
UPTON SINCLAIR
38
HUEY LONG
“EVERY MAN A KING”
HUEY WAS GOVERNOR AND
LATER A SENATOR FROM
LOUISIANA. AS GOVERNOR HE
INTRODUCED MANY REFORMS
BUT WAS ACCUSED OF ACTING
39
LIKE A DICTATOR.
BY HUEY P. LONG, UNITED STATES SENATOR
PEOPLE OF AMERICA: IN EVERY COMMUNITY GET TOGETHER AT ONCE AND
ORGANIZE A SHARE-OUR-WEALTH SOCIETY--MOTTO: EVERY MAN A KING
PRINCIPLES AND PLATFORM:
1. TO LIMIT POVERTY BY PROVIDING THAT EVERY DESERVING FAMILY SHALL SHARE
IN THE WEALTH OF AMERICA FOR NOT LESS THAN ONE THIRD OF THE AVERAGE
WEALTH, THEREBY TO POSSESS NOT LESS THAN $5,000 FREE OF DEBT.
2. TO LIMIT FORTUNES TO SUCH A FEW MILLION DOLLARS AS WILL ALLOW THE
BALANCE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO SHARE IN THE WEALTH AND PROFITS OF
THE LAND.
3. OLD-AGE PENSIONS OF $30 PER MONTH TO PERSONS OVER 60 YEARS OF AGE
WHO DO NOT EARN AS MUCH AS $1,000 PER YEAR OR WHO POSSESS LESS THAN
$10,000 IN CASH OR PROPERTY, THEREBY TO REMOVE FROM THE FIELD OF LABOR IN
TIMES OF UNEMPLOYMENT THOSE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED THEIR SHARE TO THE
PUBLIC SERVICE.
4. TO LIMIT THE HOURS OF WORK TO SUCH AN EXTENT AS TO PREVENT
OVERPRODUCTION AND TO GIVE THE WORKERS OF AMERICA SOME SHARE IN THE
RECREATIONS, CONVENIENCES, AND LUXURIES OF LIFE.
5. TO BALANCE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION WITH WHAT CAN BE SOLD AND
CONSUMED ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF GOD, WHICH HAVE NEVER FAILED.
6. TO CARE FOR THE VETERANS OF OUR WARS.
7. TAXATION TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT TO BE SUPPORTED, FIRST, BY REDUCING
BIG FORTUNES FROM THE TOP, THEREBY TO IMPROVE THE COUNTRY AND PROVIDE
EMPLOYMENT IN PUBLIC WORKS WHENEVER AGRICULTURAL SURPLUS IS SUCH AS
TO RENDER UNNECESSARY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, ANY PARTICULAR CROP.
40
HUEY LONG’S SHARE OUR WEALTH
PROGRAM
HE WANTED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO CONFISCATE ALL
INCOMES OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS ($13 MILLION IN 2002
DOLLARS) AND USE THE MONEY TO GIVE EACH FAMILY A HOME
AND AN INCOME OF $2000 ($26,000 IN 2002 DOLLARS) A YEAR.
HIS PROGRAM WAS EXTREMELY POPULAR AND HE DECLARED
HIMSELF A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT FOR THE 1936
ELECTION. HE WAS MURDERED IN SEPTEMBER OF 1935 AND HIS
MOVEMENT COLLAPSED.
Huey’s
barbeque
speech
41
FRANCIS E. TOWNSEND, A
DOCTOR IN HIS 60’S CAME UP
WITH THE TOWNSEND PLAN
WHICH WOULD GIVE EVERYONE
OVER 60 $200 ($2523 IN 2002
DOLLARS) A MONTH TO SPEND
IN 30 DAYS.
42
FATHER CHARLES COUGHLIN
“THE RADIO PRIEST”
POPULAR CATHOLIC PRIEST WHO HAD A
LARGE RADIO AUDIENCE. HE WAS AN
EARLY SUPPORTER OF FDR BUT CHANGED
AND BECAME A BITTER CRITIC. HE WAS
BOTH AN ANTI- SEMITE AND ANTICAPITALIST
"The great betrayer and
liar, Franklin D. Roosevelt,
who promised to drive the
money changers from the
temple, had succeeded
[only] in driving the
farmers from their
homesteads and the
citizens from their homes
in the cities. . . I ask you to
purge the man who claims
to be a Democrat, from the
Democratic Party, and I
mean Franklin DoubleCrossing Roosevelt."
