Chapter 33 Study Guide
Chapter #33: Identifications
Eleanor Roosevelt
The wife of FDR and was the most active first lady in politics for a while.
Harry Hopkins
An advisor of FDR who was one of the biggest architects behind the New Deal and shaped many of the policies that carried along with it.
Frances Perkins
The first ever female cabinet member who served under FDR as his Secretary of Labor.
Father Coughlin
A Catholic priest who had a radio show called Social Justice and he was ranting about FDR and his socialistic policies and was soon shut up by his church.
Huey Long
A senator from Louisiana who ranted about sharing the wealth of all the people, and his plan was to give $5000 to every poor family.
Francis Townshend
A man who also came up with a wild idea of giving $200 a month to the old retired people, which they will spend so that they can increase everything in the economy.
Harold Ickes
Secretary of Interior, he started about 34,000 projects for the Public Works Administration which helped create jobs and also public services.
Alfred M. Landon
A man who ran against FDR and lost by a wide margin because he couldn’t run a campaign and criticized the New Deal although he supported it.
Brain Trust(s)
Trusts that were containing thought and intelligence behind them so that they were considered ok.
The three R's
Relief, recovery and reform, which were the 3 goals of FDR. To help the poor immediately, then to recovery as a country and then to make sure a depression never happens again.
National Labor Relation Board
A board of national labor unions that met together and decided on many issues over their stuff.
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The group that first began to take in unskilled workers and won many cases against huge companies.
Liberty League
The league of people in the Republican party that were anti-communist and went against many of the things that FDR created.
Court-packing scheme
The scheme that FDR was accused of when he tried to increase the size of the Supreme Court so that he could get his initiatives passed.
Chapter #33 Guided Reading Questions
FDR: A Politician in a Wheelchair
Know: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt
1 What kind of man was FDR?
FDR was a man that was nominated by the Democrats during the election of 1932, when the depression was in it’s worst times. He was tall, athletic and handsome, that is until he caught polio and was then confined into a wheelchair. However, because of this, it helped him earn the likes of the people because he seemed vulnerable, like a normal person. He also had the people’s touch and he knew how to speak and convey to his people. His wife was also someone who was active in politics, and would become the most active first lady to ever take the position, and helped him run his campaign.
Presidential Hopefuls of 1932
2. What was Roosevelt's campaign message in the 1932 election?
Roosevelt’s campaign in the 1932 election was about optimism and hope and confidence. Unlike his opponent Hoover, who ran in the election with a slogan that was saying how the worst times are over or a what if situation in which it could have been worse, which had a negative connotation to it and didn’t give any hope. Roosevelt even chose a theme song for his campaign called “Happy Days are Here Again,” which by its title encourages the people to be happy. His speeches also contained the keyword, or his catchphrase which was “confidence.”
The Humiliation of Hoover in 1932
3. What were the immediate results of Roosevelt's victory?
FDR won the election with many electoral votes, one of the major contributions to this was that black voters for the first time, as a collective, began to support the Democrats because although the Dem used to be pro-slavery and conservative and whatnot, it seemed like the Republicans weren’t helping their situation anyways. Hoover was the loser of the election and during his last 4 months as a lame duck, he suddenly made the depression worse and worse because he was mad that FDR was able to win with such a landslide. He tried to pass a few things that were counterproductive to fixing the depression, and the unemployment was increased to 25% and also many companies went bankrupt. Roosevelt’s victory caused Hoover to pull some stuff to drag America even deeper down.
FDR and the Three R's: Relief, Recovery, Reform
Know: New Deal, Banking Holiday, Hundred Days, Three R's,
4. Describe the New Deal.
When Roosevelt came into presidency, he saw that there were many problems with the citizens of America. In his inauguration speech, he told the people not to fear about fearing, because that’s the only fear. This was because the people were afraid to spend their money until the economy was stable again, which isn’t helping the depression at all. He also mentioned the 3 R’s of his New Deal, which was relief, which was to provide food and shelter, recovery, which was to patch up the depression, and also reform, so that something at this scale never happens again. Along with his New Deal, he passed any acts, in which were called his alphabet soup because of all the acronyms that are used such as the NEA, SSA and also TVA.
