Category: The New Deal

The Great Depression showed many political and economic issues that the Roosevelt administration had to deal with. Roosevelt’s responses to the Depression were focused in the right direction toward economic stability and were achievable by improving the previously problematic matter of the role of government in society. The ideas, programs, and other relief efforts of the New Deal were good but didn’t help the American people as much as the administration hoped for. In fact, they only benefitted a small portion of people instead of the whole population. The administration helped set a basis for other relief efforts and expanded the size of the government by developing different organizations. FDR’s administration was able to achieve moderate success in resolving problems with the Great Depression by establishing relief efforts and his New Deal.

As soon as FDR was inaugurated, he immediately ordered Congress to start implementing his programs and passing regulations. At this time Congress had passed more major legislation than any other Congress. Document C illustrates how many pieces of legislation Congress had passed and how this new legislation was moving the country forward. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration was beginning to give federal money to states that operated soup kitchens and other help for the homeless and unemployed. These policies provided people throughout the nation with an affordable source of electricity by removing privately owned utilities and replacing them with other sources such as the Tennessee Valley Authority. Social Security was made available to many who needed it and helped bring them out of the terrible Depression, but at the same time was denied to certain workers such as domestic and agricultural laborers (Document E).

The New Deal was a major point in FDR’s relief efforts. This is because the was also founded so that the government could tell individual farmers how much they should produce and pay them subsidies for leaving some of their lands free. They helped double the income of farmers and the industry was able to stay stable and successful for a few years, but they most favored large farms and not so much smaller farmers. The Public Works Administration was another big reform. As Document D says, a large amount of federal money was put into this. These programs helped create new government jobs and helped give money to some people who needed it. The Federal Emergency offered outright grants of federal money to states that operated soup kitchens and helped the jobless. As in Document B, ‘…cause of creating more jobs and better wages for labor’. Roosevelt created projects that would offer more jobs. It also allowed young men to work on federal lands that then paid their families small monthly sums.

In an attempt to boost the welfare of the common people, Roosevelt also implemented a ‘blanket code’ for workers’ rights. These ‘blanket codes’ backed by the National Recovery Association set the first American Minimum Wage and set limits on the number of hours companies could require their employees to work (document F). These standardized ‘blanket codes’ set limitations on the companies so that no company would lower prices or wages to seek competitive advantage and successfully established provisions for maintaining employment and production and giving the suffering common people a more fair deal (document G.) The implementation of these codes was the most revolutionary of Roosevelt’s actions.

Although Roosevelt’s New Deal did not reconstruct the broken American economy, it did create a more powerful labor movement and vastly expanded the role of the federal government. It also helped give aid to people that needed it, but it didn’t help everyone. The new administrations didn’t help as much as the government initially had hoped, but the reforms made then are still used today. Even today the government is highly involved in other affairs besides politics which creates stability in all areas of society.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who took office in 1933, was forced to act quickly to regulate the economy and relieve the nation that was suffering. During the years he was in power he tried to change people’s minds despite the difficulties, since a person at that period and the poverty was in that kind of level, the only thing that could think was if there were jobs to work or bread to eat and does everything for that so, the belief that people created was his ability to tell them that he was thinking only for their own good and not to exploit them. He came to power in a very difficult period of time for the people of America, at the height of poverty and unemployment but the question was he ready to help the population pass this phase? Will the laws be strong enough to continue after she leaves power?

He and the government created many experimental programs, one of which was the New Deal. This was intended to radically change the federal government and its role in the economy. He promised the people who would act as soon as possible to cope with the Great Depression, instructing people to withdraw their money four days from the shaky banks and shut down the non-paying ones. It has redirected government expenditure towards big public work projects to military contracts. In economics, the belief which war grows the economy is related to as the ‘broken window fallacy’.

Deflation was the main problem with the economy, because while prices fell, no one could afford to buy commodities because manufacturers laid off workers and their products were worth less. This was caused mainly by banks calling back loans, which reduced the money supply (deflation). By maintaining the banking holiday, Roosevelt helped reduce bank closures, suspending financial institutions to prevent them from shutting down and calling back loans. He also advised people to stop saving money below their mattresses and redeposit the money into deposits, contributing to secure and stable inflation.

Making more available jobs wasn’t easy when the nation’s losing money. The companies wouldn’t be able to afford to pay them if they create more jobs, and no one wants to work for free. Stocks had to go up to an acceptable amount before employers had money to hire staff and pay them. After he reorganized the banks, he called on people to reinstate their money in the banks. This was the first time most of the population had come together to stand by his decision. The first step to overcoming depression.

The priority was to recover the economy starting from the relief of the people who needed it. By not lowering prices and wages, people will spend more on products for industries to work harder and work harder. This led the government to sabotage businesses using consumers, as a result of which small businesses were adversely affected by large businesses. In agriculture he instructed farmers not to produce more so that prices could be lowered in order to earn as much as before the world war. In this way the prices of agricultural products went up, but many locals did not understand its concept. Consuming, consuming or not producing so much was born out of employment and production. People always found something to complain about, but it was clear that the Franklin D. Roosevelt was trying to deliver on what he had promised.

All this was not enough to overcome the Great Depression and this seemingly endless unemployment, to the farmers who were still struggling, to the desperate people and the economy that remained unchanged. So, he created a Second New Deal starting with the Works Progress Administration program and started building schools, offices, highways by hiring people, and he also started educating children, giving artists a chance for their careers. Problems continued to come as people were always complaining about their labor rights by making strikes and forcing the president to support them by creating the law to impose on them the right not to be fired, to work overtime and the opportunity not to work. paid and working conditions. This is also known as the nation lab relations board. The goal behind them was for the government to play an important role in the lives of Americans from all over the world, giving them the right to regulate their lives by 35% of the population participating in various federal government programs. These programs changed the relation of the population to the politics of the people were more active and did not think about the personal good but the collective good.