43
UPTON SINCLAIR AND THE EPIC
MOVEMENT IN CALIFORNIA
ANTI- SINCLAIR
AD FROM THE
1934 ELECTION
SOCIALIST UPTON SINCLAIR, AUTHOR OF THE JUNGLE, RAN
FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA IN 1934 AS A DEMOCRAT.
HIS EPIC (END POVERTY IN CALIFORNIA) ENVISIONED THE
STATE BUYING UP CLOSED FACTORIES AND UNUSED LAND
AND PUTTING UNEMPLOYED CALIFORNIANS TO WORK
MAKING GOODS AND GROWING FOOD. HE WAS SOUNDLY
DEFEATED IN THE ELECTION AND HIS EPIC PROGRAM DIED
SOON AFTER.
44
45
Despite the critics, the
New Deal was popular
with most Americans.
In his inaugural address,
Roosevelt told
Americans, “the only
thing we have to fear is
fear itself.”
FDR succeeded in
reducing people’s fear,
but the depression was
far from over.
Second New Deal
Terms and People
•
Second New Deal – legislative activity begun by
Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 to solve problems
created by the Great Depression
•
Works Progress Administration (WPA) – agency
that provided job relief through public-works projects
•
John Maynard Keynes – British economist who
supported the policy of deficit spending to help end
the depression
•
pump priming – economic theory that favored
public works projects because they put money in the
hands of consumers who would buy more goods,
stimulating the economy
Terms and People (continued)
• Social Security Act – 1935 law that created a
pension system for retirees, established
unemployment insurance, created insurance for
victims of work-related accidents, and provided aid
for poverty-stricken mothers and children, the
blind, and the disabled
• Wagner Act – law that recognized the right of
employees to join labor unions and gave workers
the right to collective bargaining
• collective bargaining – process in which
employers negotiate with labor unions about
hours, wages, and other working conditions
Terms and People (continued)
• Fair Labor Standards Act – law that set a
minimum wage and a maximum workweek and
outlawed child labor
• Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) –
labor organization founded in the 1930s that
represented industrial workers
• sit-down strike – labor protest in which workers
stop working and occupy the workplace until their
demands are met
• court packing – FDR plan to add more justices to
the Supreme Court after the Court ruled some
New Deal legislation unconstitutional
What major issues did the second
New Deal address?
As depression continued to grip the nation,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt continued to
search for solutions.
Many of the New Deal programs created by
FDR continue to impact Americans today.
Though progress had been made toward easing the
problems of the Great Depression, Roosevelt knew
that much work still needed to be done.
In 1935, FDR
launched a new
campaign to
help meet the
goals of relief,
recovery, and
reform.
The Second New Deal
As FDR planned a new round of spending,
critics charged that New Deal programs, and
their high price tags, were wasteful.
• The government was spending
money it did not have.
• The federal deficit had soared to
$4.4 billion.
Economists
such as John
Maynard
Keynes
disagreed.
• Public-works projects put
money in the hands of
consumers.
• Consumer spending would
stimulate the economy.
• Deficit spending was
needed to end the
depression.
• Keynes called this idea
pump priming.
Deficit spending continued under the second New Deal.
The Second New Deal aimed to extend social
and economic reforms.
The Works Progress Administration
(WPA) created millions of jobs on publicworks projects.
• Workers built highways and public buildings,
dredged rivers and harbors, and promoted
soil and water conservation.
• Artists were hired to enhance public spaces.
The Social Security Act
created a pension system
for retirees.
It also provided
• unemployment insurance
• insurance for victims of
work-related accidents
• aid for poverty-stricken
mothers and children, the
blind, and the disabled
57
SOCIAL SECURITY CREATED MASSIVE AND
COMPLEX BOOKKEEPING JOBS FOR FEDERAL AND
STATE EMPLOYEES
58
59
Such benefits helped reduce poverty among the
nation’s elderly.
