H American History ch.22.1-2 quiz
What pledge did FDR make to the American people in 1932?
"a new deal for the American people" Voters Elect a New President
What is a Bank holiday?
A day when a Bank is closed so it can get its accounts in order before reopening for business.
What is the "Brain Trust"?
A group of professionals and academics that helped FDR plan the New Deal.
What were some problems with the SSA then?
At first, it did not apply to domestics or farm workers. Widows received smaller benefits than widowers
Why does this sound like socialism?
Because it gave government direct control of a business. Private companies complained they could not compete with the TVA because they didn't pay taxes. Providing Relief and Promoting Industrial Recovery
Why were people pulling money from the bank?
Because they were afraid of losing it and needed to pay off their debt
What long-term impact did the Court-packing scheme have on FDR politically?
Before the Court-packing scheme, FDR's popularity prevented critics from challenging him. Now that Roosevelt had lost some support, critics felt free to "take him on". Although the Court did not strike down anymore after 1937 he found the public much less willing to support further New Deal legislation.
How did the government pay for these expensive programs?:
By spending money they did not have.
What impact did this have on FRD politically?
Democrats suffered a set back in the 1938 congressional elections. Republicans picked up 7 Senate and 75 House seats. Although Democrats still maintained a majority in both houses of Congress, Roosevelt's power base was shaken because many southern democrats were shaky supporters of the New Deal. Needing their support for his foreign policies he chose not to force any more reforms through Congress.
By how many votes did FDR defeat Hoover?
FDR won by 7 million votes. Putting Together a winning team
Who is Eleanor? Reforming the Financial System
Franklin D. Roosevelt's distant cousin and wife.
What are some of the problems with the SSA today?
Govt is concerned that Socsec will run out of money as more people live longer and draw on Socsec benefits and fewer people are paying into the system. But it still remains to be the most popular and significant of the new deal programs.
What was Keynes' argument about pump priming?
He argued that the deficit spending was needed to end the depression. According to him, giving the citizens jobs on public-works projects put money into the hands of consumers who would buy more goods, stimulating the economy. Keynes called this theory pump priming.
Describe FDRs political resume
He belonged to the Democratic Party, was Gov. of New York state, politically minded, well educated, and wealthy.
How did FDR get polio?
He fell from a boat into the cold water of the North Atlantic as a boy
What reason did FDR use to add more justices to the Supreme Court?
He said that many of the court justices were elderly and overworked
What was the real reason FDR added more justices to the Supreme Court?
He wanted Justices that would support his ideas.
How did FDR differ from Hoover in the role of the federal government?
Hoover believed that Depression relief should come from state and local governments and private agencies, while FDR believed that the depression required strong action and leadership by the federal government.
What role did OJR take on in the Supreme Court?
In both the cases of the minimum wage law and the constitutionality of the Wagner Act, Owen J. Roberts provided the deciding vote.
What did the Supreme Court due to some key portions of the New Deal?
In the case of Schechter Poultry v. the United States, the Supreme Court ruled that since the President has no power to regulate interstate commerce, the National Industrial Recovery Act was unconstitutional. The Court also ruled a key part of the Agricultural Adjustment Act(AAA) unconstitutional not soon after. One pro-New Deal newspaper captured the mood of many Democrats by publishing the caption: "AMERICA STUNNED; ROOSEVELT'S TWO YEARS' WORK KILLED IN TWENTY MINUTES".
What problems did the Second New Deal try to solve?
It addressed problems with the elderly, the poor, and the unemployed; created new public-works project; helped farmers; and enacted measures to protect workers' rights.
Who did the SSA attempt to help?
It established unemployment insurance for workers who lost their jobs. The law also created insurance for victims of work-related accidents and provided aid for poverty-stricken mothers and children, the blind and disabled.
What effect did the FDIC have?
It helped to restore the confidence in the economy: runs on banks ended and the stock markets stabilized.
What right was established in the Wagner Act?
It recognized the right of employees to join labor unions and gave workers the right to collective bargaining. Collective bargaining meant that employers had to negotiate with unions about hours, wages, and other working conditions.
What happened to the unemployment rate?
It soared to more than 20 percent.
Why was it controversial?
People believed it was immoral to kill livestock or destroy crops while people went hungry.
What did the REA do?
REA stood for the Rural Electricity Administration. When the Depression began, only 10% of all farms had electricity, because many utility companies did not find it profitable. The REA loaned money to electric utilities to build power lines, bringing electricity to isolated areas. This was so successful that by 1950, more than 80% of American farms had electricity.
