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