The Rural Electrification
Administration helped
bring power to isolated
rural areas.
The government
provided price supports
for agriculture.
New Deal programs changed the relationship of
the federal government to the American farmer.
The government also funded irrigation
systems, dams, and other water projects
in the West.
• The Bonneville Dam in the Pacific Northwest
controlled flooding and provided electricity to
a vast number of citizens.
• The government funded the complex Central
Valley irrigation system in California.
Roosevelt also believed that improving the
standard of living for industrial workers
would benefit the entire economy.
Wagner Act
• recognized the right of
workers to join labor unions
Fair Labor
Standards Act
• set a minimum wage
and maximum
workweek
• gave workers the right to
collective bargaining
• outlawed child labor
As union activity rose, a split emerged in the
American Federation of Labor.
The AFL
represented
skilled
workers who
joined craft
or trade
unions.
The union
made little
effort to
organize
workers in
the major
industries.
John L. Lewis
formed the
Congress of
Industrial
Organizations
(CIO) to
unionize
industrial
workers.
CHILDREN OF SIT-DOWN STRIKERS PARADING IN FLINT ON 2/3/37
65
Strikes
STRIKES IN THE 1930’S
The General Motors Sit-Down Strike Starting December
30, 1936, this building was occupied for 44 days by
striking members of the United Auto Workers. The
strikers acting in concert with other plants that were
closed or to be closed by sit-downs, asked for recognition
of the union as sole bargaining representative for all
hourly-rated employees of General Motors Corporation.
Court injunctions and threats of eviction by both the
sheriff of Genesee County and the Flint Police
Department did not sway the strikers from their goal. An
agreement was reached in Detroit on February 11, 1937,
that changed the relationships between the company and
its employees. The settlement led to complete
unionization of the auto industry in ensuing years and
added stability for the union and the company.
67
BATTLE OF THE OVERPASS, MAY 1937:
UNION LEADERS WERE BEATEN WHILE
PEACEFULLY AIDING WOMEN HANDING OUT
LITERATURE. THEY WERE ATTACKED BY
“SERVICEMEN” WHO WERE ACTUALLY
THUGS AND CRIMINALS HIRED BY HENRY
FORD TO STOP UNIONS WITH VIOLENCE.
THESE PICTURES WERE PUBLISHED AND
GAINED MUCH SUPPORT FOR UNIONS
68
GROWTH IN UNION MEMBERSHIP UNDER
FDR
12
11
10
8
1933
1934
1941
6
4
3.7
2.8
2
0
UNION MEMBERSHIP IN MILLIONS
69
In 1936, the CIO’s United Auto Workers Union
staged a sit-down strike at General Motors.
After 44 days, GM
recognized the
new union.
This success led to
others, and union
membership soared.
JOBS,
JOBS,
JOBS!!!
72
After an overwhelming reelection victory, FDR
decided to fight back against the Supreme Court,
which had struck down many of his programs.
• In 1937, FDR proposed adding up to six new
Justices to the Court.
• Critics attacked his court-packing plan as an
attempt to expand presidential power.
• The failed plan weakened Roosevelt politically.
• However, 1937 marked a turning point in the history
of the Supreme Court. It more willingly accepted a
larger role for the federal government.
FDR AND THE SUPREME COURT: 1937
“COURT PACKING SCHEME”
THE SUPREME COURT HAD DECLARED FIVE NEW DEAL
PROGRAMS UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN 1935.
IN 1936,THE COURT STRUCK DOWN FOUR OTHER NEW
DEAL INITIATIVES.
FDR BEGAN TO SEE THE SUPREME COURT AS AN ENEMY
OF
THE NEW DEAL AND HIS ATTEMPTS TO END THE
DEPRESSION.
TO COUNTER THE SUPREME COURT'S NEGATIVE
RULINGS
HE
PROPOSED WHAT BECAME KNOWN AS
THE “COURT
PACKING SCHEME” WHICH WAS A PLAN
TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF FRIENDLY JUSTICES ON THE
SUPREME COURT.
THE POLITICAL CARTOONS ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDES
TRACE THE EVOLUTION OF FDR’S STRUGGLE TO
BRING
THE COURT UNDER WHAT SOME CALLED HIS
CONTROL.
