Chapter 23 The New Deal

New Deal laws and agencies and the lasting effects of these laws and agencies on American government and life: Agriculture and rural life

-Agricultural Adjustment Acts, Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act -Financial aid to farmers, rural electrification, surplus and parity prices

Continuing effects of the New Deal

-Banking and finance are reformed -Government takes a more active role in the economy -Workers benefit from labor standards -Social Security system continues to provide for the needy -Conservation efforts continue to preserve the environment

Problems before the New Deal

-Industries and farms failed -US stock market crashed and banks closed -Bankrupt businesses -Unemployment -Homelessness

What problems did each group face during the Depression? What laws were passed and agencies established to deal with these problems? Retired workers

-Lack of a retirement plan, lack of government pension -Social Security Act

What problems did each group face during the Depression? What laws were passed and agencies established to deal with these problems? The disabled, the needy elderly, and dependent mothers and children

-Lack of government aid -Social Security Act

New Deal laws and agencies and the lasting effects of these laws and agencies on American government and life: Labor

-National Labor Relations Board, Wagner Act, Fair Labor Standards -Set standards for wages/hours, banned child labor, right to organize and bargain collectively, mediation in labor disputes

New Deal laws and agencies and the lasting effects of these laws and agencies on American government and life: Banking and finance

-Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Glass-Steagall Act -Monitoring of the stock market, laws about the sale of stocks and bonds, bank account insurance

New Deal laws and agencies and the lasting effects of these laws and agencies on American government and life: Social welfare

-Social Security Act -Government assumes some responsibility for the social welfare of citizens, old-age insurance program, unemployment compensation, disabled aid programs

What problems did each group face during the Depression? What laws were passed and agencies established to deal with these problems? Farmers, migrant workers and others living in rural areas

-Soil depletion, finance troubles, squalid housing, dust storms -Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, Resettlement Administration, Farm Security Administration, Rural Electrification Administration

New Deal laws and agencies and the lasting effects of these laws and agencies on American government and life: Environment

-Tennessee Valley Authority, Civilian Conservation Corps, Taylor Grazing Act -Protection of natural resources, rural electrification, flood/dust storm prevention, pollution, national parks and wildlife refugees

What problems did each group face during the Depression? What laws were passed and agencies established to deal with these problems? Teachers, writers, artists and other professionals

-Unemployment, poverty, lack of education - Works Progress Administration

What problems did each group face during the Depression? What laws were passed and agencies established to deal with these problems? Students and other young people

-Unemployment, poverty, lack of education -Works Progress Administration, National Youth Administration

What problems did each group face during the Depression? What laws were passed and agencies established to deal with these problems? All workers, including the unemployed

-Unemployment, poverty, threats towards unions and union members -Wagner Act, Fair Labor Standards Act

Solutions made by the New Deal

-Work projects helped the unemployed -Money given to farmers, sharecroppers, and migrant workers -New opportunities for women and minorities -Social Security Act allocates money to the elderly and disabled -National Labor Relations Board protects workers' rights -Securities and Exchange Commission monitors stock market -Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation protects individuals' deposits in banks -Fireside Chats increased public confidence

Problems of African Americans not solved by the New Deal:

FDR never committed to civil rights and allowed discrimination to continue

Gains African Americans made under the New Deal:

Key positions were obtained in the government

Huey Long

Louisiana Senator who opposed FDR's New Deal and came up with a , "Share the Wealth" wants to give $5k to all families ,was later assassinated

Examples of appointees to important government positions: African Americans

Mary McLeod Bethune, FDR's "Black Cabinet"

Examples of unions organized during the New Deal:

New Deal Coalition, Congress of Industrial Organizations

Works Progress Administration

New Deal agency that helped create jobs for those that needed them. It created around 9 million jobs working on bridges, roads, and buildings.

Tennessee Valley Authority

New Deal program that built dams to control flooding and produce cheap electric power

parity

equality, as in amount, status, or value

Fair Labor Standards Act

established a minimum hourly wage and maximum number of hours in the work week, restrictions on child labor

Glass-Seagall Banking Act of 1933

established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which provided federal insurance for individual bank accounts; reorganized the banking system

Securites and Exchange Commission

federal agency that regulates the financial markets and protects the investing public from fraud and malpractice

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

film about a young senator who exposes corruption in Washington

Emergency Baking Relief Act

gave the President power over the banking system and set up a system by which banks would be reorganized or reopened

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

government paid farmers to leave a certain amount of every acre of land unsettled; raised crop prices by lowering production (reduced supplies would boost prices)

Social Security Act

guaranteed retirement payments for enrolled workers beginning at age 65; set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance and care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and public health

Wagner Act

guaranteed the right of unions to organize and to collectively bargain with management

Public Works Administration (PWA)

helped construction workers get jobs doing public projects (highways, bridges, sewers)

