APUSH Unit 9, Part II

Twentieth Amendment

"Lame Duck Amendment," it changed the inauguration date from March 4 to January 20 for president and vice president, and to January 3 for senators and representatives. It also said Congress must assemble at least once a year.

Neutrality Acts (1935-37)

1935, no trading with any belligerent nations, Traveling on warring ships at ones own risk. 1936, no loans to nations. 1937, enforced the old ones, including civil wars.

Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act, 1935)

1935; established National Labor Relations Board; protected the rights of most workers in the private sector to organize labor unions, to engage in collective bargaining, and to take part in strikes and other forms of concerted activity in support of their demands.

NRA (1933)

A far-reaching program called the National Recovery Administration (NRA) attempted in 1933 to coordinate business and labor and to address unemployment both for the short and long term. The NRA called for self-restraint on the parts of both business and labor. Businesses were to abide by codes of fair competition. Minimum wages and maximum work hours were established for workers in order to employ a greater number of people. Labor was encouraged to use collective bargaining. Shot down by the Schecter case as unconstitutional.

Second Economic Downturn (1937)

A recession that FDR thought was caused by his recent cut in spending. Prompted more money to be poured into the American economy. FDR also responded by having Congress investigate what he called an "unjustifiable concentration of economic power." Led to anti-trust investigations and eventually the Fair Labor Standards Act.

AAA

Agricultural Adjustment Administration: attempted to regulate agricultural production through farm subsidies; ruled unconstitutional in 1936; disbanded after World War II. The agency's strategy was to reduce the supply in the market by paying farmers to decrease their acreage under production. The government also bought surpluses and destroyed them, to the chagrin of people who could not afford food. The scheme was to be paid for by taxes on food processors such as grain mills and slaughterhouses, who would pass on the increases to the public.

Causes of U.S. Isolationism (1930s)

Americans concerned with economic depression; sought to avoid European involvement, the U.S. didn't perceive any immediate threats. The "Good Neighbor Policy" persuaded against the use of military force and this extended to the rest of the world as well. The U.S. did not want to be dragged into a European war. In addition, there was suspicion among Americans that American business interests had "tricked" Wilson into joining the first World War.

CCC (1933)

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Over the course of its existence, the CCC employed some three million young men on conservation projects such as flood control, draining swamps, and planting trees. Many of the mountain trails in Colorado were built by the CCC. Kept many young men off the streets. Part of their pay was sent to their parents to provide some income to the families too. CCC workers were given uniforms, housed in barracks, and fed regular meals. Critics complained about the militarization of America's youth.

CIO Organized (1935)

Congress of Industrial Organizations. proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932. a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955.

Appeasement at the Munich Conference (1938)

During the Munich Conference of 1938, Britain and France met with Hitler, allowing him to take over Czechoslovakia as long as he agreed to expand no further. The agreement was seen as an assurance of peace.

Fair Labor Standards Act (Wages and Hours Bill, 1938)

Federal law that applies to employees engaged in and producing goods for interstate commerce. The FLSA established a national minimum wage, guaranteed time and a half for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors in "oppressive child labor," a term defined in the statute. The FLSA is administered by the Wage & Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor.

Good Neighbor Policy (1933)

Franklin D. Roosevelt policy in which the U.S. pledged that the U.S. would no longer intervene in the internal affairs of Latin American countries. This reversed Teddy Roosevelt's Big Stick Policy.

Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act / FDIC (1933)

Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which initially insured deposits up to $5,000. Roosevelt reassured the American people that their money was now safer in a bank vault than under their mattress or in other less-than-safe places in their home. With these kinds of assurances and legislative guarantees to back them up, people's faith in the banking system was largely restored. Banks could now reopen their doors without fear of a run, and individuals and companies began depositing their money in banks again.