What are the three Rs?
Relief, Recovery, and Reform. - Relief for the working class, giving the lower class money directly - Economic recovery, - Working to prevent another depression from happening again (reform).
What role did Eleanor serve?
She served as FDR's eyes and ears .
How did the AAA help farmers?
The Agricultural Adjustment Act provided financial aid, paying farmers subsidies not to plant part of their land and to kill off excessive livestock.
What hiking trail on the eastern point of the US did the WPA help built?:
The Appalachian Trail
What did the CWA do?
The Civil Works Administration provided jobs on public-works projects.
What impact did the CCC have for young men?
The Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC provided jobs for more than 2 million young men. They replanted forests, built trails, dug irrigation ditches, and fought fires. As time progressed the CCC became more inclusive, extending work and including Mexican Americans and other minorities
What group did the CIO represent?
The Congress of Individual Organizations or CIO represented the labor leaders who were fed up with the AFL's reluctance to organize. The workers targeted by the CIO-organizing campaigns tended to be lower paid and ethnically diverse than those workers represented by the AFL.
What did the Fair Labor Standards Act do?
The Fair Labor Act of 1938 provided workers with additional rights, such as Outlawed child labor, the establishment of a minimum wage (used to be 25 cents an hour with a maximum workweek of 44 hours).
What is the FDIC?
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insured the bank deposits up to $5,000.
What did FERA do?
The Federal Emergency Relief Act granted federal funds to state and local agencies to help the unemployed.
What did the HOLC do?
The Home Owners Loan Corporation loaned money at low-interest rates to homeowners who could not meet mortgage payments.
What does the NLRB do?
The NLRB or National Labor Relations Board looked into workers' complaints and works to settle problems between workers and businesses.
What did the TVA accomplish?
The Tennessee Valley Authority built series of dams in Tennessee River valley to control floods and to generate electric power. It also replanted forests, built fertilizer plants, created jobs, and attracted industry with the promise of cheap power.
What tactic did the UAW use?
The United Automobile Workers union staged a sit-down strike, this is when workers refuse to leave the workplace until a settlement is reached. Occupying one of General Motors' most important plants in Flint, Michigan. When police and state militia threatened to remove them by force the workers informed them that they would not leave. The strike lasted 44 days until General Motors, then the largest company in the world agreed to recognize the UAW.
What did the WPA do?
The WPA stood for Works Progress Administration. The WPA built/improved a good part of the nation's highways, dredged rivers and harbors, and promoted soil and water conservation. They also provided programs in the arts, as Hopkins explained, artists "have to eat just like other people."
Why did the Federal government pay folk singers to sing about the new deal?
The department of the Interior's Bonneville Power Administration(BPA) hired folk singer Woody Guthrie to promote the benefits of hydroelectricity. His song "Roll on, Columbia" pays tribute to the projects that harnessed the power of the Columbia River.
How did these types of programs change the role of the federal government?
The government was now committed to providing price supports, or subsidies, for agriculture.
What group of people did the AFL represent?
The upsurge in union activity came at the same time as a bitter feud within the major labor federation. The American Federation of Labor or AFL represented skilled workers such as plumbers, carpenters, and electricians who joined trade or craft unions.
Why are minimum wages controversial?
To this day the minimum wage is one of the New Deal's most controversial legacies. Today, whenever a raise of the minimum wage is proposed economists and political leaders debate the wisdom of such an increase. Some argue it is unconstitutional for the government to direct private businesses to pay employees a minimum wage.
What happened to the makeup of the Court after Justice Willis Van Devanter retired?
With Justice Willis Van Devanter and others retiring Roosevelt was able to nominate a number of new Justices. 1937 marked a turning point in the history of Court. For years to come, the court more willingly accepted a larger role for the federal government
After the economy recovered, what mistakes did FDR make?
With the economy doing better FDR cut back on federal spending in order to reduce the rising deficit. But he miscalculated, while FDR reduced federal spending, the Federal Reserve Board raised interest rates making it more difficult for businesses to expand for consumers to buy and borrow new goods.
Was FDR a popular president in 1936?
Yes, he won the election 61% to 37% against his Republican challenger Alfred M. Landon
Were fireside chats effective?
Yes, it was effective because he convinced citizens that the banks were a safe place to keep their money.
How did FDR use the radio to communicate his plan?
fireside chats - it brought a sense of confidence and reassurance to Americans