National Labor Relations Board

mediated labor disputes

Securities and Exchange Commission

monitors the stock market and enforces laws regulating the sale of stocks and bonds

Waiting for Lefty

play written by Clifford Odets about labor struggles

New Deal

policies of government that focused on relief for the needy, economic recovery, and financial reform

Federal Emergency Relief Administration

provided direct relief (food, clothing) to the neediest people (unemployed, old, ill)

Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC)

provided government loans to homeowners who faced foreclosure because they couldn't meet their loan payments

National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)

provided money to states to create jobs in the construction of schools and other community buildings; lowered the unemployment rate

Civil Works Administration (CWA)

provided work in federal jobs

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

put young men aged 18 to 25 to work building roads, developing parks, planting trees, and helping in soil-erosion and flood-control projects; provided relief through work projects and helped with reforestation of the Dust Bowl

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

renovated five existing dams and constructed 20 new ones, created thousands of jobs, and provided flood control, hydroelectric power, and other benefits to an impoverished region; provided rural and employment assistance

Federal Securities Act

required corporations to provide complete information on all stock offerings and made them liable for any misrepresentations; regulated the stock market

deficit spending

spending more money than the government receives in revenue

The War of the Worlds

1938 was a story on the radio directed by Orson Welles, it was so realistic people thought that aliens were actually invading

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

32nd US President - He began New Deal programs to help the nation out of the Great Depression, and he was the nation's leader during most of WWII

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

A United States government corporation created by the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. It provides deposit insurance, which guarantees the safety of deposits in member banks, currently up to $250,000 per depositor per bank

Congress of Industrial Organizations

A federation of labor union for all unskilled workers. It provided a national labor union for unskilled workers, unlike the AFL, which limited itself to skilled workers.

Describe the effects of the New Deal public works projects for the economy, environment, and people's personal lives.

Before FDR introduced the New Deal employment policies, those without jobs were left on their own by the government to find food, a salary, economic stability and hope. With the New Deal came many policies to aid the unemployed and raise their morale. Programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Works Progress Administration provided many unemployed people with public works jobs. People could now earn living by working hard and not begging, which was shamed.

Gains unions made under the New Deal:

Better working conditions, increased bargaining power

What unique problems did farmers and other people living in rural areas face during the Depression? How did the New Deal address those problems?

Farmers faced many problems during the Great Depression, such as dust storms, a surplus of crops, and a lack of electricity in rural areas. The New Deal provided solutions for each problem. The Agricultural Adjustment Act sought to raise the low crop prices by lowering production. The Tennessee Valley Authority created better flood and navigation control on rivers in the South, and created public works jobs for many. Finally, the Rural Electrification Administration created electricity for many rural areas, making farming easier.

Examples of appointees to important government positions: Women

Frances Perkins (the first female cabinet member)

American Gothic

Grant Wood's painting depicting life in the Midwest during the Great Depression

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck's novel about a struggling farm family during the Great Depression. Gave a face to the violence and exploitation that migrant farm workers faced in America

Why was FDR able to quickly instill confidence in the federal government's ability to end the Depression? Give two reasons.

Roosevelt was able to instill confidence in the American public through his great communication. He had radio broadcasts frequently (nicknamed Fireside Chats) that helped inform citizens of New Deal policies while speaking a language they understood. The American people trusted FDR because his goals were always to help them as much as possible, especially emerging from the Great Depression.

Problems of unions not solved by the New Deal:

Struggle for dominance through strikes, controversy and violence

Problems of women not solved by the New Deal:

They still face discrimination, such as the lowering of women's minimum wage and discrimination against working married women

Our Town

Thorton Wilder's play centered around the everyday life in a town, mortality, and companionship

What are some of the lasting effects of the New Deal on banking and finance in the United States?

To solve the nation's constant worrying about the safety of their money and saving in banks, the government put a few programs into place. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation provided federal insurance to individual bank accounts. The Securities and Exchange Commission regulated the stock market so those with inside information could not "rig" the system to benefit themselves. These policies allowed Americans to have peace of mind about their savings and know their money is safe.

Gone with the Wind

a 1939 movie dealing with the life of Southern plantation owners during the Civil War

Gains women made under the New Deal:

a chance to work in the government

John Collier

a commissioner of Native American affairs, helped create the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, strived for Native American autonomy

Native Son

a novel by Richard Wright about a young black man whose life is destroyed by poverty and racism

parity price

a price intended to keep farmers' income steady

Eleanor Roosevelt

a social reformer who combined her deep humanitarian impulses with great political skills, FDR's wife

National Youth Administration

an agency that provided young Americans with aid and employment during the Great Depression

New Deal Coalition

an alignment of diverse groups dedicated to supporting the Democratic Party

Emergency Banking Relief Act

authorized the Treasury Department to close and inspect banks; restored public confidence in banks