Hoover vs. Roosevelt

Herbert Hoover
Franklin Delano
Roosevelt

Review:
Why was the Great Depression
challenging for many Americans?
Herbert Hoover

 President at the
beginning of the Great
Depression in 1929
 Hoover felt like the
economy would improve
on its own.
 He didn’t want the
government to play a big
role in the Great
Depression or for wages
to change.
Hoover’s Presidency

 The economy did not get better.
 People continued to lose their homes and jobs.
 This caused people to start believing the government
should begin helping out.
 Hoover had Congress create new laws to help
struggling businesses and unemployed workers.
 This included loaning money to banks, railroads,
and other companies.
 However, these laws did not improve the whole
economy.
Review

Why was Hoover so unpopular?
If you were a person living during the
Great Depression, how would you feel
about President Hoover?

Why does an incumbent president
lose?
Franklin Delano
Roosevelt

Born in New York
in 1882
Married to Eleanor
Roosevelt
Democratic
candidate running
for President
Presidential Election
1932

 People were tired of
Hoover and was ready
for change.
 FDR ran against
Hoover in the 1932
election.
 Roosevelt said, “I
pledge you, I pledge
myself to a new deal for
the American people.”
Campaigning

 Roosevelt travelled
around promising
government help if he
won the election.
 He promised that the
government would
create government
programs to help
suffering people.
 Because of this, he won
the 1932 election.
First 100 Days

 As soon as he took
office in 1933, he began
work to give the
American people the
“New Deal” that he
promised.
 “The only thing we
have to fear is fear
itself.”
New Deal Programs

 Some gave food &
shelter to those in need.
 Others put people back
to work.
 Roosevelt felt like all of
these programs would
help the economy.
New Deal Programs Still
in Effect

 Social Security: provides money to people over the
age of 65. It also helps those who have disabilities
and can’t work.
 Regulations: rule or law
 Minimum Wage: lowest amount most workers can be
paid
 Protect Savings Accounts
 Price Incentives: He lowered the worth of the dollar,
so it would be less expensive to pay back debts.
 He kept interest rates low, so it would be easier to
borrow and pay back money.
Eleanor Roosevelt
“Government has a responsibility to defend the weak.”

 Worked hard to get
everyone involved in
New Deal programs.
 She travelled all over to
see what was going on all
over the country.
 Spoke out for rights of
workers, African
Americans, and children.
 National Youth
Administration: helped
young people get jobs
Review

What kind of feelings do you
think the New Deal programs that
were introduced had on the
people living during the Great
Depression?