Roosevelt Manages the Money
Know: Fireside Chats, Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Managed Currency
5. What were the key aspects of FDR's monetary policy?
FDR came in and as soon as he came in, passed the Emergency Banking Relief Act, which created the 1 week bank holiday where he went around and fixed most of the bank’s issues. After that, congress passed the Glass-Steagall Banking reform Act which created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, so that a bank will for sure have the money of the people who put their money into the banks. With this, he also wanted to remove America off the gold standard because people were hoarding gold instead of money. To do this, he had to get America off of it and also made a natural inflation in the economy so that debts could be paid back more easily.
Creating Jobs for the Jobless
Know: Pump Priming, CCC, FERA, Harry Hopkins, AAA, HOLC, CWA
6. Explain the difference between New Deal agencies and what radical critics wanted the government to do.
There were many New Deal agencies that were created at the time. One of them was the Civilian Conservation Corps, which helped get young men hired to do jobs in the woods, doing stuff much like boy scouts and got paid by having money sent to their homes. The Federal Relief Administration sent relief in the form of government doles, many people believed that FDR was buying votes with tax money. The Agricultural Adjustment Act helped give huge loans to farmers to help them get their stuff started. The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation was created to refinance people’s houses at a better rate that is more affordable. The Civil Works Administration was also started to give people jobs, however it was criticized that it was created mostly for people not to do work but get money.
A Day for Every Demagogue
Know: Father Charles Coughlin, Huey Long, Dr. Francis E. Townsend, WPA
7. List other historical demagogues.
Some historical demagogues include Father Charles Coughlin, a Catholic priest who voiced much about Social Justice on his radio program. He went from being moderate to very radical and soon was shut up by his church. Another one was Senator Huey Long, who wanted to take the money from the rich literally and give it to the poor, a basic form of socialism. He was also shunned out because of the fear that he was crazy. Dr. Francis E. Townsend also proposed that money should be given to the senior citizens, in a crazy amount. It also didn’t turn out to work in America since they didn’t have the money. The Works Progress Administration was also created to give jobs to many other people for public works and constructions to benefit the people.
New Visibility for Women
Know: Frances Perkins, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead, Pearl Buck
8. Explain the factors that made it possible for these women to gain fame.
Some of the factors that made it possible for women to get fame was that they were able to vote for 10 years, and after that they were able to make exponential progress through getting other accomplishments. Eleanor Roosevelt was well known for being the most active first lady and accomplished much for her husband because of his illness. Frances Perkins was known for being the first female cabinet member ever in history. Mary McLeod Bethune was the highest ranked black person in FDR’s administration and later found a college. Women found it easier for them to access higher positions due to their right to vote.
Helping Industry and Labor
Know: NRA, Sick Chicken Decision, PWA, Harold Ickes
9. How did the NRA attempt to restore industry?
The NRA attempted to restore industry by creating a fair playing game for all companies. Although it was shot down later in the Schechtner case, it still attempted to limit the power of businesses. It created a maximum day shift hours for workers and also created a minimum wage. It also curbed child labor so that more adults could work for the same thing and get paid more to. To help encourage the NRA, which was optional, they gave out a blue eagle ribbon to every company that followed the policies, which not many businesses were happy about. After it was shot down, the NRA became much like the PWA, and began to create jobs through public works.
Paying Farmers Not to Farm
10. How did the federal government attempt to help farmers?
The federal government attempted to help farmers by synthesizing a shortage of crops so that they could sell for a better price. To do this, they had to pay the farmers not to farm so much and thus created the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which literally paid farmers not to do so much planting. Many farmers had to waste their products for the act and it was soon shot down by the Supreme Court since it was unconstitutional. Then congress passed the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, which paid farmers money to not plant so many acres of land. The AAA was also reborn again to help curb the amount a farmer could grow, all of these increased farmer wages but also made them decrease in employment.
Dust Bowls and Black Blizzards
Know: Dust Bowl, Okies and Arkies, The Grapes of Wrath, Indian Reorganization Act
11. How did nature cause problems for some farmers on the plains?
Nature soon became a problem as many high winds and droughts blew the weak soil in the middle states to created the “great dustbowl.” Farmers didn’t treat the land well and because of that they continually plowed the top layer of the soil and soon made it into powdery dust which was easily carried by the wind. Because of such tragic events, many workers began to migrate west to find better soil. This inspired the book The Grapes of Wrath, a tale of Okies written by John Steinbeck. It also caused congress to pass the Resettlement Administration which helped farmers relocate themselves.
