Franklin Delano Roosevelt

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) won the 1932 Presidential

election.

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The Election of 1932

 Americans blamed President Hoover for the country’s

economic woes.
 Franklin Delano Roosevelt won the Democratic Party’s
nomination.
 He was related to Theodore Roosevelt.
 He survived polio.
 He was governor of New York.
 Roosevelt promised relief for the poor and more public
works programs to provide jobs. He attacked Hoover and
the Republicans for their response to the Great Depression.
 Roosevelt won a landslide victory—winning more than 57
percent of the popular vote.

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The Roosevelts

Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a winning

personality and believed that it was the
government’s job to take direct action to help
its people.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a powerful political force
in her own right, and she helped to change to
role of the First Lady.
Franklin and Eleanor’s marriage played a central
role in Franklin Roosevelt’s political success.

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A Political Partnership

Franklin Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt

 Appealing blend of  Click
and to
“Eyes
edit
ears” the outline
of her
cheerfulness, optimism, and husband
confidence text format
 Directed efforts to solve
 An effective communicator several major social issues (ex.
(ex. fireside chats)

Second
lynching of African
Outline
 A reform-minded Democrat Level
Americans)
 Wrote her own newspaper
column − Third Outline
 Believed the government
could solve economic and
social problems  Level
Had the trust and affection of
many Americans

Fourth
Outline Level
− Fifth
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Launching the New Deal

In 1933 Franklin Delano

Roosevelt became president of
a suffering nation. He quickly
sought to address the
country’s needs, with mixed
results.

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 Saving the Banks

10/26/09 Bank run, New York City, 1931

 •
FDR gathered
information from
many economic
experts, known as the
Brain Trust, on how
to fight the
depression.

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10/26/09
 Franklin Roosevelt as President: the first 100 days

Banking Hundred 
Click to edit the
Beyond the
Crisis Days Hundred
outline text format
• Temporarily • Critical Days
closed all the period of 
Second
•
Outline
FDR and
nation’s government Congress
Level
passed
banks to stop activity important
panic and •
Roosevelt − Third Outline
legislation after
large-scale pushed the Hundred
Level
withdrawals Congress to Days
• Passed the put most of • 
Fourth
Created the
Civil Works
Emergency his New Outline
Administration
Banking Act Deal into
practice.
•
Level
Passed the
• Glass- Indian
 Fireside Chats
•
FDR gave 30 radio speeches to the nation, which became
known as .

FDR’s
first
fireside
chat on
the bank
crisis.
(March
12,
1933)
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•
Roosevelt declared a “”, closing every bank in the nation for
eight days.

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 •
Congress then passed
the , which only
allowed banks to open
if they had enough
funds to pay their
depositors.

FDR signing the

Emergency Banking
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 •
FDR’s
reassured
people
that
banks
were safe
to use
again.

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The First New Deal

Federal
Emergency Relief
Administration
½ billion dollars
given to state &
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The First New Deal

National Industrial
Recovery Act
(NIRA)
Helped business
by requiring that
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 II. plans for
I. Relief for the economic
unemployed Recovery

The New Deal had three major goals:

III. Reforms to
prevent another
depression
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Trouble for the New Deal

Click to edit the

Radical Reactions to the New Deal
•
Believed the New Deal did not go fartext
outline enough
format
in reforming the economy
• Wanted a complete overhaul ofSecond Outline
capitalism
•
Level Dr.
Huey P. Long, Father Charles Coughlin,
Conservative Reactions to the New Deal
Francis Townsend
• − Third
Attacked the New Deal as a radical Outline
break with
traditional American ideals Level
• Thought the New Deal would drive the country
to destruction.

Fourth
•
American Liberty League Outline
Level
Leading Critics of the New Deal

 Huey P. Long (senator from Louisiana)

 Believed Roosevelt’s policies were too friendly to banks and businessmen (started the
Share Our Wealth Society)
 Father Charles Coughlin (the “radio priest”)
 Believed Roosevelt was not doing enough to curb the power of bankers and financial
leaders
 Dr. Francis Townsend
 Criticized the New Deal for not doing enough for older Americans (wanted pensions
for people over 60)
 The American Liberty League
 Believed that the New Deal went too far and was anti-business
 Opposition from the courts
 Critics of the New Deal feared that it gave the president too much power over other
branches of government.
 Schechter Poultry Corporation v. United States
 United States v. Butler

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 Criticism of the New Deal

· He wanted to put heavy

taxes on the rich and to use the
money to give every
American family a house, a
car, and a decent income.

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 Criticism of the
New Deal
:

· He criticized FDR
on his radio show
for not taking
stronger action
against bankers and
rich investors.

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 Criticism of the
New Deal

•
He proposed giving
every American over
age 60 a pension of
$200 per month.

•
However, people receiving the pension would have to retire,
freeing up the job for a younger American.
•
In addition, every person that receives the pension would be
required to spend it immediately in order to spur the economy.
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 Criticism of the
New Deal

· It complained that
the New Deal
interfered too much
with business and
people’s lives.

