Chapter
23 Section 2
Objectives
• Learn how Franklin Roosevelt won the 1932
presidential election.
• Find out how the New Deal tried to promote
economic recovery.
• Understand what new laws regulated America’s
economic system.
• Identify the obstacles and criticisms faced by
the New Deal.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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Terms and People
• Franklin D. Roosevelt – American President
who created the New Deal
• fireside chat – informal radio broadcast
delivered by President Roosevelt to the
American people
• Huey Long – Democratic senator from
Louisiana
• Francis Townsend – doctor whose idea for a
system of payments to retirees helped pave the
way for the Social Security system
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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Terms and People (continued)
• pension – retirement payments
• Charles Coughlin – Catholic priest who called
on the government to take over the banks
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
23 Section 2
How did President Roosevelt respond
to the Great Depression?
President Hoover’s actions did little to end the
poverty and homelessness that gripped the
country.
In 1932, Americans had the opportunity to
elect a new leader, and they took it.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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President Hoover’s opponent in the election was
Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• Candidate for Vice
President in 1920
• Polio survivor
• Governor of New York
Roosevelt inspired
confidence and hope
in voters.
He won the election by a landslide.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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To make well-informed decisions, Roosevelt
conferred with the “brain trust,” a group of
advisors that included college professors.
Roosevelt and his advisors had three goals:
foster economic
recovery
prevent future
depressions
Roosevelt and the New Deal
provide relief
for the jobless
Chapter
23 Section 2
On the day after Roosevelt took office, he began to
address the banking crisis.
• Closed the banks for four days
Bank Holiday
Emergency
Banking
Relief Act
• Helped halt the wave of bank
failures
• Provided more careful
regulation of the banks
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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During the bank holiday, FDR delivered the first of many
fireside chats.
The fireside chats
were meant to
restore the public’s
trust in banks.
When the banks reopened, many customers returned,
ready to redeposit their money.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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Roosevelt took further steps to address the economic
causes of the depression.
He created the
National Recovery
Agency (NRA) to keep
prices stable and
boost employment
and buying power.
Encouraged industries to:
• Pay a minimum wage
• End child labor
• Keep wages and prices
from falling too low
The NRA failed to improve the economy.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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Next, Roosevelt turned to job relief, creating
programs to put people back to work.
Organization
Location
Projects
Civilian
Conservation
Corps
national parks,
forests, and
wilderness areas
• Hired workers to plant trees,
build reservoirs, and construct
parks
Works Progress urban areas
Administration
• Hired workers to repair
Public Works
Administration
• Hired workers to plan and
tunnels,
highways, and
dams
Roosevelt and the New Deal
buildings, pave roads, and
build bridges
• Hired artists and writers to
enhance public projects
build large public-works
projects
Chapter
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Workers at the WPA and PWA completed projects
that benefited communities across the country.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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Yet the Great Depression continued, despite
American’s hard work.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built dams
along the Tennessee River to control flooding,
provide electricity, and increase jobs.
The TVA succeeded in many of its goals. However,
it failed to bring prosperity to the region.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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Finally, Roosevelt took steps to reform
business practices to prevent future
depressions.
Truth-in-Securities Act
• Required full disclosure
of stock information
Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation
(FDIC)
• Guaranteed individual
bank deposits
Other agencies set new fairness and safety
standards for key industries.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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In just his first one hundred days in office, FDR
had created the framework of the New Deal.
The economy still
struggled, yet FDR
remained popular.
He easily won reelection in 1936.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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Not all Americans, however, were happy
with the New Deal.
Conservatives thought the New Deal placed too
many restrictions on businesses and individuals.
The Supreme
Court declared
several New Deal
measures to be
unconstitutional.
FDR responded
with a proposal to
name six new
justices to the
Court.
Roosevelt’s “court-packing” plan was rejected by
Congress.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
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Liberals thought the New Deal did not do enough to help
the poor.
Huey Long wanted to tax
the rich and give their
wealth to the poor.
Charles Coughlin
urged the government
to take over the
banks.
Francis Townsend
argued for a system of
government pensions
for retirees.
Such critics attracted attention, yet they were unable to
damage Roosevelt’s continued popularity.
Roosevelt and the New Deal
Chapter
23 Section 2
Section Review
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Roosevelt and the New Deal
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