These new decisions changed from American west to the south, ranging from economics, employment to spending, water and electricity. But these did not help much because the children were separated from their parents but the poverty in those countries peaked. Therefore, the Great Depression dragged on, corporations were shaken, and workers were demanding their rights while the new agreement was hampered by politics. Roosevelt to defend his program sought to add enough courts to neutralize conservatives. This goal was understood by the judges and began to support a new deal project. This was the year that the economy fell by cutting its government spending, and people began to oppose Roosevelt, and this made it difficult to adopt a new program.

December 7 was marked as the date that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the USA and enters World War II. Through it was stimulated and the American industry even ended the Great Depression. After the Second World War, despite social tension, injustice and the fight against fascism, the America learned to be united in the same way as Roosevelt taught them, after 16 years of depression learned from their mistakes. Government decisions were now confirmed by the people. The government is interested in educating people by bringing them to university through the GI Bill returned, but people through toast war and economically gainable being ready to invest by buying cars. Roosevelt’s projects may have been difficult and created many problems, but the people had realized his priority was to improve people’s lives and government regulation, and so Eisenhower was asked to deliver programs such as the New Deal and the Fair Deal. He understood that this was impossible without damaging the population.

In conclusion, as stated above, it is easy to see that Roosevelt was a capable man and that his main purpose was fulfilled regardless of whether all his decisions were correct and how long it took him to achieve those goals. There are a lot of people who still believe in his ability as they think that if it wasn’t the Second World War had not ended depression, the war could have been a help, but we could not get the merits and tribulations of such a man, that he made the population a part of the government in some point. He also achieved to reduce unemployment rate underneath the rate that was before the Depression. The main action in my opinion was the interest he showed to the people, and without any doubt the people’s confidence in Roosevelt of social security and work of minors.

The beginning of 1932 marked a terrible time for the American people. This was the time of the Great Depression which, at the time, seemed to worsen with the passing of each year. This was a time when unemployment peaked and private, charitable organizations were overwhelmed by the crisis. Americans, with nowhere to turn, needed someone or something to help them face off against their hunger, loss of property, and their dying hope. However, things were looking better when on July 1, 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the newly assigned democratic presidential nominee, gave one of the most promising and influential speeches in American history. “I pledge to you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people”, he concluded. Many seized the prospect of this ‘New Deal’, resulting in Roosevelt beating Hoover by a landslide during the elections. In his first days of office, Roosevelt kicked off his presidency with swift and immediate government action. The bills passed could be grouped into categories about relief, recovery, and reform. This never before seen action by the government was so instrumental to economic success during the time period that it became known as the ‘First New Deal’. The many goals of the First New Deal which included stabilizing banks, regulation of businesses, lower the unemployment rate, and many more.

In the beginning of his First Hundred Days, Roosevelt wanted to fix the broken banking system. He started by closing all of the American banks while working on pushing for the Emergency Bank Act through the government. To ensure trust in the American people, Roosevelt explained the New Deal legislation and encouraged confidence in federal banks through his Fireside Chats. Roosevelt asked the American people to deposit their savings into the banks. These chats consisted of Roosevelt talking informally and even personally to the American people. When the banks soon reopened on stricter guidelines, Americans deposited their money and the act was successful. Not long afterwards, Congress passed the Glass Steagall Act, which gave federal deposit insurance. This, among other acts, allowed for the economy to stabilize.

Also, for the rest of his First Hundred Days, Roosevelt instituted many programs in order to address the problems of the Great Depression. This included the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA). The act increased the price of agricultural goods by giving cash incentives, so farmers could voluntarily limit their production of agricultural goods. In turn, this lowered supply thereby increasing prices. Additionally, the National Industry Recovery Act (NIRA) was instrumental in regulating businesses. The NIRA stopped antitrust laws and made for businesses to establish their own ‘codes’. These ‘codes’ would regulate their production, control prices, and many others. In exchange, businesses would have to give decent wages, put a stop to child labor, ang give their workers freedom to unionize.

Although government action caused GDP to climb, there was still a very high unemployment rate. The unemployment number did go down from its high, however, but the unemployment numbers were still huge. To address this, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) was created to put unemployed people on projects that were created by the government. Additionally, the Public Works Administration (PWA) was created by the government in order to provide aid to projects including bridges, schoolhouses, libraries, etc. Also, the Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA) was used by Roosevelt by his authorization to give 500 million in direct grants. The money went to the states, so they could create relief agencies in order to provide resources to the vast amount of unemployed people.

In his First 100 Days, Franklin D. Roosevelt quickly pushed several bills forwards which were made to stabilize banks, provide relief to citizens, create jobs, and help businesses. Roosevelt’s First New Deal created policies that stopped the economic downturn. The total number of American workers largely increased, banks were no longer in complete turmoil, farmers were given positive incentives, and the American people were given hope.

After his first term, Roosevelt ran for and won his second term easily. This time, however, Roosevelt was facing a lot of criticism with conservatives angered about the excess amount of government action and liberals who were angered by the lack of work done in order to help the unemployed as well as those who were simply suffering all around at the hands of the Great Depression. Additionally, much to Roosevelt’s anger, the Supreme Court did not agree to key parts of the First New Deal. In his Second New Deal, Roosevelt instituted many policies that forever changed the American people.

