InQuizitive Chapter 21: The New Deal, 1932-1940

Identify the contributions of the following individuals or organizations to the Popular Front.

built popular support for black defendants against a racist criminal justice system. :International Labor Defense photographer who captured everyday life of migrant workers and sharecroppers : Dorothea Lange opponent to the Popular Front, created to investigate disloyalty. : House Un-American Activities Committee

Match the following advocates with the policy for which they advocated.

cooperative ventures: Upton Sinclair large-scale government spending: John Maynard Keynes "Share the Wealth" movement: Huey Long

The ideas of the New Deal extended much longer than the actual time period in which the New Deal operated. In fact, New Deal legacies continue to be felt to this day. According to this video entitled "Significance of the New Deal," which of the following were political legacies brought about by the New Deal?

enhanced the power of the national government made the Democratic Party the majority party for the next forty years created a permanent administrative state

Southern Democrats held very powerful positions in Congress, and Roosevelt felt it was necessary to appease them to ensure the passage of his New Deal legislation. Identify the statements that describe the political monopoly in the South.

Democratic incumbents were elected in election after election, making the outcomes feel predetermined. After blacks lost the right to vote at the turn of the century, Republicans had no chance in the South, leaving Democrats with a political monopoly in the region. Roosevelt agreed to exclude agricultural and domestic workers from Social Security, pleasing southern white Democrats because these jobs were the largest categories of black employment.

In many instances the New Deal reinforced segregation and disappointed blacks who had voted for broad changes to the nation's race system. Identify the ways in which the New Deal failed African-Americans.

FDR did not succeed in passing antilynching legislation in Congress. Federal housing policy reinforced existing residential segregation in municipalities in both the North and the South In the South, New Deal construction projects refused to hire black workers The Civilian Conservation Corps maintained segregation by creating separate camps for blacks and whites.

The Wagner Act enlisted efforts to break up unions in favor of employers.

False

After the initial Emergency Banking Act was passed on March 9, 1933, what other acts were designed by the Roosevelt administration to shore up the American finance system?

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Glass-Steagall Act

Not all voices of protest during this period came from the unions. Identify the political agendas of the following individuals.

He called for the state to utilize disused factories, farms, and homes to create cooperative ventures to provide jobs for the unemployed. Correct label: Upton Sinclair He won wide support for a plan that would issue $200 to older Americans with the requirement they immediately spend it to boost the economy. Correct label: Dr. Francis Townsend He called for a restructuring of the American economy in which wealth would be confiscated and redistributed to provide $5,000 grants and guaranteed jobs with annual salaries. Correct label: Huey Long

What does it reveal about the Dust Bowl from 1935 to 1940?

In 1938, almost half of the state of Kansas was impacted by severe wind erosion. Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma were all impacted by the most severe wind erosion during the Dust Bowl.

Look at the powerful symbolism in this card issued by the Communist Party. What messages is this card trying to convey to Americans about the Communist Party in 1930s?

It prominently features African-Americans, thus demonstrating the Communist Party's commitment to supporting people of all races. It depicts working Americans united under the American and Communist flags, emphasizing the Americanization of the movement.

Huey Long was one of the more vocal and controversial political figures of the 1930s. Identify the statements that describe Long and his Share the Wealth movement.

Long wanted to confiscate most of the wealth of the richest Americans. Long dominated Louisiana state politics even from Washington, D.C., after his election to the Senate. Long used his power to build roads, schools, and hospitals.

Identify the statements that describe Mexican-Americans' experiences during the Depression.

Mexican-American leaders sought greater rights for Mexican-Americans by claiming to be white Americans in order to avoid discrimination similar to African-Americans.

What does Roosevelt mean by the difference between the definition of liberty that has existed in the past and his own "broader definition of liberty"?

Roosevelt felt that his New Deal walked a fine line between too much government and too little. Roosevelt equated freedom with economic security and independence, and rejected the liberty of contract, which served the interests of "the privileged few."

In 1933, John Maynard Keynes, the father of demand-side economics, wrote to FDR that his New Deal approach made him "the trustee for those in every country who seek to mend the evils of our condition by reasoned experiment within the framework of the existing social system." What was Keynes implying about Roosevelt's approach? Complete the following passage.

Roosevelt hoped to reconcile democracy, individual liberty, and economic recovery and development. He conceived the New Deal as an alternative to socialism on the left, Nazism on the right, and the inaction favored by upholders of unregulated capitalism.

Public assistance programs established by Social Security for dependent children, the poor and the elderly, were systematically denied from many employed black workers. Identify the ways in which blacks were prevented from benefiting from these types of assistance programs.

States were allowed to apply "moral" standards of eligibility, making discrimination against blacks common practice. States set benefit levels extremely low and set eligibility standards that discriminated against blacks. Blacks represented the majority of domestic servant jobs, which did not pay Social Security taxes; therefore, most were eligible only for government handouts that came with a stigma.

The era of the New Deal as a far-reaching social reform was coming to an end by 1941. Why did southern Democrats turn away from Roosevelt?