75
IN EARLY 1937 ROOSEVELT PROPOSED A JUDICIARY “REORGANIZATION” BILL TO
CONGRESS.
THIS BILL WOULD ALLOW THE PRESIDENT TO APPOINT ONE NEW JUSTICE TO THE
SUPREME COURT FOR EVERY CURRENT JUSTICE WHO HAD REACHED 70 YEARS OF AGE
AND FAILED TO RETIRE. UNDER ROOSEVELT’S PLAN THE SUPREME COURT COULD HAVE
AS MANY AS 15 JUSTICES.
MANY CONSERVATIVES SAW HIS “COURT PACKING SCHEME” AS PROOF THAT FDR
WANTED TO BE A DICTATOR. ROOSEVELT’S SUPPORTERS BELIEVED THAT THE COURT HAD
TO BE MODIFIED SO THE NEW DEAL COULD MOVE AHEAD IN BRINGING THE NATION OUT
OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION.
76
77
CARTOONS SUPPORTING FDR’S COURT
REORGANIZATION PLAN
78
79
CARTOONS WARNING OF THE DANGERS OF “COURT PACKING”
FDR WAS HURT BY HIS APPOINTMENT OF ONE TIME KKK
MEMBER, HUGO BLACK, IN AUGUST OF 1937, TO THE
SUPREME COURT. ALTHOUGH HUGO BLACK HAD BRIEFLY
BEEN A KLAN MEMBER IN THE 1920’S; HE WAS A LIBERAL
SUPPORTER OF FDR AND AFTER BEING CONFIRMED, WAS
AN ADVOCATE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT
IN 1971.
80
DESPITE FDR’S BEST EFFORTS THE JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION BILL FAILED TO PASS
AND HE SUFFERED HIS FIRST MAJOR POLITICAL DEFEAT. HOWEVER, THE SUPREME
COURT BEGAN UPHOLDING SOME NEW DEAL LEGISLATION WITH SEVERAL OF THE
JUSTICES REVERSING THEIR PREVIOUS POSITIONS. IT APPEARED THE COURT
MODERATED ITS OPPOSITION TO NEW DEAL LEGISLATION IN ORDER TO PROTECT ITSELF
FROM POLITICAL ATTACKS. IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, SEVERAL JUSTICES RETIRED AND
FDR GOT TO APPOINT NEW JUSTICES MORE FAVORABLE TO HIS POLICIES.
81
Roosevelt faced other challenges to the New Deal.
After the economy had begun to improve in 1935 and
1936, FDR cut back on government spending to reduce
the deficit. At the same time, interest rates rose.
The combination caused the
economy to sink again, and
unemployment soared.
With his support wavering,
FDR did not try to push
further reforms through
Congress.
RECESSION IN THE FALL OF 1937
FDR WAS WEAKENED POLITICALLY BY THE FIGHT OVER
THE SUPREME COURT AND FOUND IT HARDER TO
DEAL WITH CONGRESS
THERE WAS STILL HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT AND MILLIONS
WERE STILL SURVIVING ON GOVERNMENT RELIEF
PAYMENTS
HUGE BUDGET DEFICITS WERE PILING UP
IN JUNE OF 1937, CONCERNED OVER THE DEFICITS,
FDR HAD
CONGRESS CUT SPENDING FOR GOVERNMENT
ANTI- DEPRESSION MEASURES INCLUDING PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT TO SUCCESSFULLY BALANCE THE
BUDGET
THE RESULT WAS A SEVERE RECESSION WITH THE
STOCK
MARKET CRASHING AND 10 MILLION
WORKERS LOSING
THEIR JOBS
FDR WAS FORCED TO QUICKLY POUR MONEY INTO
PROGRAMS SUCH AS CCC AND WPA TO ALLEVIATE
83
THE RECESSION
POLITICAL
CARTOON
REFLECTING THE
FEAR AND
UNCERTAINTY THE
1937 RECESSION
CAUSED
84
Effects of the New Deal
Terms and People
●
Black Cabinet – African American leaders who
served as unofficial advisers to Franklin D.