As previously mentioned, there was a lot of criticism over Roosevelt’s First New Deal. Some felt that he did not do enough while others felt that he did too much. Dr. Francis E Townsend felt that more needed to be done to help the elderly. The Townsend Plan suggested that every citizen that was over the age of sixty would get two hundred dollars a month. Father Charles Coughlin believed that Roosevelt had not done enough to address defense of labor and reform for the monetary system. In his ‘End Poverty in California’ program, Upton Sinclair proposed the idea of a progressive income tax and compensation for the elderly. He also proposed that states should take farms and factories that had not paid their property taxes. After which the state would offer jobs for the unemployed to work on those factories and farms.

In response to the rapid criticism, Roosevelt realized that the arguments of the critics were reasonable and well founded. He decided to release yet another wave of government action that would later be called the ‘Second New Deal’. Before the reelection, Roosevelt asked all the congressional leaders to come to the White House. There, he had with him a list of specific government actions that he wanted done before the summer. The legislation passed would greatly change America for years to come.

During the Second New Deal, Roosevelt sought to create even more bank reform in order to help the American people. The Banking Act was one of the most influential acts on the change of banking laws ever in American history. Before, regional reserve banks were largely in control of the regulations in the Federal Reserve. However, under the Banking Act, there would be a new system in which a board of governors would regulate the regional banks. Their job would be to control discount rates, selection of board members, reserve requirements, as well as many other duties. Due to the fact that the government would be burrowing billions of dollars so it could fund various programs, the board kept interest rates low in the beginning.

Also, Roosevelt had to address the problems of unemployment as well. Thus, the Emergency Appropriation Relief Act allowed for the government to spend 4.8 billion dollars in expenses. Around a third of this went to the Works Progress Administration formerly known as the CWA. The program itself created jobs and relief to more than eight million citizens. In addition, the program provided money for the building multiple roads, schools, hospitals, etc. The WPA was responsible for the Federal One Project, a project that employed artists with many jobs. The WPA was also responsible for the National Youth Administration (NYA). This gave jobs that were work-study to around half a million college students as well as four million high school students.

To address the criticisms pointed out by Townsend and Coughlin, Roosevelt created the Social Security Act. This act was created in order to help both the elderly and the young. The act was also intended to provide help to the unemployed and disabled. The act gave money to people who were retired over the age of sixty-five. There was an unemployment program that gave money to the unemployed using taxes on employers, and programs for those who were disabled as well. Roosevelt took his critics’ ideas to make as components in some of these acts.

Sadly, the NIRA was gone when the Supreme Court struck it down due to regulatory implications of the act, so Roosevelt set to work on a new act to help workers in its stead. The Wagner Act was created so that the workers had the right to unionize, provided a way that laborers could address federal grievances, and many others. Though the law had to face the Supreme Court, it was eventually passed with the help of John Lewis, who wanted the government to give protection for industrial workers to unionize. The Wagner Act created permanent workers’ rights as well as the fact that it gave workers protection from their bosses.

Roosevelt won the next election against his republican opponent by a landslide. As a result, Roosevelt believed that he had the strongest public support at the time. Thus, he decided to propose the Supreme Court Packing Plan. The plan consisted of the idea that one justice was to be added for every justice over the age of seventy who would not step down. Ultimately, the act was unsuccessful, but it did succeed in making the Supreme Court justices intimidated. From that point on, the Supreme Court kept the Wagner Act and the Social Security Act.

Although Roosevelt’s Second New Deal was very successful, there was still a huge economic deficit. Roosevelt held fiscal beliefs which means that he felt that the deficit was bad. He understood what would happen when the government spent so much, but he also realized the state that the American people were in. However, Roosevelt believed that the economy would be able to get back on its feet by the end of 1936 so much so that he could put a close to government spending. However, the economy soon went into a recession amidst a depression. Two million Americans lost their jobs, causing the unemployment rate to go up by five percent. Roosevelt, recognizing that the country was in trouble, asked the government in 1938 for more spending on relief. This caused the government to give 33 billion dollars to the PWA and WPA programs.

In the summer of 1938, Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, giving the American people minimum wage. The act also established a maximum for hours allowed to be worked a week as well preventing any child under the age of sixteen from working. This very important act of legislation was very important as it would be a major help to citizens for the rest of American history.

The New Deal as a whole was seen as a huge increase in government power. The government took responsibility for the Great Depression. Many people considered the New Deal a very big success in American history. With his First and Second New Deal, Roosevelt created better working conditions, a minimum wage, stabilized banks, and many others. In doing so, Roosevelt stopped the economic decrease while helping the vast amount of Americans that needed help during the Great Depression.

The New Deal was a set of domestic policies that increased the role of the government during the Great Depression. The idea was derived from Franklin Roosevelt’s speech when he accepted his nomination for president. The New Deal had a very great range of goals. Its goals can be categorized into three parts: relief, recovery, and reform.

Relief was considered by many to be the immediate action taken by Roosevelt to stop the economic decrease. For example, the Federal Emergency Relief Act allowed the government to give cash to those who needed it most. Another example is the Civil Works Administration, an organization responsible for giving jobs to the unemployed and the construction of many roads and bridges as well as other projects. These examples are just a few of the many steps taken by Roosevelt and the government to halt the Great Depression.

Recovery meant Roosevelt creating programs in order to increase consumer demand. For example, the Agricultural Administration Act taxed food processors and gave the money back to farmers as a positive incentive for not selling as much. This decrease in supply increased prices of agricultural goods. Also, the Works Progress Administration was responsible for giving out jobs while building schools and other public works projects. More people became employed which was good for the economy. As a result, these programs increased consumer demand which would cause economic growth.

