who was franklin roosevelt?misscaspersclassroom.weebly.com/uploads/4/5/5/1/45514493/roose… · •...
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Who was Franklin Roosevelt? • Distant cousin to Teddy Roosevelt • Rising political star until he contracted polio in
1921 • FDR began grueling exercise regimen to walk
again • Could stand and walk a little with metal leg braces,
but only for short amounts of time • Wife Eleanor helped campaign for him
The Brain Trust • The country needs bold experimentation… above all, try
SOMETHING.” • FDR, 1933
• Roosevelt did not have a firm plan to end the
Depression • His goal was “a New Deal” for the American people • He had many advisors from all walks of political, social, and
economic groups • Roosevelt’s advisors were nicknamed the “Brain Trust”
Fireside Chats • Roosevelt was an excellent communicator
• He would frequently address the nation by radio • Explained his policies in simple, conversational
terms • Presented himself as an optimist to restore public
confidence
• Bank Chat
Recovery • Restore the economy by increasing incentives to
produce and rebuild people’s purchasing power
Emergency Banking Relief Act AKA the Bank Holiday • All banks were closed and inspected by
regulators • The stable banks were reopened and certified
safe
Federal Emergency Relief Act • Funded state and local governments to provide
emergency relief and enabled millions to be hired on “make-work” projects
Civilian Conservation Corps • Gave jobs to young men, such as planting trees
and cleaning up forests • Most pay was sent home to their parents
Public Works Administration • Created federal jobs by building public projects,
such as school, roads, courts, post offices, and bridges
Works Progress Administration • Created jobs by hiring artists, writers, and
musicians to paint murals, produce plays, and create other artworks
• Murals!
Priming the Pump • Roosevelt believed pouring money into the
economy would get it working again • More $$ = more demand for products • More demand = more workers making products • More workers = more $$ = more demand
National Recovery Administration
• Asked businesses to follow codes which set standard prices, production limits, and minimum wages
Agriculture Adjustment Acts • Paid farmers to plant less to increase prices • Government bought farm surpluses and stored
them until prices went up
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation • Insured bank deposits so that people would not
lose their savings in the event of a bank failure
Tennessee Valley Authority • Built 21 government-owned dams along
Tennessee River, controlling floods and producing electricity
Securities and Exchange Commission • Created to watch over the stock market, prevent
fraud, and guard against another stock market collapse
National Labor Relations Act • Gave workers the right to form unions,
collectively bargain, and submit grievances (complaints) to the National Labor Relation Board
Social Security Act • Provided workers with unemployment insurance,
old age pensions, and insurance if they died early
• Workers and their employers each paid contributions to fund these benefits
American Liberty League • Who: group of industrialists opposed to the New Deal • Objectives: protect the rights of businesses to operate
without government interference • No problem with government policies that assisted or
encouraged business • No real popular support
• Seen as “organized money”
Francis E Townsend • Who: elderly physician and author of the
Townsend Plan (which he wrote in a local newspaper)
• Objective: have the government pay $200 to every American over the age of 60
• Developed a following of (about) five million nationwide
Charles E Coughlin • Who: Catholic priest from Detroit with a radio program • Objective: placed the blame for the Depression on
Jewish bankers and formed the National Union for Social Justice (a pro-labor group)
• 30 million followers, but quickly silenced and completely ignored once WWII began
Huey P Long • Who: Senator from Louisiana and “Kingfish” of
Louisiana politics • Objective: claimed administration was not doing enough
to help people and created the “Share Our Wealth” campaign • Guaranteed $2500/ year to every American, free education, a
$5000 housing allowance for families, and much much more! • Long assassinated in 1935
The Supreme Court • Who: the third branch of government • Objective: The Court ruled many New Deal programs
(AAA, NIRA) unconstitutional • Roosevelt responded with court-packing plan
• Add six new justices to the court to protect New Deal programs from judicial review
• Two anti-New Deal justices start to vote in favor of New Deal programs • Plan abandoned
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