the New Deal
Eliseo Lugo III
Objectives:
•Describe how Franklin Roosevelt won
the 1932 Presidential Election
•Explain how the New Deal attempted to
promote economic recovery
•Identify critics of FDR’s New Deal
•Describe New Deal work programs
Main Idea and Why It Matters Now
•Americans still benefit
•After becoming
from programs that
president, FDR used
government programs were begun in the New
Deal, such as bank and
to combat the
stock market regulations
Depression.
and the Tennessee
Valley Authority.
Presidential Election of 1932
•People were suffering
•Lack of jobs, food, and hope
•Republicans re-nominated Hoover
•Little chance of winning
•Democrats nominated FDR
•Franklin Delano Roosevelt
•2 terms as governor of NY
•Reform minded leader
FDR wins
overwhelmingl
y
Democrats
win a 2/3
majority in the
Senate
Democrats
win ¾ majority
in the House
FDR has to
wait four
months to take
the office of
President
Election of 1932
A Political Cartoon Depicting FDR’s
entrance into the Presidency
The New Deal
• Brain Trust
• FDR’s highly skilled advisors
• Formulate a set of policies for his administration
• The New Deal
• Program designed to alleviate the problems of the Great Depression
• 3 Goals of the New Deal
• Relief for the needy
• Economic Recovery
• Financial Reform
The First New Deal
• The First 100 Days
• Period of intense legislative activity
• 15 pieces of legislation
• Expanded the federal government’s role in the nation’s economy
• Reforms banking and finance – bank holiday
• Revive public confidence
•Help the American people
• Relief to farmers, jobs to the unemployed
Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Background information:
•
•
•
•
•
Born into a wealthy family
Stricken with polio – partially paralyzed
Confident leader
First President to use live radio to address the American public
Fireside Chats
• Talked about issues of public concern
• Explained the New Deal in clear terms
The New Deal Under Attack
• FDR used Deficit Spending
• Spending more money than the government receives
in revenue
• Keynesian economics – government spends money
to stimulate economic recovery
• More money in the hands of consumers to fuel
economic growth
•A necessary evil?
•The New Deal did not end the depression
The New Deal Under Attack
Liberal critics
Did not go far enough to reform the
system
Conservative critics
Too much direct relief
Socialist!
Supreme Court and the new deAL
• The Supreme Court struck down New Deal programs as unconstitutional
• Too much power in executive branch
• Interfered with state-federal roles (federalism)
• FDR proposes a court-packing bill
• Reorganize judiciary and allow FDR to appoint new justices
• Storm of protest
• FDR gets to appoint new judges anyway due to retirements/resignations
THREE Critics OF THE NEW DEAL
• Father Charles Coughlin – Roman Catholic priest with a radio show
• Wanted government controlled banks and a
guaranteed annual income
• Dr. Francis Townsend
• FDR not doing enough for poor and elderly
• Pension plan to help the aged
• Senator Huey Long of Louisiana
• “Share-Our-Wealth” program
• assassinated