Reform meant creating programs to ensure that another crisis like the Great Depression didn’t happen again as well as insure the American people against financial disasters. For example, the Social Security Administration was responsible for making sure that the older men and women in America had the financial capability to keep living. Also, the Securities and Exchange Commission was created to monitor the stock market and make sure that there was no insider trading. These actions by the government, as well as several others, were created to try to make sure that another financial disaster would not happen again.

The Fair Labor Standards Act introduced great change for the American people. The Fair Labor Standards Act created a minimum wage requirement, forty cents per hour at the time. It also made a maximum work week of forty hours and stopped those under the age of sixteen from working. The challenge that the policy was made to address the fact that American workers were getting unfairly paid by their employers. Also, the American people were getting paid little to nothing while working completely unfair hours. Additionally, there were many children under the age of sixteen working long hours and getting little pay as well to support their families. This law prevented them from working as well as provided wages and better working hours for the people.

The Fair Labor Standards Act was an example of reform. Reform was the act of trying to make sure the Great Depression and other financial disasters would never happen again. The Fair Labor Standards Act introduced a minimum wage requirement which put money into the hands of the people. With the extra cash, the people were able to stimulate economic growth. This would, in theory, provide less of a risk for economic deterioration because people would spend more and still have that minimum wage to fall back on in case of an emergency. Because the people were getting a direct fair amount of money into their pocket, it prevented people with jobs from entering into extreme property. In turn, this would increase the standard of living. The fact that people had money would encourage them to spend more and would therefore cause economic growth. Thus, the Fair Labor Standards Act was created in order to establish fair wage in an effort to see that the country would not see another Great Depression.

Lasting for about ten years, the Great Depression was one of the worst economic breakdowns in the industrialized world. Minorities, specifically African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans had it the worst. These people were often the last hired and the first people that employers looked for to fire. These minorities were already put in jobs that paid less, and the Great Depression just made that even worse. As a result, minorities had little financial stability to fall back on in the first place when the Great Depression began. A lot of these minorities fell into terrible debt and had very low wages. The Fair Labor Standards Act increased the minimum wage for all people, including these groups. Minorities now had higher wages which gave them a bigger financial cushion to fall back on. Also, although it was not specifically targeted towards women, the Fair Labor Standards Act increased the wage enough so that women could earn a living. Arguably, the act actually helped women more than it helped men considering that it helped women who are particularly head of the household or living by themselves. Thus, the Fair Labor Standards Act gave minorities and women a greater financial cushion to all back on.

Before the Fair Labor Standards Act was introduced, both adults and children worked for long hours day after day just to survive. In the Great Depression, not only did workers get laid off, but several laborers experienced wage cuts. These workers, including the children, would work long hours in horrible conditions for very little and unfair pay. When the government passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, it was an immediate success. Children under the age of sixteen would no longer have to work in factories, and there was just pay for everyone. Also, there was a maximum hour work week required as well. In doing so, the act raised wages for hundreds of thousands of people and prevented children between the ages of ten and fifteen from working. In terms of medium-term change, the Act would continue to prevent children from working and create better working conditions for the people due to the financial support that the minimum wage gave.

In terms of long-term, the Fair Labor Standards Act continued to help American citizens beyond the 1930s. The conceptual idea of the act has not been changed, but small details of it have. For example, in 2020, the Fair Labor Standards Act is still being used to dictate minimum wage which varies state by state. However, children are still largely not allowed to work, and harmful child labor is prohibited. Hours that are over the typical forty-hour work week are still considered overtime. Ultimately, the Federal Labor Standards Act established the ideal labor conditions that we know today. The values that it holds are still very importantly regarded and used even after several decades.

Works Cited

1. Dana Cochran et al., “The Great Depression”, Matthew Downs, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018).
2. Huizar, Laura. “A Baseline for Economic Freedom: 80 Years of Fair Labor Standards”. National Employment Law Project, 24 Oct. 2018, www.nelp.org/blog/80-years-of-fair-labor-standards/
3. Dunleavy, Brian. “Did New Deal Programs Help End the Great Depression?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 13 Aug. 2018. www.history.com/news/new-deal-effects-great-depression
4. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Fair Labor Standards Act”. Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 21 Mar. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/Fair-Labor-Standards-Act.
5. Cole, Peter. “Minimum Wage and More: The Law That Changed American Labor”. Time, Time, 24 June 2016, time.com/4376857/flsa-history/.
6. Leuchtenburg, William E. “Franklin D. Roosevelt: The American Franchise”. Miller Center, 24 July 2018, millercenter.org/president/fdroosevelt/the-american-franchise.

From the past all the way until now, the federal government has gone through many changes, especially during the Great Depression. Before the Great Depression, the federal government did not do much to help the suffering economy. However, after the inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he implemented many new policies and reforms that gave the federal government more power. And with greater power came greater responsibility, the federal government started to take part in the nation’s economy and the wellbeing of its citizens. Some of the changes even lasted till present, such as some of the many associations and organizations created to help those in need during the hard times.

Previous to the Great Depression, the federal government had little power and were not expected to steer the economy nor provide the people. Thus, it did not interfere with any of the big businesses and almost entirely stayed out of social welfare, leaving most of that to the states. The federal government primarily saw its role as only to legislate and enforce the laws and to provide for the army if war were to break out. Therefore, people generally view it to be more or less laissez-faire, meaning it just simply let the economy be. It was expected to just stay out of the way and let the economy rise and fall as it like, and eventually, it would fix itself and bring prosperity back to the United States once again. Little or nothing was done to help people financially. “If the people were too old to work, they needed to rely on family. If a bank failed, its depositors were out of luck” (Pohnpei, 397). Churches and charities were looked to help the needy and ill. Citizens would look to local government if they ever needed help. However, these all changed after the New Deal.