Roosevelt
●
Mary McLeod Bethune – educator and special
advisor on minority affair in FDR’s Black Cabinet
●
Indian New Deal – 1930s program that gave
Native Americans economic assistance and greater
control over their own affairs
●
New Deal coalition – diverse group of southern
whites, northern blue-collar workers, midwestern
farmers, and African Americans that united behind
FDR and the New Deal
Terms and People
●
(continued)
welfare state – government that assumes
responsibility for providing for the welfare of
children and the poor, elderly, sick, disabled, and
unemployed
How did the New Deal change the
social, economic, and political landscape
of the United States for future
generations?
The New Deal affected people of many different
backgrounds and ways of life. It also
fundamentally changed the role of the federal
government in the economy, the power of the
presidency, and the relationship of the American
people to their government.
The New Deal gave women an opportunity
to increase their influence.
Eleanor Roosevelt inspired
many women in her
leadership role during the
New Deal.
• Transformed the role of
First Lady from ceremonial
to political activist
• Traveled widely
• Campaigned for FDR
• Offered policy advice
• Wrote a newspaper column
Other women also played important roles in the
administration, such as Secretary of Labor
Frances Perkins, the first female Cabinet member.
However, the
New Deal did
not fight to
end gender
discrimination
in the
workplace.
• The WPA and other
agencies made an effort
to employ men first.
• Women could not work
for the CCC.
African Americans
were hit especially
hard by the
depression.
• The unemployment rate
for African Americans was
nearly 50 percent.
• Many people urged FDR
to help end racial
discrimination.
Roosevelt asked advice of members of his Black
Cabinet, such as Mary McLeod Bethune.
Some New Deal measures unintentionally hurt
African Americans.
But he did not always listen. FDR refused to support
an antilynching law, fearing political fallout.
Some New Deal
measures
unintentionally
hurt African
Americans.
• Farm subsidies led
landowners to evict
sharecroppers.
• African Americans often did
not receive equal wages.
• Domestic and farm workers,
occupations that employed
many African Americans,
were exempted from New
Deal programs.
The New Deal’s Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, John Collier, tried to improve
living conditions for Native Americans.
The Bureau of
Indian Affairs
encouraged native
religions,
languages, and
customs.
The Indian New Deal:
• Provided funds to
build schools and
hospitals
• Created an Indian
Civilian Conservation
Corps
The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which restored
tribal control over native lands was considered the
centerpiece of the Indian New Deal.
Roosevelt and the New Deal united diverse
groups of Americans into a political powerhouse.
The New Deal coalition
included southern whites,
northern blue-collar
workers, midwestern
farmers, and African
Americans.
Democrats were now in
the majority.
Roosevelt’s New Deal programs also helped
unify a struggling nation.
• Social and ethnic divisions diminished.
• Immigrant communities gained a greater
sense of belonging.
• Programs such as the WPA and CCC allowed
people of different backgrounds to get to
know one another.
With the New Deal, FDR broke from the
tradition of laissez-faire and greatly
expanded the role of government.
New Deal
measures
strengthened
capitalism and
encouraged the
post-World War II
economic boom.
• Restored trust in the
banks and the stock
market
• Increased
homeownership
• Protected workers
• Helped modernize
rural America
Thousands of PWA and WPA projects benefited
communities—and local economies—across the country.
At the same time, the New Deal led to the rise of
the welfare state.
In a major policy change,
the New Deal established
the principle that the
federal government was
responsible for the
welfare of all Americans.
FDR also favored federal action to protect
the environment.
• The government established 12 million
acres of new national parks.
• The CCC restored forests and
preserved the environment.
Despite its benefits, the TVA had a mixed
environmental impact, disrupting natural habitats.
FDR
Finally, FDR and the New Deal changed the nature of
the presidency itself.
