Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt
Americans and Rugged Individualism (Herbert Hoover)
Questions
1. How did Herbert Hoover’s belief in the trait of rugged individualism affect his attitude toward
the proper role of government?
2. Why does Hoover say that the U.S. system of government is the most advanced?
3. According to Hoover, why was the government control over some industries needed during
World War I?
4. What does Hoover predict will happen to private initiative if there is too much government
during peacetime?
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address
Questions
1. What did Franklin D. Roosevelt mean when he told the American people “the only thing we
have to fear is fear itself?”
2. How did Roosevelt plan to use the federal government to put people back to work/
3. How did Roosevelt propose to prevent a return to the kind of stock speculation that he
believed helped cause the Great Depression?
Big Questions
1. How were Roosevelt’s views on the role of government similar to or different from those of
Herbert Hoover?
2. Which set of economic policies do you think would work best if the United States were to sink
into a similar economic depression today? Explain your answer.