Step #1 - Make a copy of the document - Title it Modified DBQ 4 - add the required information
Step #2 - Place your name at the top of the page
Step #3 - Write the essay in the box provided
Step #4 - Share the essay with me by Wednesday May 13 @ 5pm
In your response you should do the following.
● Respond to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis or claim that establishes a line of
reasoning.
● Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
● Use at least two - but try for 4 - dos to support your claim
● Provide 2 pieces of outside information to support your claim
● Provide P-H-I or A for at least 1 - try for two - docs when supporting your claim
● Show complex understanding of the prompt and your claim
A Couple of Thoughts…..
● Set a clock for 45 minutes to practice dealing with the time.
● Have your Time Period 3 notes available to use - just as you would on the exam.
Prompt
Evaluate the extent of changes in the influence and role of the government in American society during the
period 1921-1940
Document 1 people are buying more (economy boom)
Source: The Cash Register Chorus, DR Fitzpatrick (1924)
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Document 2 (economic; republicans are resisting government assistance into business)
Source: Herbert Hoover, “Principles and Ideals of the United States Government” (1928)
The first responsibility of the Republican Administration was to renew the march of progress from
its collapse by the war. That task involved the restoration of confidence in the future and the
liberation and stimulation of the constructive energies of our people.
It is not my purpose to enter upon a detailed recital of the great constructive measures of the past
seven and a half years…
But in addition to this great record of contributions of the Republican Party to progress, there has
been a further fundamental contribution—a contribution underlying and sustaining all the others
—and that is the resistance of the Republican Party to every attempt to inject the Government into
business in competition with its citizens.
Document 3 (gov shouldnt help in buisness (democrat) it would lower profits if we help workers)
Source: Letter to Senator Robert Wagner, march 7, 1934
It seems very apparent to me that the Administration at Washington is accelerating it’s {sic} pace
towards socialism and communism. Nearly every public statement from Washington is against
stimulation of business which would in the end create employment.
Everyone is sympathetic to the cause of creating more jobs and better wages for labor; but, a
program continually promoting labor troubles, higher wages, shorter hours, and less profits for
business, would seem to me to be leading us fast to condition where the Government must more
and more expand it’s relief activities, and will lead in the end to disaster for all classes.
Document 4 (the new deal is represented by the tree and it is helping the economy and the educated
working man prosper)
Source: The Evening Star (Washington D.C.) April 26, 1934
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Document 5 (unconstitutonal act which was the industry recovory act, gave power to executive branch)
Source: Charles Evans Hughes, majority opinion, Schecter v United States, 1935
The question of chief importance relates to the provision of the codes to the hours and wages of
those employed...It is plain that these requirements are imposed in order to govern the details of
defendants' management of their local business. The persons employed …. Are not employed in
interstate commerce. Their wages have no direct relation to interstate commerce…
The authority of the federal government may not be pushed to such an extreme
Complete your essay in the box below
As industrialism started to take a hold of America, big business started to appear. These companies
put profits before american workers and used their income to convince politicians of Laissez-Faire
economies. Since there was little government control, big business took advantage of workers and
passed laws that were more for show, and in the end hurt the average american workers. After the
economic boom of World War One, the American government increased their power in many aspects,
but failed to do so in others.
As soldiers started to come home from World War One, they were sitting on a lot of unspent
paychecks (their wives were working so they didn't need to spend that money). The war created a
demand for new technology which quickly transformed into home appliances and gadgets. With this
newfound wealth, many Americans started to consume more and more products which led to an
economic boom (Doc 1). What made this easier was also instalment financing. With this, families only
had to pay a little for each new appliance but over time, making everything more affordable. However,
with instalment financing, many Americans began to stretch their budgets too thin and fell behind on
payments, leading them to take out loans that they couldn’t pay back. This led to the stock market crash
and Great Depression, which after reaching a certain point of devastation, prompted the federal
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government to step in. They created the New Deal, which was designed to put America back to work,
and also gave loans to businesses so they could start hiring people again. The hope was that as more
people got to work, demand for products would grow, and industries would need to hire more people to
meet this demand and an economic upward spiral would soon start (Doc 4).
The government failed to change in some aspects. Although the New Deal was passed which
expanded government power, Herbert Hoover (a republican president) still fought against government
assistance in business. He thought that the government should practice Laizze-Fairre economics and
believed it was unconstitutional to do otherwise (Doc. 2). This mindset still is prevalent in the US
Federal government to this day, with politicians refusing or fighting against any change which would
regulate business. So although the government did step in to turn the Great Depression around,
politicians still fight against change unless in a crisis. Even on the other side of the political spectrum,
Robert Wagner (a democratic senator), believed that any government expansion into workers rights,
would decrease profits for businesses and collapse the economy (Doc. 3). Instead, he fought for the The
National Labor Relations Act of 1935, which gave workers the right to organize into unions and
advocate for their own rights.With this, it was no longer the government’s responsibility to control or
fight for workers.
Although the time period of 1921-1940 brought prosperity to America, it brought with it the Great
Depression and as a result, the biggest change to the Federal Government ever seen. The New Deal
improved conditions for workers and stimulated the economy. However, the criticism that was brought
with it, is still prevalent today. Many Americans want as little government interference in any part of
their lives, including the economy. The government should not fight for workers right, but will instead
allow workers to protest if they choose to do so. In conclusion, the federal government grew its power
in order to control the spreading of the Great Depression, but as a result fueled the country into
resisting federal government expansion which still lasts today.
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