Culture in the 1930s
Terms and People
•
The Wizard of Oz – popular depression-era film
that promised dreams really can come true
•
Frank Capra – director whose films celebrated
American idealism and the triumph of the common
man over adversity
•
War of the Worlds – 1938 radio drama that was
so realistic many people feared that Martians were
actually invading
•
Federal Art Project – branch of the WPA that
hired artists to create artworks for public buildings
Terms and People
(Continued)
•
mural – large picture painted directly on a wall or
ceiling
•
Dorothea Lange – Farm Security Administration
photographer who helped document the plight of
America’s farmers
•
John Steinbeck – author whose depression-era
classic The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of a
family trying to escape the Dust Bowl
•
Lillian Hellman – playwright whose works
featured strong roles for women and socially
conscious subject matter
How did the men and women of the
depression find relief from their
hardships in the popular culture?
Entertainment helped Americans struggling
to survive the depression escape their
worries—at least for a time.
Federal support for the arts added to the
era’s rich cultural heritage.
Entertainment was big business during
the 1930s.
• Large radio networks were broadcasting giants,
while a few film companies dominated the silver
screen.
• By the end of the 1930s, nearly two thirds of all
Americans attended a movie each week.
• Stars made fortunes and attracted loyal followings.
Movies, radio, and music reflected the mood of
the country.
Most Americans went to the movies to escape
their worries during the Great Depression.
• The Wizard of Oz
• Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs
• Frankenstein
• Top Hat
• Gone With the Wind
In the early 1930s, gangster films such as Public Enemy
reflected the public’s distrust of government.
As the New Deal restored confidence, films such as
G-Men began portraying government officials as heroes.
Director Frank Capra focused on the triumph of
the common man over adversity in such films as
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Radio was also a vital part of everyday life.
• Radio networks such
as NBC and CBS
entertained millions.
• People listened to
comedy, drama,
news, and FDR’s
fireside chats.
Orson Welles’
1938 radio drama
War of the
Worlds was so
realistic that it
caused a national
panic when
listeners thought
that Martians
were invading.
Radio disc jockeys
played the latest
tunes on shows
like Your Hit
Parade and Make
Believe Ballroom.
Music provided a happy diversion and a
serious outlet for social concerns.
“Swing” music played
by “big bands”
topped the charts.
The folk singer
Leadbelly described
the harsh lives of
African Americans.
Latin music and
dances like the
rumba and the
samba were popular.
Woodie Guthrie
wrote ballads about
the Dust Bowl and
the Okies.
During the New Deal, the federal government
provided funding for the arts for the first
time in history.
The Federal Art Project, Federal Writers’
Project, and Federal Theater Project were
all funded by the WPA.
WPA writers created a series of state
guidebooks that recorded the nation’s
history and folklore.
WPA artists painted
giant murals in
public buildings
across the nation.
Photographers like
Dorothea Lange
created powerful
images of
impoverished
farmers and
migrant workers.
“Migrant Mother”
Critics charged
that the Federal
Art programs were
promoting radical
or communist
views.
This led to a drop
in congressional
funding.
Though its funding was cut, the Federal Art
programs set a precedent for future funding of the
arts and humanities.
Depression-era writers reflected the concerns
of Americans from all walks of life.
In The Grapes
of Wrath,
John
Steinbeck told
the story of an
Okie family
escaping the
Dust Bowl.
In Native Son,
Richard Wright
explored racial
prejudice.
Lillian
Hellman
portrayed
strong
women in
her plays.
Comic strips and comic books also were
very popular.
POW!
• Flash Gordon
Science Fiction
• Dick Tracy
Detective Story
• Superman
The first great superhero
comic—showed that ordinary
citizens could overcome evil.
Chapter Summary
Section 1: FDR Offers Relief and Recovery
Within his first 100 days in office, Roosevelt and Congress
passed fifteen major laws to offer relief, reform, and
recovery. Mrs. Roosevelt played a large role in the
Administration. There were many critics of the New Deal.
Section 2: The Second New Deal
In the Second New Deal, Roosevelt sought far reaching
solutions to the causes of the Depression. The problems of
workers, the unemployed, the poor, and the elderly were all
addressed.
Chapter Summary
(continued)
Section 3: Effects of the New Deal
The New Deal changed the role of the federal government
in the lives of American citizens and in the national
economy. It created new political coalitions and changed the
power of the president.
Section 4: Culture of the 1930s
The 1930s was a golden age for radio and movies. People
sought escape from the pain of the Great Depression. It
was also the first time that the federal government
sponsored art and artists.