Makers of America: The Dust Bowl Migrants
Know: San Joaquin Valley, Farm Security Administration, Okievilles
12. In what ways were things better in California? In what ways were they the same?
Things were better in California because there, there wasn’t any dust bowl that was ruining the farming economy. There was San Joaquin Valley, a place where farming flourished due to its naturally good weather and irrigation systems that were placed. There was also the Farm Security Administration which helped increase the chances that a farm will stay stable and help produce. There were also Okievilles in which people came from all over the middle states in search for better jobs and what not.
Battling Bankers and Big Business
Know: Federal Securities Act, SEC
13. "Reformist New Dealers were determined from the outset to curb the `money changers....'" Explain.
The reformists saw that in the stock exchange, many people lost their investments because the numbers given were fake and didn’t really help investors make their decision correctly. To fix this, they created the Federal Securities Act which required companies to report honest numbers and stats so that investors knew what they were doing. The Securities Exchange Commission was created to watch all the transactions. People also saw opportunity to jump in and caused a pyramid to crash, forcing congress to pass the Public Utility Holding Company to make sure nothing like that happens again.
The TVA Harnesses the Tennessee River
Know: TVA, Creeping Socialism
14. What arguments were used for and against the TVA project?
The Tennessee Valley Authority was created because it was seen that electricity was a good market to get into and it would vastly improve the lives of many Americans. Many people saw the creation of this to be controversial because it would be government sponsored electricity and would be a form of creeping socialism, where the government was able to provide cheaper things and thus have a monopoly over the businesses. However, it was also supported because it helped provide jobs to clear forests and rivers for dams and other stuff and also provided electricity to improve the lives of over 2.5 million people.
Housing Reform and Social Security
Know: FHA, Social Security
15. How did the FHA and Social Security attempt to help some of society's least fortunate?
There were 2 major acts that helped society’s least fortunate. The Federal Housing Authority helped fund project housings to remove the slums in cities and also to create low-rent homes for the poor. It helped create more jobs and also inspired the US Housing Authority, which outlived the New Deal and even FDR. It was seen as such a popular and successful administration that it was kept even until now. There was also the Social Security Act which used tax payers’ money to help support the poor, and those unable to work.
A New Deal for Labor
Know: Wagner Act, National Labor Relations Board, CIO, John L. Lewis, Sit-down Strike
16. How did labor respond to the improvement of conditions brought about by the New Deal?
Unions began to strengthen under the FDR administration after the Wagner Act, which made it legal for labor unions to form and strike. After the Wagner Act, the Committee for Industrial Organization was created and was one of the first major unions to accept the unskilled workers, which at the time were thought to weaken a union’s strength since they were so easily replaced. Many major companies resisted such changes, especially after the Fair Labor Standards Act which limited workday hours and minimum wages was regulated and also child labor was stopped. Many people were striking and were killed, such as the Memorial Day massacre in which people striked and were shot and killed.
Landon Challenges "the Champ”
Know: Alfred Landon, American Liberty League
17. What was the significance of the 1936 election?
The significance of the 1936 election was that someone dared to challenge FDR in the election even though he had such immense success. Landon criticized FDR’s critical spending, but at the same time he was losing votes because of his criticisms, in which he actually supported many of the programs created by the New Deal. He also had a weak radio voice, unlike FDR, and also a poor campaigner and couldn’t really win many votes. There were also a few Democrats that wanted to switch to the other party because they were afraid of socialism, and formed the American Liberty League.
Nine Old Men on the Supreme Bench
18. Why did Roosevelt ask Congress for a bill that would allow him to add justices to the Supreme Court?
FDR wanted to ask Congress for a bill that would allow him to add justices because he although he had the Congress on his side, the Supreme Court was just too conservative for his tastes. He wanted to increase it to 15 members, so that he could raise a majority but congress quickly shut him down, seeing that gave him too much power. He already passed the 20th amendment, which allowed him to be sworn in 6 weeks early to skip out on the lame duck period a lot more.
