Texas History
Fort Burrows, B&B Ranch
17.3 - The New Deal
READ pgs 412 - 416
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Main Idea:
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s –
“F D R”
New Deal tried to combat the effects of the
Great Depression.
32nd President of the United States
In office 4 terms
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945
Vocabulary:
Hoovervilles - camps of cardboard boxes where the homeless lived
New Deal - President Roosevelt’s plan to use the U.S. government to
reform the nation’s economy during the Great Depression
Setting the Scene:
The Great Depression grew worse. More and more people lost jobs and began to lose
hope, Emma Tiller, an African American sharecropper who lived in Texas,
remembered how new federal programs gave people renewed hope…
“When the WPA came in, we soon got to work. The people, their own selves, as
they would get jobs on the WPA, they quit goin’ to the relief station. They just didn’t
want the food. They’d go in and say, “You know, this is my last week, ‘cause I go to
work next week.’ … I remember in this Texas place, they had twenty-five people come
in that day saying they wouldn’t be back any more ‘cause they signed up and they
gonna work on the WPA next week. But they didn’t go back after any more help.”
Herbert Hoover was President when
the Great Depression began. He tried to
revive the economy. He offered loans to
businesses and farmers. He did not want
to provide too much aid, though. He
feared that people would stop looking for
work. He thought private charities should
The Federal Government gave aid to
people who were hungry. It also tried to
create jobs for people who needed work.
Texans in the government supported this
plan. They made sure that Texas got a
share of government help. Four Texans
played important roles in the New Deal.
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meet people’s needs. Soon those charities
ran out of $$ money $$. People lost their
homes. They lived in 'cardboard’ shanties.
Many people blamed Hoover.
In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
FDR, was elected President. He promised
to take steps to end the Depression. When
he took office, he first had to halt the
banking crisis. Then he launched many
new programs aimed at helping people
and fixin’ the economy. Together, these
programs are called the New Deal.
The economy did improve, but, the
Great Depression did not end. Roosevelt
won re-election as President. In his 2nd
term, the New Deal lost some support.
Critics thought the New Deal had gone too
far. They feared that FDR had become
too powerful. They worried that the
Federal Government had grown too large
and
would
take
away
people’s
FREEDOM.
Early Relief Efforts ( not much )
Herbert Hoover - President in 1929; believed that government should not
‘hand-out’ aid to citizens
They should look for their own way - find a job, pay their bills, etc.
Americans showed him what they thought about that - he was not re-elected.
FDR and His New Deal
Democratic - Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was elected President in 1932
FDR received 90% of the votes in Texas over Hoover
Government began to take a more active role fighting the depression
Many people had begun to take their money out of banks in fear the banks
would collapse
FDR temporarily closed all banks
 He did this to prevent a possible ‘Collapse of the Banking Industry’
 Congress created new rules to make banks more stable
 These rules guaranteed bank deposits
 This restored people’s confidence
Americans also found hope by listening to FDR’s radio messages called
“Fireside Chats”
FDR was not afraid to spend government money to provide relief
FDR’s program was called the ‘The New Deal’
Criticism of the New Deal Policies
Even though FDR was easily re-elected in 1936, he had some critics
Many Americans believed he was growing too powerful
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He was accused of trying to “pack” the Supreme Court with justices who would
support his New Deal programs
Critics also believed that the government did too much to help the needy
They felt that the federal government had grown too large
Many Texas critics resented the interference of the federal government in Texas
Powerful Leaders in US Government from Texas
Jesse Jones
born in
Tennessee, lived
in Houston, TX
Harris County
as a banker and
Chairman of
Reconstruction
Finance
Corporation
(RFC)
This helped bring
steel & chemical
industries to
Texas
John Nance
Garner
born 1868, near
Detroit, TX in
Red River County
Nicknamed Cactus Jack
Speaker of the
House 1931.
FDR’s VicePresident 8 years
Sam Rayburn
born in Tennessee 1882, lived in Bonham, TX
Fannin County
Friends with LBJ, House of Representatives for 48
years March 4, 1913 – November 16, 1961
Speaker of the House, Majority Leader 1937-1940
Chairman of Interstate & Foreign Act
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Lyndon Baines Johnson
born in Stonewall, TX, in 1908, Gillespie
County
36th President of the United States
Nickname LBJ
Vice President to JFK and elected by
the people
in 1964
Congressman, Senator, Vice-President of
US
New Deal in Texas
See Chart Below for some TEXAS size benefits of the New Deal in Texas
New Deal Agencies
FERA
Federal Relief Agency
WPA
Works Project
Administration
CCC
Civilian Conservation
Corps
NYA
National Youth
Administration
Provided relief to
unemployed
Provided jobs to
unemployed heads of
families,
mostly in construction jobs.
Provided Conservation
Project jobs to single young
men.
Part-time Jobs, Education,
Recreation, & Counseling
for Ages 16-25
PWA
Public Works
Administration
Large Scale Public Works
Projects - Dams, Bridges,
& Gov’t Buildings
REA
Rural Electrification
Administration
SSA
Social Security
Administration
Provided Electrical Power
to Rural Communities
Provided Old-Age
pensions, Disability
payments, &
Unemployment benefits
Provided relief to almost 300,000 Texans;
spent more than $100 million in our state
Employed about 600,000 Texans; built
Parks, Swimming pools, Highways,
Bridges, Stadiums, & other public
Buildings
Employed 50,000 Texans; built 31 State
Parks, and Many City & County Parks
Employed 250,000 Texans; Highway &
Roadside Park projects,
Playgrounds, Schools, & Rec Parks
Spent $100 million in Texas;
Rainbow Bridge Highway 52
over South Platte River in Colorado and
the Red Bluff Dam & Reservoir
Over Pecos River in Loving & Reeves
County
Electrical Power for Texan Farmers,
Ranchers, and Rural Residents for the
first time!!!!!!!
Thousands of Texans; Pensions, Disability,
Unemployment benefits. The agencies first
field office opened in Austin in 1936.
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1.
Who did President Hoover believe should provide relief to those in need ?
A. the federal government
B. private charities and local governments
C. rich individuals
D. religious and civic groups
2.
What was the name of President Roosevelt’s plan to heal the economy ?
A. the New Reform
B. the New Plan
C. the New Program
D. the New Deal
3.
How did President Hoover respond to the Depression ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
4.
How did President Roosevelt give people Hope and Relief during the Great
Depression ?
1.________________________________________________________________________
2.________________________________________________________________________
3_________________________________________________________________________
5.
Which of FDR’s Agencies built the Red Bluff & Reservoir ?
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