Terms
Bull Market- A trend of stock markets where investors gain in confidence and buy more, in hope of a later financial gain.
“Black Tuesday”- October 29th, 1929, the day the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began.
Great Depression- An economic period covering most of the 1930s when unemployment rates were high and money was very tight for most citizens.
POUR-
RFC- The Reconstruction Financial Corporation, which gave federal money to banks, insurance companies, railroads, and state and local governments.
“Bonus Army”- World War II veterans who marched in Washington DC to demand that Congress pay them their entire war bonus on the spot. Congress turned them down.
New Deal- FDR’s plan to escape the Great Depression through relief, recovery, and reform.
Election of 1932- An election when Franklin Delano Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover in a landslide.
“Fireside Chat”- FDR’s weekly radio broadcast to inform the US citizens of what was happening around the country.
FDR- President during the Great Depression and World War I. He planned and executed the New Deal.
Emergency Banking Act- An act that gave the president power to regulate bank transactions, foreign exchange, and to reopen solvent banks.
“Hundred Days”- A period of time from March 9th to June 16th, 1933, when FDR got many of his proposed pieces of legislation passed through Congress, thus beginning the New Deal.
Civilian Conservation Corps- A way for the federal government to employ about 3 million young men into jobs such as reforestation, firefighters, flood control, and swamp damage.
FERA- The Federal Emergency Relief Act, which provided $3 billion for wages for work projects.
AAA- The Agricultural Adjustment Act, which provided money to help farmers meet their mortgages.
TVA- The Tennessee Valley Authority, which offered relief to Tennessee citizens by building 20 dams in the Tennessee valley, thus offering jobs and electricity to the citizens.
National Industrial Recovery Act- Part of the New Deal that authorized the President to regulate banks and stimulate the American economy.
PWA- The Public Works Administration, which spent about $4 billion on 34,000 public works projects.
American Liberty League- A group of politicians who were supported by large businesses of the time. They were accused of plotting an attempt to overthrow FDR.
Father Charles Coughlin- A very anti-New Deal and anti-Jewish priest who preached “Social Justice”.
Huey Long- A senator who was a proverbial Robin Hood, who preached taking from the rich and giving more to the poor.
Social Security Act of 1935- An act creating the American social security system. It provided money to the retired, therefore providing an incentive for older workers to retire and create jobs for younger workers.
National Labor Relations Act- An American law created in 1935 that ensures the freedom of workers to go on strike and organize labor unions.
RA- The Resettlement Administration, which put farmers on better land and planted 200 million trees as wind breakers.
National Housing Act- An act creating the Federal Housing Administration, which aimed at raising the standard of living in America.
Fair Labor Standards Act- Established a national minimum wage, guaranteed time and a half for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors in "oppressive child labor”.
CIO- A federation of unions, like the AF of L, except they were more militant and used more radical tactics, and also allowed blacks to join.
“New Deal Coalition”- The group of people who supported the New Deal, as well as Democratic candidates in general, up into the 60s.
“Dust Bowl”- A name given to the plains in the 1930s, due to the large amounts of dust present after a severe drought.
Okies- People from Oklahoma who moved to California during the Dust Bowl period to begin a new life.
Indian Reorganization Act- Also known as the “Indian New Deal”, it encouraged tribal governments and helped to preserve Indian traditions.
“Federal One”- The name given to the acts passed during the Second New Deal that heavily supported the arts in America.
John Steinbeck- Author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men.
Margaret Mitchell- Atlanta native who wrote Gone With the Wind.
Waiting for Lefty- A 1935 play that was the first real success of The Group Theater.
Federal Communications Committee- Government agency that regulates all media and forms of communication.
“Swing Era”- A period in time when Big Band Swing music was really popular in America. It was a progression of the jazz days.
Schecter v. US- A court case which decided that Interstate Commerce could not apply to local businesses, and that Congress could not delegate legislative powers to the executive.
Court-Packing Scheme- A bill that would have given the President the ability to replace 6 justices on the Supreme Court back in the mid-30s due to the old age of 6 of the standing judges.
Eleanor Roosevelt- FDR’s wife. She is regarded as one of the most active First Ladies in history.
Frances Perkins- The first woman ever appointed to the US Cabinet. She was the Secretary of Labor.