The "Report on the Economic Conditions in the South" revealed that the South lagged behind the rest of the nation in industrialization, health, and education. Roosevelt encouraged voters to elect liberal politicians to replace conservative politicians in the region in 1938.

FDR made a serious political miscalculation regarding the Supreme Court. Identify the statements that describe the Court fight.

The Court fight started because Roosevelt was worried that a court almost wholly appointed by Republicans would invalidate much of his New Deal. FDR's attempt to pack the Court—or add additional justices—raised cries that he was an aspiring dictator. The Court fight showed a fundamental shift in court behavior that started to follow election returns.

In the mid-1930s, for the first time in American history, the left enjoyed a shaping influence on the nation's politics and culture. Identify the statements that describe the communist movement in America.

The Popular Front and its focus on civil liberties helped to create a more pluralistic understanding of Americanism. The Communist Party sought to ally themselves with socialists and New Dealers during the time of the Popular Front.

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) was a key piece of legislation of the Second New Deal. Identify the statements that describe the REA.

The REA succeeded in delivering electricity to more homes. The goal of the REA was to bring electricity to homes that did not have it. The REA complimented other soil conservation and farm education programs, improving living standards for farmers.

The Social Security Act of 1935 transformed the relationship between the federal government and American citizens. Identify the statements that describe the Social Security Act.

The Social Security Act created a system of unemployment insurance, old age pensions, and aid to the disabled, the elderly poor, and families with dependent children. The ideas put into action in the Social Security Act had been promoted by Progressive reformers during the early 1900s. The Social Security Act was, and still is, funded by taxes collected from employers and employees.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) came out of the Hundred Days. Identify the statements that describe the TVA and its mission.

The TVA was a series of dams designed to control the flooding on the Tennessee River and its tributaries., The TVA would provide cheap and easy access to electricity for homes and industry in seven southern states.

Identify the statements that describe the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

The WPA hired artists and writers for projects including painting murals, writing guidebooks, and authoring histories of the United States. The WPA constructed thousands of public buildings and bridges, more than 500,000 miles of roads, and 600 airports. The WPA put on live musical and theater performances.

The Scottsboro case gained both national and international attention for highlighting the racism prevalent in the American South. Identify the statements that describe the Scottsboro case.

The case revolved around nine young black men arrested for the rape of two white women in Alabama in 1931. As a result of the case, the Supreme Court greatly expanded the definition of civil liberties, ensuring that defendants have access to a jury of their peers.

Identify the missions of the following unions and organizations.

This union was organized based on the craft of a worker, and not by the industry in which the worker worked Correct label:American Federation of Labor (AFL) This organization wanted to secure "economic freedom and industrial democracy" for American workers. Correct label:Congress of Industrial Workers (CIO) This organization used the sit-down strike as an effective tactic to halt production and force negotiations. Correct label:United Auto Workers (UAW)

The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was created in 1935 to organize workers by industry rather than by craft, which was the American Federation of Labor's (AFL) traditional policy.

True

FDR consistently linked freedom with a reasonable standard of living for a country's citizens.

True

In 1938, Roosevelt put Keynesian economic theory to work by increasing the U.S. budget deficit, requesting billions of dollars for work relief and farm aid in an attempt to sustain the purchasing power of individual Americans and stimulate the economy.

True

While anti-modernist fundamentalists were seemingly against modern technology, they still used the technology of radio to spread their messages through broadcast stations.

True

While the American version of the welfare state created by the Social Security Act of 1935 was a radical departure from previous U.S. government policy, it excluded some employed groups, covered fewer citizens, and was less well funded than that of its European counterparts.

True

The Hundred Days were Roosevelt's and Congress's efforts to provide relief and recovery for the majority of Americans from the lingering effects of the Great Depression by the quickest means possible. Which of the following items were part of the flurry of legislation known as the Hundred Days?

abolishing Prohibition the National Recovery Administration (NRA) Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

While the concept of American liberty was being redefined by activists and the Supreme Court, the new appreciation for freedom of expression was not universal. Identify the outcomes of the following committees, events, or groups in this process.

made it a federal crime to "teach, advocate, or encourage" the overthrow of the United States government :Smith Act split from President Roosevelt over fear that continuing federal intervention in their region would encourage unionization and upset race relations :southern Democrats established in 1938 to investigate disloyalty :House Un-American Activities Committee

What was the overall significance of the New Deal and its legacy?

not a significance of the New Deal Correct label: It drastically decreased unemployment and ended the Depression prior to World War II. significance of the New Deal Correct label: It enhanced the power of the national government. Correct label: It made the Democratic Party the majority party in the country for the next thirty to forty years. Correct label: It was the first time that the government intervened to promote the right of labor, by recognizing workers' right to organize unions.

Roosevelt was spurred to initiate the Second New Deal in 1935 because the first had failed to pull the country out of the Depression. While the first New Deal had focused on economic recovery, the Second New Deal would focus on economic security.

true