The Court Changes Course
Know: Court Packing, Hugo Black
19. What were the consequences of FDR's attempt to pack the Court?
Some of the consequences of FDR’s attempt to pack the court was that he was now viewed as a man who tried to become a dictator, although he had “good” intentions behind his motives. However, power grabbing is always going to be viewed as a power grab, thus it made him look bad. However, it did change the mind of one judge, Owen J. Roberts had his conservative mind changes and began to be more liberal. After this court packing scheme, even though he was able to pass many of his things through the court, the New Deal programs were viewed with suspicions and he was viewed with suspicion.
The Twilight of the New Deal
Know: Roosevelt Recession, John Maynard Keynes, Hatch Act
20. Assess the successfulness of FDR in his second term.
The success of the FDR’s second term was pretty well done because although the recession wasn’t fixed within his first term, he was still able to curb most of it down. Then, there was the Roosevelt Recession which was caused by the massive govt spending, and FDR agreed to cut back on the spending, however he still returned to his high spending self because of Keynesian economy policies which said it was okay for a government to spend more than they have. The Reorganization Act also made it illegal for federal officials to only be political campaigners, which helped the efficiency of his government.
New Deal or Raw Deal?
21. What criticism of the New Deal seems most fair to you? Least fair?
Much of the criticisms on the New Deal seem to say that it was spending too much money and didn’t get enough done, and that he wasn’t the fixer of the depression, WWII was. I think this was fair because although he attempted to fix the problems in the US, he increased the national debt to $40 billion dollars, the highest it ever was in history at the time. The least fair was that he was accused of bringing communism into the US, although all he really did was just help out the poor, in which many people called him out on it for a long time.
Varying Viewpoints: How Radical Was the New Deal
Know: Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Carl Degler, Constraints School of Historians, New Deal Coalition
22. What did William Leuechtenburg mean when he called the New Deal a "half-way revolution?" (Your answer should focus more on the information before this term than on the information after it.)
It was a halfway revolution because it only fixed half of the problems the country had, because before the New Deal, America was fairly conservative, and was mostly dominated by the rich. After the New Deal however, America soon began to become a nation where they helped the poor, and actually used tax money to help support the poor. It was a change in American society and now the poor were able to get back on their feet. Although it didn’t fix or change all of America, it did help them where it needed the help. This was the most important part.
Eleanor Roosevelt
The wife of FDR and was the most active first lady in politics for a while.
Harry Hopkins
An advisor of FDR who was one of the biggest architects behind the New Deal and shaped many of the policies that carried along with it.
Frances Perkins
The first ever female cabinet member who served under FDR as his Secretary of Labor.
Father Coughlin
A Catholic priest who had a radio show called Social Justice and he was ranting about FDR and his socialistic policies and was soon shut up by his church.
Huey Long
A senator from Louisiana who ranted about sharing the wealth of all the people, and his plan was to give $5000 to every poor family.
Francis Townshend
A man who also came up with a wild idea of giving $200 a month to the old retired people, which they will spend so that they can increase everything in the economy.
Harold Ickes
Secretary of Interior, he started about 34,000 projects for the Public Works Administration which helped create jobs and also public services.
Alfred M. Landon
A man who ran against FDR and lost by a wide margin because he couldn’t run a campaign and criticized the New Deal although he supported it.
Brain Trust(s)
Trusts that were containing thought and intelligence behind them so that they were considered ok.
The three R's
Relief, recovery and reform, which were the 3 goals of FDR. To help the poor immediately, then to recovery as a country and then to make sure a depression never happens again.
National Labor Relation Board
A board of national labor unions that met together and decided on many issues over their stuff.
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The group that first began to take in unskilled workers and won many cases against huge companies.
Liberty League
The league of people in the Republican party that were anti-communist and went against many of the things that FDR created.
Court-packing scheme
The scheme that FDR was accused of when he tried to increase the size of the Supreme Court so that he could get his initiatives passed.
Chapter #33 Guided Reading Questions
FDR: A Politician in a Wheelchair
Know: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt
1 What kind of man was FDR?
FDR was a man that was nominated by the Democrats during the election of 1932, when the depression was in it’s worst times. He was tall, athletic and handsome, that is until he caught polio and was then confined into a wheelchair. However, because of this, it helped him earn the likes of the people because he seemed vulnerable, like a normal person. He also had the people’s touch and he knew how to speak and convey to his people. His wife was also someone who was active in politics, and would become the most active first lady to ever take the position, and helped him run his campaign.