“The Black Cabinet”- A group of African American policy advisors to FDR. By mid-1935, there were 45 African Americans working in New Deal agencies.
“Roosevelt Recession”- A sharp economic downturn in the US economy in 1937-38, believed to be caused by the closing of federal agencies due to too much government spending.
Questions
1) One program of the New Deal that had a lot of impact was the Civilian Conservation Corps. This program gave ‘make work’ jobs, and therefore an income, to 3 million people. This is important because it provided many people with an income. The second program that was important was the Tennessee Valley Authority. This was designed to also give jobs to many people in building dams all around the Tennessee valley. These dams later created hydroelectricity, and overall contributed to the recovery of the region. The final important program, in my opinion, was the Public Works Administration, which provided jobs and an income to many people for around 34,000 projects. These public works projects not only put people to work, but they also greatly raised the standard of living in America.
2) If I had lived in the day, I would have been Pro-Roosevelt for sure, mainly because he took a very active approach towards ending the Great Depression. He was doing his best to ensure there would be jobs in the economy to get the money flow back to where it once was.
3) The New Deal did in fact fail to end the Depression, but that was mostly all it didn’t do. The New Deal put people to work and attempted to raise the standard of living in an attempt to end the Depression, even though it didn’t. FDR definitely did his best to put the Great Depression in check. The most damning evidence about the New Deal, that it didn’t end the depression, is pretty much all there is to say about it that is damning, because it accomplished everything else it set out to do.
4) Father Charles Coughlin was a major critic of the New Deal in that it was a cash famine, which could easily have been prevented by some of his monetary reforms. Also, “Kingfisher” Huey Long was a large critic of the New Deal. He felt it was necessary to be like a Robin Hood society in order for the economy to be reborn, in other words, take from the rich and give to the poor. Overall, I feel that the New Deal was the right thing for FDR to implement and I feel that it almost accomplished what it was meant to accomplish.
5) FDR did indeed lose the war with his Court Packing Scheme in that he did not get his wish of putting more judges on the bench. However, he did earn a more responsive Supreme Court because he let them know that he wasn’t happy with their neglect of his policies.
Bull Market- A trend of stock markets where investors gain in confidence and buy more, in hope of a later financial gain.
“Black Tuesday”- October 29th, 1929, the day the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began.
Great Depression- An economic period covering most of the 1930s when unemployment rates were high and money was very tight for most citizens.
POUR-
RFC- The Reconstruction Financial Corporation, which gave federal money to banks, insurance companies, railroads, and state and local governments.
“Bonus Army”- World War II veterans who marched in Washington DC to demand that Congress pay them their entire war bonus on the spot. Congress turned them down.
New Deal- FDR’s plan to escape the Great Depression through relief, recovery, and reform.
Election of 1932- An election when Franklin Delano Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover in a landslide.
“Fireside Chat”- FDR’s weekly radio broadcast to inform the US citizens of what was happening around the country.
FDR- President during the Great Depression and World War I. He planned and executed the New Deal.
Emergency Banking Act- An act that gave the president power to regulate bank transactions, foreign exchange, and to reopen solvent banks.
“Hundred Days”- A period of time from March 9th to June 16th, 1933, when FDR got many of his proposed pieces of legislation passed through Congress, thus beginning the New Deal.
Civilian Conservation Corps- A way for the federal government to employ about 3 million young men into jobs such as reforestation, firefighters, flood control, and swamp damage.
FERA- The Federal Emergency Relief Act, which provided $3 billion for wages for work projects.
AAA- The Agricultural Adjustment Act, which provided money to help farmers meet their mortgages.
TVA- The Tennessee Valley Authority, which offered relief to Tennessee citizens by building 20 dams in the Tennessee valley, thus offering jobs and electricity to the citizens.
National Industrial Recovery Act- Part of the New Deal that authorized the President to regulate banks and stimulate the American economy.
PWA- The Public Works Administration, which spent about $4 billion on 34,000 public works projects.
American Liberty League- A group of politicians who were supported by large businesses of the time. They were accused of plotting an attempt to overthrow FDR.
Father Charles Coughlin- A very anti-New Deal and anti-Jewish priest who preached “Social Justice”.
