History Chapter 22
How did President Hoover respond to the problems and challenges created by the Great Depression?
Hoover brought traditional and progressive ideas and relied on volunteerism to get the country through tough times. He expected state governments to provide for the needy and failed to rally the nation back to economic stability. The public lost hope with Hoover and the tax revenues declined causing municipalities to go bankrupt. They had stopped paying teachers, and mass unemployment resulted. Hoover convinced Congress to lower income tax rates and to use $423 million for public projects. Signed Agricultural Marketing Act and raised prices for suffering farmers. Hoover had the right idea, but raised income tax and estate on the wealthy. This slowed investment and new production, kicking more Americans out of jobs. The Hawley-Smoot Act made matters worse. It was introduced to protect farmers and companies from foregin competition, but got rid of demand for American exports. Hoover got Congress to create RFC to supply loans to banks in danger of collapsing, renewed investment would supply jobs, production and fix the economy. It ignored companies in the greatest difficulty and reached institutions would could pay off loans. He refused to support welfare and believed it would increase laziness. Hoovervilles had no electricity and little food and lived in makeshift homes made of cartons and old newspapers. Dust storms.
Why and how did the New Deal shift to the left in 1934 and 1935?
Roosevelt adopted harsher rhetoric against corporate leaders and beefed up economic and social policies for the unemployed and the elderly. He took action to address the power imbalance and delivered a program that would end in a landslide victory for Democrats. The WPA provided jobs for unemployed with a larger budget. They repaired many federal projects and employed over 8 million people. Encouraged production of entertainment. NYA people employed many students. Elderly required relief and insurance that lacked. Social Security Act declared that 65+ aged people would receive retirement payments funded by payroll taxes on employees. This went for welfare payments as well. Workers striked in automobile, steel, rubber and textile industries. National Labor Relations Act reserved the right for workers to organize labor unions w/o owner. Many strikes were settled. Roosevelt created an informal Black Union to help him in issues regarding race. He reversed Wilson's racial segregation policy. Blacks were still left with lower wages and fewer jobs. Indian Recognition Act terminated the Dawes Act, giving self-government to those living on reservations
What steps did Roosevelt take to stimulate economic recovery and provide relief to impoverished Americans during his first term in office?
Roosevelt provided a "New Deal" and was willing to experiment until something worked. He planned to provide relief, put millions to work, pay farmers, and rescue capitalism. He shut down banks to calm the people and passed the Emergency Banking Act. He wanted tighter supervision of the stock market and He cut government worker's salaries and lowered veteran's pensions. He ended prohibition to eliminate the cost of enforcement. He appointed the first women to head a cabinet agency and put farmers first by raising prices and reducing production (AAA). He paid them to slaughter their pigs and dig up their crops. The TVA was introduced to bring low cost electricity to rural areas. Took measures to prevent dust storms and created the NRA to regulate industrial hours, wages, production, and prices. This caused demand to grow and prices to steady. This did not work
How did different segments of the American population experience depression?
The Great Depression caused many white men to lose their jobs, but minorities had it worse. Three quarters of the black population worked as farmers. White landowners forced black sharecroppers off of their land. Blacks were employed at the lowest paying jobs. Racism spiked as blacks and whites competed more for jobs than before. Lynching rates grew higher. Many black men were accused of raping white women and did not receive a fair trial. Mexican Americans worked very low wage factory jobs and the United states began deporting Mexicans. They lived in poor conditions and crowded housing. Many Latin Americans went on strike because of this. Filipinos,, Chinese and Japanese also worked low wage jobs. Women faced more responsibility and more men relied on their wive's income. Stay at home mothers gained more responsibilities.
What criticisms did Roosevelt's opponents level against the New Deal?
The country remained in depression and unemployment was still around. Roosevelt was under attack and the New Deal spending an growth of big government. Some said he did not do enough to take care of large businesses. Wall Street bankers, democrats and northern industrailists were unsatisfied and thought that it was a road to communism and Roosevelt was a dictator. Communism grew and had big voices. The government said theyd give people over 60 a pension of $200 as long as they retired and spent it each month. This petition was signed by 1/5th of americans to stimulate economic growth. Townshead appealed mostly to the elderly, but also the Catholics and the middle class. Critcized the new deal for catering to greedy bankers. Communists and Jews supposedly manipulated it. People started to begin with Roosevelt and asked radios to stop broadcasting it. Kingfish proposed that we needed to share the wealth from the rich and appealed to farmers, industrial workers and blacks. He was shot and killed.
Despite the president's landslide victory in 1936, why did the New Deal stall during Roosevelt's second term in office?
Two years into his term, he was unable to extend the New Deal. Conservatives charged Roosevelt as being a dictator and tried to rule Social Security and the Wagner Act as unconstitutional. The political fallout damaged his plans to extend the policies. It alienated southern Democrats and people became concerned with the centralized government. They thought there was excessive spending on social welfare, and this conservation coalition could block unwanted legislation in the senate by 2 thirds majority. The recession of 1937 overlapped with the Supreme Court fight causing Roosevelt to lose support. WPA increased federal spending, so Roosevelt decreased spending leading to unemployment which slowed the recovering economy. He tried to campaign against democratic conservatives which just upset citizens who associated his behavior with those of European dictators.
