FDR's New Deal and Other Actions

Public Works Administration

And so begins one of FDR's "let's help the societies of today and tomorrow". It was established in 1933 and was used for public improvements. Like a lot of other programs. Because he had the Roosevelt blood in him.

Court Packing Scheme

1937 So the background: The Supreme Court felt a lot of FDR's New Deal acts and organizations were unconstitutional, while FDR felt that the constitution wasn't as important as getting the struggling nation back on it's feet. He proposed an increase in court size form 9 justices to 15 justices so that he could "pack the court" like a can of sardines and increase the judicial favor for his policies. However, before this could be passed by Congress, the Supreme Court came to their senses and sort of let him be. "A switch in time saves nine" How cute, it kind of rhymes.

Federal Farm Loan Act

I am pretty sure FDR had a soft spot for Farmer John and his cronies...this was another act to help them out. It allocated millions of dollars to help farmers meet their mortgages and keep their farms. It also helped the Dust Bowl refugees who moved to SoCal (because after being stuck in Oklahoma or Arkansas, who wouldn't want to go to Malibu?)

Agricultural Adjustment Administration

So this is not the AAA that you call for roadside assistance, but it was a kind of weird New Deal program that FDR created in 1933. It attempted to eliminate the price decreasing surpluses of crops by paying growers to reduce their acreage. It also (kind of stupidly) asked growers to destroy their crops. This made the public really mad, since it essentially paid farmers not to farm and destroyed surplus food when millions of Americans were starving and malnourished. This piece of legislative genius (yay sarcasm) was also deemed unconstitutional in Butler v US (1936), since the Supreme Court deemed processing taxes for the AAA unconstitutional

Wagner Act

Also called the National Labor Relations Act, this act passed in 1935 WAS ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT LABOR LEGISLATION IN THE REMARKABLY SHORT HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. It asserted the right that labor had to self organize (FDR telling people to chill with the Sherman Anti Trust acts, unions are cool). It encouraged the free practice of collective bargaining (by unions) and gave laborers freedom of self-association, governance, and designation of leaders for representation in negotiations

Fair Labor Standards Act

Also called the Wages and Hours BIll, it was passed in 1938. It called for a federally regulated minimum wage and a time restriction on unskilled labor jobs. It also called for restrictions on child labor, stating that it was illegal to employ a child under the age of sixteen as a full time worker, and a child under eighteen for what was seen as dangerous labor.

Home Owner's Loan Corporation

Created in 1933, FDR passed this in order to help people keep their homes. He wanted to refinance homes to prevent foreclosures and keep more people happy. It essentially bought loans from the original lenders, and refinanced mortgages. This allowed them to let the average Joe pay their mortgage back with a lower interest, and that not only helped them out financially, but made them happy. This all ties back into the idea that if people are happy and have money, that money will be pumped into the economy and all of that good stuff.

Civilian Conservation Corps

Created in 1933, this was one of the most popular New Deal programs. It employed over 2.75 million young men in government camps in which they did labor-esque jobs (kind of like a Siberian labor camp, but they were happy to be there)

Securities and Exchange Commission

Created in 1934, it did what the name said...it monitored and enforced laws regarding the securities and exchanges industries (common sense really)

Works Progress Administration

Created in 1935, this agency employed people to build public works projects (no duh). It was kind of like a summer camp your mum would sign you up for when you were younger to get rid of you for a little bit....even though those employed only worked for a few hours a day, it provided enough money for them to live. The National Youth Agency (NYA) also provided jobs to the youth of America. It was also FDR's response to the jerks of politics that criticized him for a) either doing too much to help people and not letting the economy follow its natural pattern (cough cough crazy conservative Republicans) or b) not doing enough to help the American populace get back on their feet (Huey Long and other crazy liberals).

US Taken Off Gold Standard

On March 6, 1933, FDR took the US off the gold standard because he wanted to create inflation to get the economy back on its feet. He recognized that, in order to have economic growth, currency needed to flow freely throughout the economy, and he saw paper money as a means by which he could achieve this. He allowed all private gold deposits to be exchanged into the national treasury for paper money. The US reverted back to an adjusted gold standard a year later, in 1934.

Emergency Banking Relief Act

Passed in 1933, he wanted to use it to deal with the issue of runs on the banks (because back then your money was actually physically in the bank and you couldn't sit at home in your pajamas and deposit checks and the like). On March 6-10, FDR shut every bank in the country for federal inspection and only allowed those who had been financially wise (like all banks should be but never mind that now) to reopen. This was all an effort to help calm the public, since people rushing banks would only halt the process of recovery

Glass-Stegall Banking Reform Act

Passed in 1933, it created the FDIC and insured all money in banks up to $5,000 (but now it is up to something like $250,000). It mandated that the federal government would insure money in banks, in case they were to go under (so if Bank of America failed, and you had your entire $4,000 life savings in there, the feds would pay you back all of that, so that you don't end up homeless or something unpleasant like that). It prevented the vast majority of the population from losing their financial standing and security (because during the Great Depression, these were measures of your self-worth, kind of like grades are today...)

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

The government agency created as part of the New Deal that insured all deposits in banks going under to prevent those who entrusted said banks with their money from losing everything (how very thoughtful)

Social Security Act

This beautiful program that may or may not do anything for us (thanks a ton, baby boomers) was designed to provide a supplemental pension for the elderly and infirm of society. It wasn't created because FDR loved old people though (I mean old people are great, but still...)but because the state of the economy didn't allow for those in older generations to stop working. And when they did stop, they were forced to live in extreme poverty, simply because the economy in early America (these people were alive during the Gilded Age guys!) was not conducive for saving for the future (unless you were super rich, which most Americans weren't). It aimed to help out old people by allowing them to retire, but also helped out the younger generation because it encouraged retirement, hence freeing up jobs for the younger generations, who would pump more money into the economy and blah blah blah we know where it goes from there.

Tennessee Valley Authority

This could actually be a really cute name for a country group. Yes? Maybe not...Anyhow, it was created in 1933 to help Tennessee, one of the poorest states in the country during the Great Depression (if you are the poorest state in a nation whose economy smells like manure, I really pity you). It began by providing basic infrastructure to the Tennessee Valley and built over 20 dams in the Tennessee Valley

Rural Electrification Administration

This was created in 1935 to prevent people from living like Huck and Jim did (Am Lit reference woohoo!) On a raft. Without electricity. Or a steady source of income. Or food. Or clean civil record (the more I think about it, Huck had a rough time) But moving on; it essentially brought infrastructure like electricity and roads and such to rural 'murica.