Presidential Hopefuls of 1932
2. What was Roosevelt's campaign message in the 1932 election?
Roosevelt’s campaign in the 1932 election was about optimism and hope and confidence. Unlike his opponent Hoover, who ran in the election with a slogan that was saying how the worst times are over or a what if situation in which it could have been worse, which had a negative connotation to it and didn’t give any hope. Roosevelt even chose a theme song for his campaign called “Happy Days are Here Again,” which by its title encourages the people to be happy. His speeches also contained the keyword, or his catchphrase which was “confidence.”
The Humiliation of Hoover in 1932
3. What were the immediate results of Roosevelt's victory?
FDR won the election with many electoral votes, one of the major contributions to this was that black voters for the first time, as a collective, began to support the Democrats because although the Dem used to be pro-slavery and conservative and whatnot, it seemed like the Republicans weren’t helping their situation anyways. Hoover was the loser of the election and during his last 4 months as a lame duck, he suddenly made the depression worse and worse because he was mad that FDR was able to win with such a landslide. He tried to pass a few things that were counterproductive to fixing the depression, and the unemployment was increased to 25% and also many companies went bankrupt. Roosevelt’s victory caused Hoover to pull some stuff to drag America even deeper down.
FDR and the Three R's: Relief, Recovery, Reform
Know: New Deal, Banking Holiday, Hundred Days, Three R's,
4. Describe the New Deal.
When Roosevelt came into presidency, he saw that there were many problems with the citizens of America. In his inauguration speech, he told the people not to fear about fearing, because that’s the only fear. This was because the people were afraid to spend their money until the economy was stable again, which isn’t helping the depression at all. He also mentioned the 3 R’s of his New Deal, which was relief, which was to provide food and shelter, recovery, which was to patch up the depression, and also reform, so that something at this scale never happens again. Along with his New Deal, he passed any acts, in which were called his alphabet soup because of all the acronyms that are used such as the NEA, SSA and also TVA.
Roosevelt Manages the Money
Know: Fireside Chats, Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Managed Currency
5. What were the key aspects of FDR's monetary policy?
FDR came in and as soon as he came in, passed the Emergency Banking Relief Act, which created the 1 week bank holiday where he went around and fixed most of the bank’s issues. After that, congress passed the Glass-Steagall Banking reform Act which created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, so that a bank will for sure have the money of the people who put their money into the banks. With this, he also wanted to remove America off the gold standard because people were hoarding gold instead of money. To do this, he had to get America off of it and also made a natural inflation in the economy so that debts could be paid back more easily.
Creating Jobs for the Jobless
Know: Pump Priming, CCC, FERA, Harry Hopkins, AAA, HOLC, CWA
6. Explain the difference between New Deal agencies and what radical critics wanted the government to do.
There were many New Deal agencies that were created at the time. One of them was the Civilian Conservation Corps, which helped get young men hired to do jobs in the woods, doing stuff much like boy scouts and got paid by having money sent to their homes. The Federal Relief Administration sent relief in the form of government doles, many people believed that FDR was buying votes with tax money. The Agricultural Adjustment Act helped give huge loans to farmers to help them get their stuff started. The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation was created to refinance people’s houses at a better rate that is more affordable. The Civil Works Administration was also started to give people jobs, however it was criticized that it was created mostly for people not to do work but get money.
A Day for Every Demagogue
Know: Father Charles Coughlin, Huey Long, Dr. Francis E. Townsend, WPA
7. List other historical demagogues.
Some historical demagogues include Father Charles Coughlin, a Catholic priest who voiced much about Social Justice on his radio program. He went from being moderate to very radical and soon was shut up by his church. Another one was Senator Huey Long, who wanted to take the money from the rich literally and give it to the poor, a basic form of socialism. He was also shunned out because of the fear that he was crazy. Dr. Francis E. Townsend also proposed that money should be given to the senior citizens, in a crazy amount. It also didn’t turn out to work in America since they didn’t have the money. The Works Progress Administration was also created to give jobs to many other people for public works and constructions to benefit the people.
