FDR and The New Deal

1. FDR and The New Deal

2. Franklin D. Roosevelt • A wealthy New Yorker and distant relative of Theodore Roosevelt • In 1921 he was stricken with polio • For the rest of his life, he depended on steel leg braces to stand up • Roosevelt never allowed photos of him in a wheel chair • Most Americans never knew his legs were paralyzed

3. FDR • In 1928, he was elected governor of New York • Four years later, the Democrats nominated him to run for President • During the Campaign he pledged, “A new deal for the American People.” • The results were overwhelming: Roosevelt won 472 to 59 • He won 57.4 percent of the popular vote

4. New Deal • On March 4, 1933, supported by his sons arm, he took the oath of office and then addressed the American public • “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” • The American people were encouraged by his confidence

5. Bank Holiday • FDR quickly went into action • The day after he took office, Roosevelt declared a bank holiday, a four day closing of the nation’s banks • Its goal was was to halt the nationwide epidemic of bank failures • The holiday gave home time to purpose an Emergency Banking Relief Act, which provided more careful government regulation of banks

6. Fireside Chats • To restore the nations confidence in banks, Roosevelt delivered his first of many Fire side chats – or radio talks • Americans across the country would tune into the radio to listen to him speak • The next day, many of the nations banks reopened with customers beginning to redeposit their savings “ Its safer to keep your money in a reopened bank then under a mattress.”

7. The New Deal: The First 100 Days • To decide what legislation to send to Congress, Roosevelt conferred with a group of advisors he called “the brain trust” • During his first 100 days in office, Congress passed and he signed 15 new Bills • The new deal had three goals: • Relief for the jobless • Economic recovery • Reforms to prevent future depressions

8. Unemployment Relief • Some measures helped the unemployed by providing financial assistance • The Federal Emergency Relief Administration was created • FERA was created to grant fund to states so they could reopen troubled relief agencies

9. Unemployment Relief Cont. • Other programs employed jobless adults • The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) hired city dwellers to work in national parks, wilderness areas and the countryside • Millions of young men planted trees, built reservoirs, constructed parks and dug irrigation canals

10. Unemployment Relief Cont. • Another program, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) put people to work building or repairing public buildings • WPA workers paved 650,000 miles of road, raised more then 75,000 bridges and built more then 800 airports • The WPA hired artists to paint murals and writers to write state guidelines and histories.

11. Promoting Economic Recovery • FDR faced an enormous challenge • He needed to help two sectors of the economy recover: • Industry • Agriculture

12. NRA • The National Recovery Administration aimed to keep prices stable while boosting employment and buying power • Most major industries agreed to: • pay workers a minimum wage • to stop hiring children • to keep wages and prices from falling to low • The NRA succeeded in raising prices • But critics charged that it failed to boost the economy

13. PWA • The Public Works Administration was granted more than $3 billion to build large public works projects • The PWA improved the nation’s infrastructure and employed many people • PWA projects included: New York’s Lincoln tunnel and Florida’s Key West Highway • Nearly every county in the nation could boast at least one PWA project • Even so, the depression continued

14. TVA • The Tennessee Valley Authority was created by Congress to build dams along the Tennessee River • Planners believed the dams would control flooding, provide cheap electricity, and increase jobs and prosperity in one of the country’s poorest rural areas • The TVA accomplished its major goals, it lit thousands of farms that never before had enjoyed electricity • Still, it failed to relieve the areas poverty • Others have critized the TVA for driving some property owners of their land • Still, in the 1930s, the TVA was very popular

15. Reforming the Economic System • The third part of his plan aimed to prevent future depressions • The Truth-in-Securities Act required corporations to inform the public fully about their stocks • The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation protected bank depositors • It guaranteed deposits up to $2,500 • The Federal Power Commission helped control the oil and gas industries • The New Deal strengthened the power of the Food and Drug Administration to ensure product safety

16. Obstacles • Millions were enthusiastic about the New Deal • He won the 1936 election by a wide margin • However, the New Deal faced a major challenge in the Supreme Court • In 1935 and 1936, The supreme Court declared several New Deal measures unconstitutional

17. Stacking the Court • FDR proposed appointing up to 6 more Supreme Court justices • He claimed he wanted to help the overworked justices • Critics claimed he was trying to gain a majority of justices • Congress embarrassed the President by rejecting his plan • However, in 1937 a conservative judge retired and FDR was able to appoint a liberal in his place • FDR eventually named 8 Supreme Court justices