Essential Question
- How did president Roosevelt’s attempt to easy the effects of the depression and keep Americans’ belief in the “American Dream ” alive?
Roosevelt’s Second Term
- Wins in a landslide election victory
- Focus of the Second New Deal - provie more extensive relief for both farmers and workers
- Eleanor Roosevelt ( First Lady ) - Country, observing social conditions
- Advocated for additional women’s, African American, and minority rights
Roosevelt’s Second Term Continued
- Attempted to pack the Supreme Court after serveral of his New Deal Policies were ruled unconstitutional
- The Judicial Procedures Reform bill of 1937 if passed would have allowed FDR to appoint up to 6 additional justice to the Supreme Court for every member of the court over the age of 70
- Did not pass; members of both parties were against it
Helping the Farmers
- AAA | Agricultural Adjustment Act - paid farmers for cutting production of soil-depleting crops and rewarded farmers for cutting production of soil-depleting crops and rewarded farmers for practicing good soil conservation methods.
- Brought back in the 2nd New Deal without the provision that was declared unconstitutional.
- Farm Security Administration (FSA) - Aimed to assist tenant farmers and hired photographers and journalists to share their stories with the nation.
Extending Relief
WPA | Works Progress Administration
- Provided the unemployed with jobs in construction, garment making, teaching, the arts, and other fields
- WPA made special efforts to help women, minorities, and young people.
NYA | National Youth Administration
- Provided young americans with aid and employment during the Great Depression
- Provided scholarships to students as well as part time jobs inside and outside of education to assist in paying for their schooling.
Improving Labor Conditions
- National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) -
- The protection that labor unions gained from the Wagner Act helped them to grow quickly.
- Social Security Act - Provide aid to retirees, the unemployed, people with disabilities, and familes with dependant children.
New Deal, New Opportunities
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- Played a major role in creating the Social Security system and supervised labor legislation.
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New Deal Programs Endure
FDIC | Federal Deposit and Insurance Corporation
- Insures individuals bank accounts protecting against losses due to bank failures
SEC | Securities and Exchange Commission
- Monitors the stock market and enforces laws regulating the sale of stocks and bonds
NLRB | National Labor Relations Board
- Prevents unfair labor practices and to mediate disputes between workers and management
TVA | Tennessee Valley Authority
- Constructed dams and power plants in the TEnessee Valley region to generate electricity as well as to prevent floods
Legacy of the New Deal
- Though the New Deal provided relief, reform, and recovery for many Americans, it did not end the Great Depression
- President Roosevelt faced rising pressure from Congress to scale back New Deal programs and cut back on spending by the end of the decade.
- World War II will eventually bring the US and the world out of the Great Depression.