New Visibility for Women
Know: Frances Perkins, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead, Pearl Buck
8. Explain the factors that made it possible for these women to gain fame.
Some of the factors that made it possible for women to get fame was that they were able to vote for 10 years, and after that they were able to make exponential progress through getting other accomplishments. Eleanor Roosevelt was well known for being the most active first lady and accomplished much for her husband because of his illness. Frances Perkins was known for being the first female cabinet member ever in history. Mary McLeod Bethune was the highest ranked black person in FDR’s administration and later found a college. Women found it easier for them to access higher positions due to their right to vote.
Helping Industry and Labor
Know: NRA, Sick Chicken Decision, PWA, Harold Ickes
9. How did the NRA attempt to restore industry?
The NRA attempted to restore industry by creating a fair playing game for all companies. Although it was shot down later in the Schechtner case, it still attempted to limit the power of businesses. It created a maximum day shift hours for workers and also created a minimum wage. It also curbed child labor so that more adults could work for the same thing and get paid more to. To help encourage the NRA, which was optional, they gave out a blue eagle ribbon to every company that followed the policies, which not many businesses were happy about. After it was shot down, the NRA became much like the PWA, and began to create jobs through public works.
Paying Farmers Not to Farm
10. How did the federal government attempt to help farmers?
The federal government attempted to help farmers by synthesizing a shortage of crops so that they could sell for a better price. To do this, they had to pay the farmers not to farm so much and thus created the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which literally paid farmers not to do so much planting. Many farmers had to waste their products for the act and it was soon shot down by the Supreme Court since it was unconstitutional. Then congress passed the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, which paid farmers money to not plant so many acres of land. The AAA was also reborn again to help curb the amount a farmer could grow, all of these increased farmer wages but also made them decrease in employment.
Dust Bowls and Black Blizzards
Know: Dust Bowl, Okies and Arkies, The Grapes of Wrath, Indian Reorganization Act
11. How did nature cause problems for some farmers on the plains?
Nature soon became a problem as many high winds and droughts blew the weak soil in the middle states to created the “great dustbowl.” Farmers didn’t treat the land well and because of that they continually plowed the top layer of the soil and soon made it into powdery dust which was easily carried by the wind. Because of such tragic events, many workers began to migrate west to find better soil. This inspired the book The Grapes of Wrath, a tale of Okies written by John Steinbeck. It also caused congress to pass the Resettlement Administration which helped farmers relocate themselves.
Makers of America: The Dust Bowl Migrants
Know: San Joaquin Valley, Farm Security Administration, Okievilles
12. In what ways were things better in California? In what ways were they the same?
Things were better in California because there, there wasn’t any dust bowl that was ruining the farming economy. There was San Joaquin Valley, a place where farming flourished due to its naturally good weather and irrigation systems that were placed. There was also the Farm Security Administration which helped increase the chances that a farm will stay stable and help produce. There were also Okievilles in which people came from all over the middle states in search for better jobs and what not.
Battling Bankers and Big Business
Know: Federal Securities Act, SEC
13. "Reformist New Dealers were determined from the outset to curb the `money changers....'" Explain.
The reformists saw that in the stock exchange, many people lost their investments because the numbers given were fake and didn’t really help investors make their decision correctly. To fix this, they created the Federal Securities Act which required companies to report honest numbers and stats so that investors knew what they were doing. The Securities Exchange Commission was created to watch all the transactions. People also saw opportunity to jump in and caused a pyramid to crash, forcing congress to pass the Public Utility Holding Company to make sure nothing like that happens again.
The TVA Harnesses the Tennessee River
Know: TVA, Creeping Socialism
14. What arguments were used for and against the TVA project?
The Tennessee Valley Authority was created because it was seen that electricity was a good market to get into and it would vastly improve the lives of many Americans. Many people saw the creation of this to be controversial because it would be government sponsored electricity and would be a form of creeping socialism, where the government was able to provide cheaper things and thus have a monopoly over the businesses. However, it was also supported because it helped provide jobs to clear forests and rivers for dams and other stuff and also provided electricity to improve the lives of over 2.5 million people.
Housing Reform and Social Security
Know: FHA, Social Security
15. How did the FHA and Social Security attempt to help some of society's least fortunate?
There were 2 major acts that helped society’s least fortunate. The Federal Housing Authority helped fund project housings to remove the slums in cities and also to create low-rent homes for the poor. It helped create more jobs and also inspired the US Housing Authority, which outlived the New Deal and even FDR. It was seen as such a popular and successful administration that it was kept even until now. There was also the Social Security Act which used tax payers’ money to help support the poor, and those unable to work.