March 4, 1933 was the day President Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated, and it was after that that the role of the federal government started to go through drastic changes. Unlike previous presidents and government, Roosevelt wasn’t able to stand and do nothing while the nation suffers. He passed multiple aggressive reform systems and policies with the New Deal as the most well-known out of them all. Under Roosevelt, the “federal government assumed new and powerful roles in the nation’s economy, in its corporate life, in the health, welfare, and wellbeing of its citizens” (Leuchtenburg). The federal government started to make efforts to help the local government and citizenry. Many Historians even view the New Deal as the beginning of the social welfare system of the federal government. For instance, there was a series of domestic programs such as the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), which provided 500 million US dollars for state and city relief operations, and the Civil Works Administration (CWA), which mainly served to provide localities fund to operate ‘make-work’ jobs, jobs that give men something to do so they could receive pay, and eventually became the largest employer of the nation. In addition, there were multiple other corporations, organizations, and administrations created during this period of time, including the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Social Security System, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These newly formed institutions served to offer jobs, protect citizens from losing all their savings because of bank run, employ people, provide water, and even provide protection to investors and maintain an orderly, fair market.

To sum it up, under Roosevelt and his New Deal, the federal government greatly expanded during the great depression. Even till after the Great Depression, many changes and impacts of the federal government still lasted until today. One of the best examples are the institutions previously mentioned before. Other than the WPA, the newly formed organizations still remained active even till today. For example, the SEC, which originally planned to restore consumer confidence in the stock markets and regulate brokerage firms and stock exchanges, still remains active and now functions to “ensure that all investors, whether large institutions or private individuals…have access to certain basic facts about an investment prior to buying it, and so long as they hold it” (Hadley, Debbie.). The TVA, like many other organizations, also managed to survive as many New Deal programs faded. It originally focused on building dams to control flood, develop fertilizers, restore wildlife habitat, produce hydroelectric power, and educate farmers ways to improve food production and pest control. Up till now, the TVA still provides “power to over 9 million people and oversees a combination of hydroelectric, coal-fired, and nuclear power plants” (Hadley, Debbie.). Even though the Great Depression is now over, many of the organizations still last until today in the effort of preventing it from happening again.

In conclusion, under the guidance of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the federal government was able to transform from previously powerless to a now powerful group of people that plays an important in the national economy. Even though the Great Depression is now in the past, many of the changes and institutions created back then still lasted until today, hoping to prevent it from ever happening again.

The major successes of the New Deal, according to Kennedy, were the various social reforms implemented; with him arguing that ‘Into the 5 years of the New Deal was crowded more social change than into virtually any comparable compass of time in the nation’s past’ offering ‘job security, life-cycle security and financial security’ for the people of America.

The long-term perspective that Kennedy adopts, when arguing this, highlights the depth of understanding that he possessed when reaching such a conclusion; thus making his overall argument more credible, thoughtful and convincing. Kennedy claims that the greatest social achievement of the New Deal was its ability to give ‘to countless Americans who had never had much of a sense of security’ and bring them ‘closer to the mainstream of national life’ ; with this interpretation being supported entirely by the provision offered to minority groups through social schemes established under Roosevelt; highlighting the accurate information used in ‘Freedom From Fear’.

Senior citizens, the disabled and the unemployed benefited greatly from the Social Security Act of 1935, designed to combat widespread poverty among minority groups and those unable to support themselves financially; proving the successful nature of social policies that Kennedy alluded to. This program is still in existence today, highlighting the success of Roosevelt’s social policies and enforcing Kennedy’s argument that, in the long term, the New Deal’s social policies ‘extended security to vulnerable individuals, races and classes’. , thus reinforcing the reliability of his source. Kennedy’s argument is complimented by Leuchtenburg who states that ‘The New Deal achieved a more just society by recognizing groups which had been largely unrepresented’ and congress, as a result, successfully ‘extending social security’.

However, despite Kennedy praising the ‘scores of social experiments that flourished’ , he does not attempt to conceal the shortcomings of the New Deal with him admitting that not all of the Social policies implemented under Roosevelt were ‘successful, nor destined to last’. There were various losses for African Americans under the New Deal, despite their increased security and status within society; proving Kennedy’s point entirely. The Federal Housing Program created housing for the poor, but it prioritised white communities and rejected African Americans from housing loans, thus forcing them to remain in underfunded neighbourhoods; with the race divide in society, therefore, remaining prominent and the new Deal failing to remove this problem entirely. As such, It would be ignorant to claim that the New Deal’s policies were entirely effective; with it, ultimately, failing to achieve its fundamental aim of successfully ending the depression.

Kennedy is able to recognise this fact, highlighting his open-minded approach, but continues to claim that, regardless of this, Roosevelt’s New deal succeeded, beyond measure, in ‘building a country from whose basic benefits and privileges no one was excluded.’ with him considering the longer term effects, being able to cite accurate factual details and considering different interpretations and arguments when establishing his opinion; thus making his positive stance on the Social policies of the New Deal, and their overall positive impact on minority groups within America, incredibly convincing.

My name is Amanda. I am a mother of five kids. My husband died last year due to an illness. My older son, who is eighteen, has been trying to look for a job so he could provide us with food, water, and a roof over our heads. We do not have a stable house due to the conditions we are living in. My son is barely making any money due to being unemployed for a while. It simply seems impossible for him to get a job anywhere. We are trying so hard to support our family, but it has been challenging. I am writing this letter to let you know that we are a family in desperate need. My family and I would appreciate it very much if you helped us out a little bit by giving us some money. I’m also asking if you could provide me with some clothing for my kids. I have two younger daughters, two younger sons, and my oldest son. We have been struggling for the past three years, and I would very much appreciate it if you could help us out in any way.

