■essential questions ■essential questions: –how successful was franklin roosevelt’s new...
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■ Essential QuestionsEssential Questions:
–How successful was Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal?
–Which demographic group benefited the most from New Deal programs? Why?
The End of the New Deal
End of the New Deal■ New Deal reached its high point when
FDR was re-elected in 1936
■ FDR’s experienced more setbacks in his 2nd term than his 1st term but he still remained a popular leader
The 1936 election saw the birth of a new Democratic coalition that would last for
30 years: South, West, urban, labor, ethnic groups, blacks, & the poor
Packing the Supreme Court■ The Supreme Court was FDR’s
last obstacle to overcome:–The Court ruled the NRA & AAA
were unconstitutional –FDR’s solution was to ask
Congress to appoint 1 new justice for each justice over 70 yrs old
–This controversial “court packing” plan would add 6 new justices
Justice Willis Van Devanter planned to retire in 1932, but stayed on because he felt FDR was “unfitted & unsafe for the presidency”
All 9 justices were old, white men; Only 3 were sympathetic to the New Deal; 2 were unpredictable; 4 wanted to block New Deal
Schechter v. U.S. (1935)
U.S. v. Butler (1936)
Packing the Supreme Court■ The court-packing scheme was
legal but set a scary precedent:
–The Senate strongly resisted FDR & the Court defended itself against “ageism” attacks
–The crisis ended when the Court declared the Wagner Act & Social Security constitutional & Judge Van Devanter resigned
FDR eventually appointed 5 justices to the Supreme Court in his 4 terms
The End of the New Deal■ 1938 saw the end of the New Deal
–Other than the Fair Labor Standards Act, FDR’s 2nd term saw no new New Deal programs
–FDR’s court-packing plan hurt his relationship with Congress
–The “Roosevelt Recession” of 1937 was the result of FDR’s attempt to reduce gov’t spending & balance the budget
Unemployment, 1929-1942
The Impact of the New Deal
The Impact on Organized Labor■ Unions were weak in the 1920s:
–Only 3 million people were union members; Most joined the AFL which barred unskilled laborers
■ In 1938, John Lewis formed the Congress of Industrial Congress of Industrial OrganizationsOrganizations (CIO) & used the Wagner Act to bring collective bargaining to more workers
Used strikes & sit-ins to unionize Ford, Chrysler, & GM
Peacefully unionized U.S. Steel
Unionized the textile, rubber, electrical, metal industries
By 1940, the CIO had more union members than the AFL (~10m total)
CIO President John Lewis
With AFL president Gompers way back in 1922
AFL-CIO merged in 1955
Republic Steel Strike in 1937
10 strikers died
The Impact on Organized Labor■ For the 1st time, unskilled & skilled
laborers were unionized:–Women & African-Americans
benefited because they made up a large % of unskilled labors
–While the New Deal’s Wagner Act helped make unions stronger, major steps to unionize were initiated by the unions themselves, not the federal gov’t
The Impact on Women■ The New Deal brought few
economic benefits to women:–The New Deal allowed for
unequal wages; Social Security, the NRA, & minimum wage laws offered little help for women
■ But, women did see gains in gov’t: –The 1st female cabinet member,
Senator, ambassadors, & judges were appointed under FDR
The 1st female cabinet member: Francis Perkins (Dept of Labor)
The 1st female Senator: Hattie Caraway (D-Arkansas)
The Impact on African-Americans■ The New Deal did little for blacks:
–Racism & segregation remained strong during the Depression
–The NRA allowed lower wage scales for black workers; The AAA allowed for the eviction of sharecroppers & tenant farmers
–Minimum wage & SS did not apply to farmers & domestic servants (65% were black)
The NRA stands for “Negroes Robbed Again”
AAA is a “continuation of the same old raw deal”
Social Security “looks like a sieve with the holes just large enough for the
majority of Negroes to fall through”—NAACP
Blacks experienced 50% unemployment rate
Blacks were the last hired & first fired
The Impact on African-Americans■ Despite the inequalities of the
New Deal, blacks supported FDR:
–FDR hired African-Americans to key gov’t positions
–Eleanor Roosevelt spoke out against racial discrimination
–The RFC brought assistance to 40% of unemployed blacks through the WPA
“While relief & WPA are not ideal, they are better than the Hoover bread lines & they’ll have to do until the real thing comes along”
Eleanor Roosevelt with singer Marian Anderson
The Impact on Mexican-Americans■ Mexican-Americans fared even
worse than blacks:–The Dust Bowl led to a flood of
whites into the agricultural fields in the southwest
–Congress created immigration restrictions & allowed for the deportation of illegal residents to reduce state welfare payments
–Received few New Deal benefits
The Impact on Native Americans■ Native-Americans remained the
poorest of all U.S. residents but did benefit from the New Deal
–The Indian Reorganization ActIndian Reorganization Act shifted U.S. Indian policy from Indians as yeoman farmers to unified & autonomous tribes
–Many gained employment in the Indian Bureau
The Impact on the South & West■ The South & West benefited the
most from the New Deal:
–The AAA helped end Southern dependence on sharecropping in favor of a wage labor system
–The West received more work relief & welfare than any region
–Hydroelectric power & irrigation programs helped residents
ConclusionConclusion:The New Deal &
American Life
The New Deal and American Life■ The New Deal lasted only 5 years
(1933-1938); The majority of laws came in 2 bursts in 1933 & 1935:
■ The New Deal was not very successful economically: –Helped relieve suffering but did
not end the Depression–American wealth remained
unequally distributed
First Hundred Days Second Hundred Days
10 million were still unemployed
in 1939
12 million were unemployed when FDR
took office in 1933
The New Deal & American Life■ The New Deal was more
successful socially:
–Social Security, Wagner Act, & the Fair Labor Standards Act helped elderly & disabled citizens, labor unions, & workers
–The New Deal did not help women, minorities, domestic workers, or small farmers
The New Deal and American Life■ The New Deal was most
successful politically:
–FDR’s leadership unified a new Democratic voting bloc
–FDR used his leadership & optimism to provide a vital psychological lift to help citizens endure the Great Depression