PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND THE NEW DEAL The New

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND THE NEW DEAL

The New Deal O The New Deal was the name of President Franklin Roosevelt's agenda for rescuing the United States from the Great Depression. O Roosevelt’s plan called for: O Relief O Recovery O Reform

Bank Holiday O On March 6, 1933, two days after becoming president, Roosevelt declared a five-day national bank holiday to close banks temporarily. O FDR hoped that a short break would give the surviving banks time to reopen on more solid footing.

Fireside Chats O From March 1933 to June 1944, Roosevelt addressed the American people in some 30 speeches broadcast by radio. O Roosevelt spoke on a variety of topics from banking to unemployment, millions of people found comfort and renewed confidence in these speeches which became known as the “fireside chats. ”

Alphabet Soup Agencies O Between 1933 and 1939 dozens of federal programs, often referred to as the Alphabet Agencies, were created as part of the New Deal. O With FDR's focus on "relief, recovery and reform, “ the legacy of the New Deal is with us to this day.

PWA (PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATION) O The PWA was intended for industrial recovery and unemployment relief. O Eventually over $4 billion was spent on 34, 000 construction projects including public buildings, highways, bridges (e. g. , San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge), and dams for water and power.

CCC (CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS) O The CCC hired unemployed young men to work on flood control and reforestation projects, improve national parks, and build public roads. O For a wage of thirty dollars a month, approximately 3 million men worked in CCC camps during the program’s nine-year existence.

TVA (TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY) O The goal of the TVA was to modernize and reduce unemployment in the Tennessee River valley, one of the poorest and hardest-hit regions in the country. O The agency hired local workers to construct a series of dams and hydroelectric power plants, which brought cheap electricity to thousands of people.

AAA (AGRICULTURAL ADJUSTMENT ACT) O The AAA paid farmers to not plant crops in order to reduce surpluses, increase demand, and raise prices. O Farm income rose, but many tenant farmers and share-croppers were pushed into the ranks of the unemployed.

NRA (NATIONAL RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION) O The NRA was created to promote economic recovery by restoring competition. The NRA set business codes and quotas. O The NRA temporarily restored investor confidence and consumer morale, but it failed to stimulate industrial production.

WPA (Works Progress Administration) O The WPA employed more than 8 million people to build roads and highways, bridges, schools, airports, parks, & other public projects. O Under the arts program, many artists, photographers, writers became government employees, working on a myriad of public projects ranging from painting murals to writing national park guidebooks.

SSA (Social Security Administration) O Established in August 1935 under the Social Security Act, the SSA created a national pension fund for retired persons, an unemployment insurance system, and a public assistance program. O Today, it is the nation's most important and expensive domestic program, covering nearly 49 million Americans and accounting for about ¼ of the federal budget.

Effects of the New Deal O The New Deal policies did much to get Americans back on their feet, but its policies and programs did not end the Depression. O While its programs provided relief, recovery, and reform---The New Deal is remembered for drastically changing, and increasing the federal government’s role in politics and society.

Fireside Chat http: //millercenter. org/president/fdroosev elt/speeches/speech-3306