As you, Mr. President, embark on your second term in office, I greatly support the New Deal. The New Deal helped the unemployed to receive jobs. You went straight to work on achieving reforms that helped sustain the economy and provide jobs to American people. In the textbook, it states, ‘Roosevelt introduced the first comprehensive unemployment relief program and helped pioneer efforts to expand public utilities’ (The American Yawp). Unemployment was a major problem during the depression that got solved quickly, providing many people with better jobs and incomes. The New Deal programs changed the lives of citizens suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. It promptly improved the failed banking system. In the textbook, it states, ‘Roosevelt described the new banking safeguards and asked the public to place their trust and their savings in banks. Americans responded and across the country, deposits outpaced withdrawals’ (The American Yawp). This implied a significant achievement. The New Deal also assisted those in need. For example, the FERA was a granting agency to the states. Grants were provided to the states with local funds to help those in desperate need. The textbook states, ‘the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided direct cash assistance to state relief agencies struggling to care for the unemployed’ (The American Yawp).

Although there were many changes due to the New Deal, I do have some recommendations on how we could improve the New Deal. African Americans barely benefitted from the New Deal. Black Americans lost their jobs as they were seen as not high enough for society to embrace them. In the textbook, it says, ‘ Franklin Roosevelt did little to directly address the difficulties black communities faced’ (The American Yawp). African Americans suffered unfair pay due to the new codes that immortalized that difference. You refused to target black men in need of any more massive relief and reform packages. I feel like this should be improved because it was very unfair to African Americans. They should have been treated with the same amount of respect and equality as white men were treated. Another problem that should be improved is women failing to receive full benefits from the New Deal. In the textbook, it states, ‘many New Deal programs were built on that men would serve as breadwinners and women as mothers, homemakers, and consumers’ (The American Yawp). Women should have the right to receive full benefits equally as men received. Doing this will make women feel more highly of themselves instead of making them feel like they are not respected the same. The New Deal very much helped my family because it provided my son with a stable job and income for the whole family. We are now able to provide food, water, and shelter for my family. We couldn’t thank you enough Mr. President.

The Great Depression and the Onset of the New Deal

By 1933, the New Deal was set in motion. Since the 1930s, there has been conversation about Franklin D Roosevelt’s New Deal and how it has affected America. The Great Depression, a period of financial and economic downfall for the majority of America, left many civilians facing unemployment and bankruptcy. During this time, the stock market was on the verge of collapse and as stock prices fell, the market was flooded with investors selling their stocks. This stock market crash morphed into the domino effect, with many Americans experiencing a loss of money and poverty as well as business leaders and farmers were undergoing defaulted loans.

With the election of Franklin Roosevelt, Roosevelt promised to help alleviate the economic crisis and within his first 100 days in office, he implemented the policies stated in the New Deal Program. The New Deal, despite some of it’s failed efforts, contributed to major changes in governmental philosophy and showed how the federal government played a role in ensuring a strong national economy and supportive environment for the people. Roosevelt’s attempt to execute the New Deal in American society provided a boost in infrastructural jobs for a majority of groups, but insufficient parts of this deal, like gender discrimination and racial bias, left many people struggling to survive.

Roosevelt’s New Deal: Aims and Early Impacts

Roosevelt’s New Deal was aimed at promoting economic recovery and encouraged a labour movement to sustain wage growth, but in spite of this some of these programs, it left other citizens in economic downfall. Roosevelt was determined to turn the economic train around, with the intent of benefitting US citizens. New federal agencies attempted to stabilize wages and consumer prices by creating numerous public work programs for the unemployed.

Programs such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) employed millions in public work projects from constructing bridges and roads to painting murals. Programs such as these, were aimed to subsidize the needs of the general population and multiply eligibility requirements. Providing multiple jobs gave hope to the people that the economy would soon resurface with rising employment rates. It was one of the first few steps into breaking out of the Great Depression and rebuilding the US. Americans took these jobs as opportunities to build their way back up on the economic stool, a step into achieving their American Dream. Refinancing troubled mortgages contributed to drops in the home ownership rates and housing prices. In “Critics of the New Deal”, Huey Long mentions the proposal of debt moratorium to give families a chance to pay other debts and mortgage before losing property (Long).

Challenges and Criticisms of the New Deal

Despite this, the New Deal programs were not completely effective at ending the Great Depression. This was because the New Deal included a few unconstitutional faults, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933. An article by the CATO Institute states that the cut back on food production and the controversy of killing livestock and crops during times of struggle left many civilians in poverty (Powell). Wages were above market levels and left millions of American farmers and peasants unemployed. Because of this …. The AAA was especially devastating to many African American tenants that needed work.

The New Deal’s Impact on Minorities and Women

It was not just the Agricultural Adjustment Act that left blacks being hit hard with the consequences of the New Deal, they were faced with discrimination on multiple occasions while in contrast women were working their way up in the workforce. The Washington Post’s “The New Deal as raw deal for blacks in segregated communities,” highlights how blacks were not willingingly moving into overcrowded ghettos by personal preference. It was the federal government’s rising power that infiltrated the separation of whites and blacks within cities and towns (Lane). The government’s efforts to better the economy were primarily designed to help white citizens, exculding people of color from suburban communities and instead push them into urban housing projects. The Federal Housing Administration further ensured segregation by refusing to insure mortgages near African American communities in an endeavour known as readlining. This act was in an attempt to protect government investments and those of white homeowners. African Americans were a prime example of the many minority groups that suffered throughout the Great Depression and were set back from opportunities. Often being treated as the second hand individual compared to that of a white man, they had long suffered unequal pay and the programs reflected that inequality. On the other hand, women benefited from the major reform programs such as the Fair Relations Act. This guaranteed workers rights and led thousands of women to join unions. Programs such as these established the precedent of the working women in comparison to the stereotypical housewife. An article on the “Relief and Recovery Workers–Women”, adds that, although given lower paying jobs, a lot of women were employed through the Works Progress Administration (Digital Public Library of America).