Indian Reorganization Act

Government legislation that allowed the Indians a form of self-government. It provided the Indians direct ownership of their land, credit, a constitution, and a charter in which Indians could manage their own affairs. Secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives. These include a reversal of the Dawes Act's privatization of common holdings of American Indians and a return to local self-government on a tribal basis. The Act also restored to Native Americans the management of their assets (being mainly land) and included provisions intended to create a sound economic foundation for the inhabitants of Indian reservations.

Bank Holiday (1933)

In his inaugural speech, Roosevelt pledged a New Deal for the American people and cautioned them against giving in to fear ("we have nothing to fear, but fear itself"). He instituted a series of nearly revolutionary reforms. On March 6, 1933, he closed the banks and announced a bank holiday. This gave banks relief from the threat of ruinous runs, but sent anxiety through the country as people wondered how safe their money was and what powers the government might give itself in the name of emergency.

December 7, 1941

Japan attacks at Pearl Harbor. Japanese fleet does a surprise attack on the United States naval station in Hawaii. Much of the naval fleet is destroyed and 3,000 are killed. The United States declares war on Japan and our ally Great Britain does the same. It also brings the United States into a war against Germany. Germany declares war on the United States the day after Pearl Harbor. America quickly rebuilds its navy and sends fleets into the Pacific.

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

Program under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, France and other Allied nations with vast amounts of war materials. The "loan" of military equipment in exchange for the "lease" of land for military bases.

PWA (1933)

Public Works Administration. Part of Roosevelt's New Deal programs. Put people to work building or improving public buildings like schools, post offices,etc. Map shows the different projects built by the PWA

Twenty-First Amendment (1933)

Repealed prohibition on the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages, effectively nullifying the 18th (prohibition) Amendment

Election of 1940

Roosevelt (democrat) vs. Wendell Wilkie (republican), Roosevelt won in a landslide. FDR declared that he would not send Americans to war in order to win (isolationism was popular); first time a president was elected for a third term (and a reason to change the Constitution to limit presidents to two terms)

Social Security Act (1935)

Social Security Act was drafted by President Roosevelt's committee on economic security, under Edwin Witte. The Act provided benefits to retirees and the unemployed, and a lump-sum benefit at death. Payments to retirees were financed by a payroll tax on current workers' wages, half directly as a payroll tax and half paid by the employer.

Schecter "sick chicken" case (1935)

Sometimes called "the sick chicken case" (because it shot down the NRA eagle). Unanimously declared the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) unconstitutional on three grounds: that the act delegated legislative power to the executive; that there was a lack of constitutional authority for such legislation; and that it sought to regulate businesses that were wholly intrastate in character.

FDR's "Court-Packing" Scheme

The Supreme Court kept blocking New Deal programs, so FDR proposed to add one new member onto the Supreme Court for every existing member over the age of 70, which would allow him to add 6 more justices and swing the balance of power into his favor. Congress voted against it, accusing him of abuse of power. Maintained the balance of power and checks and balances instead of giving Roosevelt more power.

TVA (1933)

The Tennessee Valley Authority federation was created in 1933 in order to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development (jobs) in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly impacted by the Great Depression.

FDR Adopts Keynesian Economic Policy (1937)

Theory based on the principles of John Maynard Keynes, stating that government spending should increase during business slumps and the curve during booms. Roosevelt increased spending to try to get the American economy out of the Depression.

WPA (1933)

Works Progress Administration (WPA), a large-scale employment and public works program. Spent approximately $11 billion on public works projects, education, and the arts. WPA workers constructed bridges, paved roads, and built public buildings. Workers also assisted all levels of education as graders and teaching assistants. They wrote histories and produced art for government buildings. Wages were $.25 to $.35 an hour, but people who had been earning nothing were thrilled to get any sort of pay, and WPA jobs helped people keep their self-respect.

Atlantic Charter (1941)

World War II alliance agreement between the United States and Britain; included a clause that recognized the right of all people to choose the form of government under which they live; indicated sympathy for decolonization