A New Deal for Labor
Know: Wagner Act, National Labor Relations Board, CIO, John L. Lewis, Sit-down Strike
16. How did labor respond to the improvement of conditions brought about by the New Deal?
Unions began to strengthen under the FDR administration after the Wagner Act, which made it legal for labor unions to form and strike. After the Wagner Act, the Committee for Industrial Organization was created and was one of the first major unions to accept the unskilled workers, which at the time were thought to weaken a union’s strength since they were so easily replaced. Many major companies resisted such changes, especially after the Fair Labor Standards Act which limited workday hours and minimum wages was regulated and also child labor was stopped. Many people were striking and were killed, such as the Memorial Day massacre in which people striked and were shot and killed.
Landon Challenges "the Champ”
Know: Alfred Landon, American Liberty League
17. What was the significance of the 1936 election?
The significance of the 1936 election was that someone dared to challenge FDR in the election even though he had such immense success. Landon criticized FDR’s critical spending, but at the same time he was losing votes because of his criticisms, in which he actually supported many of the programs created by the New Deal. He also had a weak radio voice, unlike FDR, and also a poor campaigner and couldn’t really win many votes. There were also a few Democrats that wanted to switch to the other party because they were afraid of socialism, and formed the American Liberty League.
Nine Old Men on the Supreme Bench
18. Why did Roosevelt ask Congress for a bill that would allow him to add justices to the Supreme Court?
FDR wanted to ask Congress for a bill that would allow him to add justices because he although he had the Congress on his side, the Supreme Court was just too conservative for his tastes. He wanted to increase it to 15 members, so that he could raise a majority but congress quickly shut him down, seeing that gave him too much power. He already passed the 20th amendment, which allowed him to be sworn in 6 weeks early to skip out on the lame duck period a lot more.
The Court Changes Course
Know: Court Packing, Hugo Black
19. What were the consequences of FDR's attempt to pack the Court?
Some of the consequences of FDR’s attempt to pack the court was that he was now viewed as a man who tried to become a dictator, although he had “good” intentions behind his motives. However, power grabbing is always going to be viewed as a power grab, thus it made him look bad. However, it did change the mind of one judge, Owen J. Roberts had his conservative mind changes and began to be more liberal. After this court packing scheme, even though he was able to pass many of his things through the court, the New Deal programs were viewed with suspicions and he was viewed with suspicion.
The Twilight of the New Deal
Know: Roosevelt Recession, John Maynard Keynes, Hatch Act
20. Assess the successfulness of FDR in his second term.
The success of the FDR’s second term was pretty well done because although the recession wasn’t fixed within his first term, he was still able to curb most of it down. Then, there was the Roosevelt Recession which was caused by the massive govt spending, and FDR agreed to cut back on the spending, however he still returned to his high spending self because of Keynesian economy policies which said it was okay for a government to spend more than they have. The Reorganization Act also made it illegal for federal officials to only be political campaigners, which helped the efficiency of his government.
New Deal or Raw Deal?
21. What criticism of the New Deal seems most fair to you? Least fair?
Much of the criticisms on the New Deal seem to say that it was spending too much money and didn’t get enough done, and that he wasn’t the fixer of the depression, WWII was. I think this was fair because although he attempted to fix the problems in the US, he increased the national debt to $40 billion dollars, the highest it ever was in history at the time. The least fair was that he was accused of bringing communism into the US, although all he really did was just help out the poor, in which many people called him out on it for a long time.
Varying Viewpoints: How Radical Was the New Deal
Know: Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Carl Degler, Constraints School of Historians, New Deal Coalition
22. What did William Leuechtenburg mean when he called the New Deal a "half-way revolution?" (Your answer should focus more on the information before this term than on the information after it.)
It was a halfway revolution because it only fixed half of the problems the country had, because before the New Deal, America was fairly conservative, and was mostly dominated by the rich. After the New Deal however, America soon began to become a nation where they helped the poor, and actually used tax money to help support the poor. It was a change in American society and now the poor were able to get back on their feet. Although it didn’t fix or change all of America, it did help them where it needed the help. This was the most important part.