They were being engaged in jobs including sewing, clerical jobs, gardening, and librarians. Women were able to offer hard working attitudes that were set because of the WPA program, it was a small but an effective attempt in the ladder of equality. Therefore, because women were given the chance to be given jobs, their American Dream of gender equality was coming true. Roosevelt created the New Deal in hopes of alleviating the economic decline, however with little augmentation of employment there were few positive aspects gained towards the people. The American people were able to create a sense of individualism and pave their way to a better economy through hard work and sacrifice. Roosevelt’s attempt at a New Deal left many minority groups struggling, and improved the economy only in the short term. However in the long term, New Deal had a positive effect on society due to Fair Labor Standards Acts, which “[​mandated] a minimum wage, a 40-hour workweek and improved working conditions…[it] brought benefits to all workers, not just those in unions” (Weiman). This guaranteed working allowed Americans to be given fair rights in the workforce and ensured reasonable hours.

Long-term Effects and Legacy of the New Deal

Though there was not much employment during this time period, minimum wage gives workers a baseline starting point build up their careers and give them legal protection/support. With Americans in constant pursuit to attain their own success, it gave an aspiration of upward mobility. As for its negative attributions, the New Deal hit hard on minority groups and those of the lower class. According to the article, “Did the New Deal Work?”, Matthew Bandyk touches on relief policies doing the opposite of what it originally intended, being fueled by the excise taxes on the middle and lower class these taxes were generally on everyday goods. In all, there was a shift in governmental philosophy with the federal government gaining more responsibility to ensure the safety and welfare of the people. The New Deal was more effective on a microeconomic level as it did open doors for women in the workforce and eliminated some aspects of unemployment in infrastructural jobs. It was not as widely effective to completely eliminate the effects of the Great Depression during that time period.

Conclusion: Evaluating the New Deal’s Overall Impact

All in all, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s liberal ideals gave the government more activism with the people and optimism to relieve economic decline, Roosevelt created these policies in the New Deal to bring economic security. American people however, despite the struggles, were committed to building their way up to the economy with sacrifice and hard work. With some of the programs of the deal failing many people, especially the lower class, were largely affected.

People of color and civilans of the lower class were set back from the American Dream due to the dminutive opputines given to them. From people of color being pushed to ghettos to ensure protection of investments of whitehome owners and taxes on the lower and middle class that helped finance a majority of these programs. Women in contrast were given greater opportunities in the workforce. The New Deal gave more jobs that were based on public works projects such as bridges, roads, dams and hospitals. With infrastructural jobs, came guaranteed workers rights, reasonable hours and minimum wage pay, that began to start a foundation for those willing to expand on their career. Despite some of its failed efforts, the New Deal provided short term relief from the Great Depression for Americans and ultimately shifted the structure of governmental agencies.

Works Cited

1. “America’s Great Depression and Roosevelt’s New Deal.” ​Relief and Recovery Workers | DPLA​, dp.la/exhibitions/new-deal/relief-and-recovery-workers/women.
2. Bandyk, Matthew. “Did the New Deal Work?” ​U.S. News & World Report​, U.S. News & World Report, 11 Apr. 2008, money.usnews.com/money/business-economy/articles/2008/04/11/did-the-new-deal-work.
3. Lane, Charles. “The New Deal as Raw Deal for Blacks in Segregated Communities.” ​The Washington Post​, WP Company, 25 May 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-new-deal-as-raw-deal-for-blacks-in-segregated-communities/2017/05/25/07416bba-080a-11e7-a15f-a58d4a988474_story.html?noredirect=on.
4. Long, Huey P. “Critics of the New Deal.pdf.” ​Google Drive​, Google, 2015, drive.google.com/file/d/1CgPuHD800z3pCZb6O6HSTWuOiElxPdtP/view.
5. Powell, Jim. “How FDR’s New Deal Harmed Millions of Poor People.” ​Cato Institute​, 14 Dec. 2012, www.cato.org/publications/commentary/how-fdrs-new-deal-harmed-millions-poor-people.
6. Weiman, David F. “Imagining a World without the New Deal.” ​The Washington Post​, WP Company, 12 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/imagining-a-world-without-the-new-deal/2011/08/03/gIQAtJoBBJ_story.html?noredirect=on.

In the 1930’s, the Great Depression wrecked havoc throughout the United States. Millions of people were unemployed and struggling to find work. Jobs were scarce and people were struggling. In the election of 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt became president. He promised the people of the U.S. that he’d help fix the economy and get the U.S. out of the depression. To fulfill his promises, he created the New Deal, a series of programs to bolster the economy, reduce unemployment, and instill confidence in the government’s ability to protect its citizens (Kenton). One of the successful programs of the New Deal, was the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which brought back jobs to Americans and helped create new infrastructure

The WPA was created in 1935 to combat the rising unemployment rate, which at the time was up to 20% of the population (History.com). Ran by Harry Hopkins, the WPA employed about 8.5 million people in total (Encyclopaedia Britannica), to work on public infrastructure. It helped create new roads, schools, airports, bridges, etc. It also commissioned projects to struggling artists, who according to Hopkins, “had to eat too”. Decisions of where projects would take place were decided at the local and state levels. They would assess their needs and unemployment rates before sending their requests to Washington D.C., and then the president. People in the program had a monthly wage of $15-$90 dollars a month, which was enough to provide for the needs of their families.