Huey Long- A senator who was a proverbial Robin Hood, who preached taking from the rich and giving more to the poor.
Social Security Act of 1935- An act creating the American social security system. It provided money to the retired, therefore providing an incentive for older workers to retire and create jobs for younger workers.
National Labor Relations Act- An American law created in 1935 that ensures the freedom of workers to go on strike and organize labor unions.
RA- The Resettlement Administration, which put farmers on better land and planted 200 million trees as wind breakers.
National Housing Act- An act creating the Federal Housing Administration, which aimed at raising the standard of living in America.
Fair Labor Standards Act- Established a national minimum wage, guaranteed time and a half for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors in "oppressive child labor”.
CIO- A federation of unions, like the AF of L, except they were more militant and used more radical tactics, and also allowed blacks to join.
“New Deal Coalition”- The group of people who supported the New Deal, as well as Democratic candidates in general, up into the 60s.
“Dust Bowl”- A name given to the plains in the 1930s, due to the large amounts of dust present after a severe drought.
Okies- People from Oklahoma who moved to California during the Dust Bowl period to begin a new life.
Indian Reorganization Act- Also known as the “Indian New Deal”, it encouraged tribal governments and helped to preserve Indian traditions.
“Federal One”- The name given to the acts passed during the Second New Deal that heavily supported the arts in America.
John Steinbeck- Author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men.
Margaret Mitchell- Atlanta native who wrote Gone With the Wind.
Waiting for Lefty- A 1935 play that was the first real success of The Group Theater.
Federal Communications Committee- Government agency that regulates all media and forms of communication.
“Swing Era”- A period in time when Big Band Swing music was really popular in America. It was a progression of the jazz days.
Schecter v. US- A court case which decided that Interstate Commerce could not apply to local businesses, and that Congress could not delegate legislative powers to the executive.
Court-Packing Scheme- A bill that would have given the President the ability to replace 6 justices on the Supreme Court back in the mid-30s due to the old age of 6 of the standing judges.
Eleanor Roosevelt- FDR’s wife. She is regarded as one of the most active First Ladies in history.
Frances Perkins- The first woman ever appointed to the US Cabinet. She was the Secretary of Labor.
“The Black Cabinet”- A group of African American policy advisors to FDR. By mid-1935, there were 45 African Americans working in New Deal agencies.
“Roosevelt Recession”- A sharp economic downturn in the US economy in 1937-38, believed to be caused by the closing of federal agencies due to too much government spending.
Questions
1) One program of the New Deal that had a lot of impact was the Civilian Conservation Corps. This program gave ‘make work’ jobs, and therefore an income, to 3 million people. This is important because it provided many people with an income. The second program that was important was the Tennessee Valley Authority. This was designed to also give jobs to many people in building dams all around the Tennessee valley. These dams later created hydroelectricity, and overall contributed to the recovery of the region. The final important program, in my opinion, was the Public Works Administration, which provided jobs and an income to many people for around 34,000 projects. These public works projects not only put people to work, but they also greatly raised the standard of living in America.
2) If I had lived in the day, I would have been Pro-Roosevelt for sure, mainly because he took a very active approach towards ending the Great Depression. He was doing his best to ensure there would be jobs in the economy to get the money flow back to where it once was.
3) The New Deal did in fact fail to end the Depression, but that was mostly all it didn’t do. The New Deal put people to work and attempted to raise the standard of living in an attempt to end the Depression, even though it didn’t. FDR definitely did his best to put the Great Depression in check. The most damning evidence about the New Deal, that it didn’t end the depression, is pretty much all there is to say about it that is damning, because it accomplished everything else it set out to do.
4) Father Charles Coughlin was a major critic of the New Deal in that it was a cash famine, which could easily have been prevented by some of his monetary reforms. Also, “Kingfisher” Huey Long was a large critic of the New Deal. He felt it was necessary to be like a Robin Hood society in order for the economy to be reborn, in other words, take from the rich and give to the poor. Overall, I feel that the New Deal was the right thing for FDR to implement and I feel that it almost accomplished what it was meant to accomplish.
5) FDR did indeed lose the war with his Court Packing Scheme in that he did not get his wish of putting more judges on the bench. However, he did earn a more responsive Supreme Court because he let them know that he wasn’t happy with their neglect of his policies.