US History - FDR and the New Deal

deficit spending

Government practice of spending more than it takes in from taxes; FDR started this trend to pump more money into the economy

Huey Long

Louisiana senator (aka "Kingfish") who pushed his "Share The Wealth" program to redistribute personal income

New Deal Reform Programs

Programs to correct problems and prevent depressions from happening again, focusing on banks and labor unions

Eleanor Roosevelt

She was a First Lady and worked for social reform, supported youth employment, helped the poor and addressed the needs of women in her book Its Up to Women.

New Deal Relief Programs

programs to provide immediate help through jobs or government checks to lower unemployment

Hundred Days

100 days after FDR was sworn into office. Congress passed into law major legislation to counter the effects of the Great Depression

Social Security Act (SSA)

1934 law that set up a pension system for retirees beginning at age 65; set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance and care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and public health

Father Coughlin

A Catholic priest from Michigan who was critical of FDR on his radio show. He was wildly popular among those who opposed FDR's New Deal until radio show spoke out against Jews during WWII. He was eventually kicked off the air

Court Packing Scheme

FDR's plan to "pack" the Supreme Court with 6 additional justices who would be supporters to keep his New Deal programs from being declared unconstitutional

New Deal Recovery Programs

Programs to help stimulate agriculture, industry and the economy to end the great depression

Fair Labor Standards Act

1938-Established a minimum wage (25 cents an hour), a maximum workweek of 40 hours and time and a half for overtime, and outlawed child labor.

Securities Exchange Commission (SEC)

An agency created in 1933 that monitors the stock market and enforces laws regulating the sale of stocks and bonds

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

Designed to boost agricultural prices by reducing surpluses, the Government bought livestock for slaughter and paid farmers subsidies not to plant part of their land. It was struck down and declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court.

New Deal

President Franklin Roosevelt's programs and legislation intended to bring economic relief, recovery, and reforms to the country after the Great Depression.

bank holiday

The day after his inauguration, FDR closed all banks for 4 days until gov't examiners could investigate their financial condition; only sound/solvent banks were allowed to reopen

direct relief

cash payments or food provided by the government to the poor

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

government agency created during the New Deal that insures bank deposits, guaranteeing that depositors' money will be safe. The FDIC currently insures deposits up to $250,000.

Fireside Chats

informal radio broadcasts in which President Roosevelt explained his New Deal program and how he would take action on the depression.

Okies during the Great Depression

midwestern farmers who lost their farms; many moved to CA