The largest project of the WPA was the Tennessee Valley Authority, which provided the impoverished Tennessee Valley with dams and waterworks to create an infrastructure for electrical power (Wikipedia). It provided 9,000 jobs and built 16 hydroelectric dams for people in Tennessee. People gained electricity from this, which made life easier during the Depression. The Federal Project Number One was another large project under the WPA. It was split up into the Federal Art, Music, Theater, and Writer’s Projects. Those projects combined, employed 40,000 artists, musicians, and actors to work on different pieces of art. (Background on the WPA). The Federal Project Number One was heavily criticised, because it didn’t provide any real economic benefits, but new art and music was created due to this program.

The WPA had a profound impact for American people during the Great Depression. In the first year alone, 3 million people were put back into work. That’s 3 million people able to provide food, housing, and other needs for their families. The lucky people employed in the program had a generous monthly wage of $15-$90 dollars a month, which was enough to fulfill their needs, and take the worry about where their next meals will come from away.

The agency’s construction projects also produced more than 650,000 miles (1,046,000 km) of roads; 125,000 public buildings; 75,000 bridges; and 8,000 parks (Encyclopaedia Britannica). These public infrastructures benefited Americans by making it easier to travel, and giving them nicer public places, like parks and schools. In addition, 2,566 murals, more than 100,000 easel paintings, about 17,700 sculptures, nearly 300,000 fine prints, and about 22,000 plates were created. (Federal Art Project) These gave a small glimmer of happiness to Americans, by seeing these artworks throughout their community.

Most importantly, the WPA boosted the spirit of the american people. Rather than just providing relief, the WPA gave Americans the opportunity to work for their wages. As Harry Hopkins is quoted as saying “Give a man a dole, and you save his body and destroy his spirit. Give him a job and you save both body and spirit”. The opportunity to go to work gave people the hope that the depression will someday end. Their broken spirits could be fixed with a job providing a living wage for their families.

The WPA was an unquestionably effective program in the New Deal. Rather than just providing food or housing for struggling Americans, it gave jobs so that people were working for their money. 8.5 million out of the 11 million unemployed population were hired by the WPA. That’s a vast majority of people getting back to work because of a single program. Everyone in America also benefited from the WPA because public roads and buildings were created.

WIth the many people hired, the WPA was a successful program under the New Deal. With jobs and public infrastructure, It impacted everyone throughout the U.S. in a positive way. Americans were provided much needed relief and recovery from this program, during a dark period of time.

Public work is the building and design of palaces like highways, schools, hospitals, and parks owned by the government. The purpose of public work in the 1930s was to create opportunities. The depression left many people unemployed. The new programs were created to help people to achieve a better life the way they always want to. The depression left about 20 percent of the U.S population unemployed. The stock market was one of the causes of the depression. people put their money into the business because it promised to give them more money. The stock gave some people money .people who stock invest failed to give them money and regret their decision to put their money into the business. Overproduction also cause the depression because people didn’t always have the money to buy production. Many people became homeless they often found themselves living in Hooverville. Hooverville was a very dangerous crime that happened there. since people didn’t have jobs their refrigerators were empty families went to public soup kitchens where they received a free meals. The bread line is where charities handed out food to people. During the great depression is when women started to work more. They worked as housemaids. African Americans were suffering more during the depression because whites took their job as their lost theirs. They were willing to work for low wages just to support their family. Children also stopped going to school so they can help their families by working, however, jobs had to be found during the depression because they were so many people unemployed . the depression affected all aspects of life. The depression did just affect the united states it also affected other European countries such as Poland, Germany, and Austria. The values of the European trade also fall. the president during the great depression was Herbert Hoover. He did stuff to help improve the situation during the depression but it didn’t work. During is regime the government land business money. His plan was that once the government lend money to the business will then hire workers, that was the way to circulate the money. Hoover was an economic president is goal was to spend less money. He was blamed during the depression. When he wanted to serve a second mandate he was not re-elected. Roosevelt was the president after hoover during his rule the depression situation was improved, and congress pass many acts. Roosevelt’s administration change many things through all the programs that were created. The public work administration was created on May 6, 1935, to restore the economy and provide relief to people. The program employed 3.3 million unemployed people. PWA was renamed the Worker projects Administration in 1939. The program employed unskilled men to help with the work. They built more than 4,000 schools, 130 Hospitals, and 29,000 bridges and planted 24 million trees. They build the Triborough Bridge located in New York. In order to hire more people, they needed to limit expensive machinery. They avoided expensive machinery so they can hire more people. PWA constructed remarkable places around the united states. The new deals cost about $50 billion. The government started to cut taxes on everybody who work. The new deal was not very effective compared to the pre-depression. The new deal still impacts us today.

The depression affected every aspect of life in America but, it didn’t limit people moving on the right path. The depression though people how to save money. It also made people think more about the future . President Roosevelt is known for bettering the depression with his new deal. The new deal costed a lots of money too. If the new deals didn’t work Roosevelt could have been the most blamed president in history. People who worked with him could have been blamed also. When we talk about the depression we should give does who worked with him credit too because if they failed. They would behave like the ones blamed because they were in charge. People who criticise Hoover should not do that doing because he wanted to spend the government money with limits. He was a economist even though most people think he is kind of a cheap person because he wasn’t ready to spend a lot of money when the depression started.The money that Roosevelt spent was a lot but, worth it. The new deal was important because it help people to go back to normality. Some of the new deal programs that were used in the past are still used today. The new deal still play a role in today’s society. If the new deal didn’t exist people will be suffering today because it has an impact on us today. The new deal also introduces use in the world of architecture, art, and writing. It is because of the new deal that we started to consider things around us more.