Semester 2 Unit 2: The Great Depression
Notes 3: FDR and the New Deal
The 1932 elections showed that Americans were ready for a change. In an attempt to regain hope and possibly
end the Depression, incumbent president ______________________ was beaten by Democratic candidate
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, known as _________________. FDR was the governor of New York and a distant
__________________________ of former president Teddy Roosevelt.
Four months would pass between FDR’s election and his _________________________________ (it wasn’t
until 1933 that the 20th amendment, which moved presidential inaugurations to January, took effect and it did
not cover the 1932 election). During that time, FDR gathered with a carefully picked group of
_________________ and formulated a plan to alleviate the problems of the Depression. This plan became
known as _________________________________________.
New Deal policies would focus on three main goals:
 __________________
 economic recovery
 ___________________
for the needy
reform
The Hundred Days
Saving the Banks
Upon entering office, FDR immediately jumped into intense activity to initiate new programs. This became
known as the ____________________________________ and lasted from March 9 to June 16, 1933. During
this time Congress passed more than ___________ major pieces of New Deal legislation that greatly increased
the federal government’s ________________ in the national economy.
One day after taking office, FDR declared a ______________________________________ and closed all of
the banks to prevent further withdrawals and to end the increasing rate of bank failures. He convinced Congress
to pass the Emergency Banking Relief Act, which authorized the Treasury Department to
__________________ banks around the country. Those that were ______________________ could reopen and
those that were unable to pay their debts would remain closed. Banks that needed help would receive
_______________. This caused the public to _________________ banks again since those that were open were
in good shape. Congress also establishes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). This insured
individual accounts and allowed people to have ___________________ in their deposits. The Federal
Securities Act also required corporations to provide complete information on their stock offerings and made
them _________________ for misrepresentations. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was
created to ______________________ stock market activity. All of these actions strengthened banks and
businesses and allowed people to invest with __________________________.
Fireside Chats
On March 12, the day before the first banks would reopen, Roosevelt gave the first of his many
_______________ talks about issues of public concern. He explained in clear and simple language the policies
of his New Deal Program. These radio speeches would become known as “____________________________.”
In the first speech he explained the new banking programs and that the nation’s recovery depended on people
not demanding all of their savings from banks at once – as this led to the downfall of many banks. Over the next
few weeks, many Americans __________________________ their savings to the banks; FDR’s fireside chat
had returned their faith in the banks.
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Semester 2 Unit 2: The Great Depression
Notes 3: FDR and the New Deal
The 21st Amendment
Roosevelt persuaded Congress to approve a bill allowing the manufacture and sale of some
_________________. His intent was to increase government revenue by taxing alcohol. The 21st amendment
quickly followed by the end of 1933 and ___________________________ Prohibition altogether.
Helping the American People
Rural Assistance
The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) tried to ______________________ farm prices by lowering
production (and therefore supply) of farm goods. The government did this by paying farmers to leave a certain
amount of every acre __________________________________. Some crops were too far along for the “no
seeding” policy to work. In these cases, the government paid cotton growers $200 million to _______________
__________________ 10 million acres of cotton. Hog farmers were paid to ________________________ 6
million pigs. The _____________________________ of so much food during a time of hunger shocked many
Americans, but it did help raise farm prices and put __________________________ into farmers’ pockets.
One of the most ambitious programs was the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). This removed old dams from
the _____________________________________ and built 20 new ones. This created thousands of _________,
established flood control, and provided ___________________________________ to an extremely poor region.
Work Projects
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) put young men between the ages of 18-25 to work building
___________, creating parks, planting _______________, and controlling soil-erosion and flooding. By the end
of the program in 1942, 3 million young men had been employed by it. Workers received $30 a month, $______
of which was automatically sent home to their family. Free food, uniforms, and lodging were supplied in the
work camps. 200 million trees were planted in the Great Plains by CCC workers – this project was to control
_________________________ and prevent another Dust Bowl. The CCC also built ______________________
_________________________ on Mt. Hood!
The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided money to states to create jobs in the construction of
____________________ and community buildings. This program was not terribly successful and changed to
the Civil Works Administration (CWA) in November of 1933. This provided 4 million jobs over the winter.
The CWA also built 40,000 schools, paid the salaries of 50,000 ________________________________ in rural
schools, and built more than half a million miles of roads.
Promoting Fair Practices
The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was created to interrupt wage cuts, falling prices, and layoffs.
The NRA drafted codes of “__________________________________” which limited production and
established prices. Workers were also guaranteed the right to ______________________________.
Basic Needs
The Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) provided government _____________________ to home
owners who faced foreclosure. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) used $500 million to
provide direct relief for the needy. Some paid for ___________________________________ programs and the
rest provided ___________________ and clothing to those in need through state grants. The idea behind the
work relief program was that people were getting the money they needed for necessary goods, but also gained
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Semester 2 Unit 2: The Great Depression
Notes 3: FDR and the New Deal
the ____________________ and self-respect that came with having a job and not just taking a
________________.
Attacks on the New Deal
Many people came out to ____________________________ the New Deal. Liberals felt that it was not doing
enough to help the poor and reform America’s economic system. Conservatives felt that the New Deal policy of
_______________________________________ went too far and that the government now had too much
______________________ over the economy.
*DEFICIT SPENDING: When a government spends more money than it receives in revenue. This is often done
during times of economic depression to stimulate the economy by putting money into the hands of the
average person.
The Supreme Court
The Court struck down the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), the group that sponsored the CWA and
NRA, as __________________________________________. Then the Supreme Court stuck down the AAA
on the grounds that agriculture is a local matter and should be regulated by the __________________ and not
the federal government.
Realizing that the Court could quickly dismantle his New Deal program, Roosevelt asked Congress to pass a
court-reform bill that would allow FDR to _______________________ 6 additional Supreme Court justices.
This “Court-______________________ bill” created a huge storm of opposition stating that FDR was violating
the separation of powers. This bill did not pass, but since many Supreme Court justices ___________________
at this time, FDR was able to appoint 7 new justices anyway.
Three Strong Critics
Three men arose out of this time period to criticize FDR’s policies not for going too far, but for not going far
enough to help the poor.
1. Father Charles Coughlin, a __________________________ from Detroit, broadcast radio sermons every
Sunday that combined economic, ___________________________, and religious ideas. He wanted a
________________________________ income and the nationalization of banks. Increasing antiSemitic statements lost Coughlin a large part of his following.
2. Dr. Francis Townsend, a ______________________________ from Long Beach, CA, believed that
FDR should do more to help the poor and _______________________. He devised a pension plan that
would provide money to the elderly and would ____________________________ them to spend it. This
would feed more cash into the economy.
3. Senator Huey Long of Louisiana was FDR’s largest challenger. This self-proclaimed “kingfish” of
Louisiana created a social program called “_____________________________________.” Under the
Share Our Wealth program, people could have a maximum of a certain amount of wealth and anything
above that would be split among the people. Long’s ideas became ______________________ even
though he never instituted much social reform in his own state of Louisiana. Long was running for
President in the 1936 elections against FDR, but was __________________________ by a lone gunman
in 1935.
Roosevelt looked past these critics and at the successes of some of his programs. Determined to continue to
make a difference, Roosevelt created _____________ ways to help America.
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