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 FDR and the
Supreme Court
The Conflict:
· The Supreme
Court ruled that
many New Deal
laws were
unconstitutional.
Ex.) AAA

February 10, 1937,

Columbus (Ohio)
Dispatch,
"Trying to Change
the Umpiring"
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· After winning the
1936 presidential
election, FDR
proposed increasing
the number of
Supreme Court
Justices from 9 to
15.

February 14, 1937,

Waterbury (CT)
Republican, "Do
We Want A
Ventriloquist Act In
The Supreme
Court?"
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* This would allow FDR
to appoint 6 new pro-New
Deal Justices to the
Supreme Court.

February 18, 1937,

Oakland (California)
Tribune,
10/26/09"New Blood"
Court Packing > “Fall In!,” Richmond Times Dispatch, 1937

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The Results:

· Many Americans,
including New Deal
supporters, felt that FDR
was unfairly trying to
control the Supreme
Court.

February 28, 1937,

Richmond (Virginia)
Times Dispatch,
"What Has Become of
the Old-Fashioned
Man...?"
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Court Packing > “Step by Step,” Buffalo News, 1937

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 June 16, 1937,
Providence (R.I.)
Bulletin,
" Pulling No
Punches"
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 August 26, 1937
Newport (R.I.) News,
"And That's The Versatile
Quarterback Who Said If
One Play Didn't Work He'd
Try Something Else."
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The Second Hundred Days

• Roosevelt launched the Second New Deal in the spring of

Second 1935.
•
Congress passed laws extending government oversight
of the banking industry and raised taxes on the wealthy.
Hundre •
Congress funded new relief programs.
d
Days • Emergency Relief Appropriations Act – stopped direct
payments to Americans in need
Emerge • Works Progress Administration (WPA) – largest
ncy peacetime jobs program in U.S. history
Relief • Provided guaranteed, regular payments for many people
Social 65 and older
• Included a system of unemployment insurance
Securi
ty
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The New Deal II > Works Progress Administration poster

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The New Deal II > Social Security Poster, 1936

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The New Deal Revives Organized Labor

1.National
Industrial
Recovery Act
(NIRA)
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The Election of 1936

Roosevelt His Critics The Results

•
Passed the Rural •

Republicans argued
Click Atotremendous
•
edit the
Electrification Act,
which provided
that the New Deal
was overly
outline text format
victory for
Roosevelt
electricity to bureaucratic and •
Alf Landon carried
millions of farmers was creating a
planned economy.

Second Outline
only two states.
•
Showcased his The Union Party
Level
•

achievements: •
American Liberty candidate polled
unemployment cut League tried to less than 2 percent
in half, income and
business earnings
stop Roosevelt’s
attack on big
− Third Outline
of the popular vote.
•
The Democrats
were up, New Deal
programs provided •
business.
Republican Alf
Level
again gained seats
in both houses.
hope and help Landon did not
•
Spoke out against pose a serious

Fourth
big business threat.
Outline
Level
A Troubled Year

Roosevelt surprised Congress with a plan to

reorganize the nation’s courts.

In the fall of 1937, the nation’s economy

suffered another setback.

Although the Supreme Court began to rule in

favor of New Deal legislation and the economy
began to rebound in the summer of 1938, the
positive feelings about Roosevelt and the New
Deal had begun to fade.

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The Court-Packing Plan

Roosevelt’s Plan The Result

 Gave the president power to
appoint many new judges and
Click to edit the
 Plan did not pass; however,
the Supreme Court made
outline
expand the Supreme Court by text
some format
rulings that favored
up to six judges New Deal legislation.
 Roosevelt argued that  Supreme

Second Outline
Court upheld a
changes were needed to minimum wage law in
make the courts more Levelstate.
Washington
efficient.  Court ruled in favor of a key
 Most observers saw plan as element−ofThird Outline
the Wagner Act.
effort to “pack” the court with
friendly justices. Level
 Court declared Social Security
plan to be constitutional.

Fourth
Outline Level
− Fifth
Outline
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Economic Downturn of 1937
The Nation’s Economy
•
1937 witnessed an economic downturn that
Click
began with a sharp drop in the to edit
stock the
market.
By the end of the year, about 2 million
outline text format
Americans had lost their jobs.
•

Roosevelt had hoped to cut back Second
on Outline
Levelthe
government spending, for he feared
growing federal budget deficit.
Economic Theory − Third Outline
•
As unemployment rose during 1937 and 1938,
•
British economistspent
the government Johnlarge
Maynard Keynes
sumsLevel
of money to
argued
help thethat deficit spending could provide
unemployed.
jobs and stimulate the economy.  Fourth
•
The economy did begin to rebound inOutline
the
summer of 1938. Level
Analyzing the New Deal

The New Deal had mixed success in

rescuing the economy, but it
fundamentally changed Americans’
relationship with their government.

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 The New Deal > Historiographic Debates

•
1952, Herbert Hoover
•
New Deal failed because it “attempted to collectivize the American system of life.”

•
1940s-1960s, “liberal consensus” historians
• New Deal was a “pragmatic” revolution that expanded the role of the federal
government in American life.

•
mid-1960s, “New Left” historians
• New Deal was fundamentally conservative, it could but failed to redistribute
power in American society; it protected American capitalism.

•
1970s-2000s, contemporary historians (including Alan Brinkley)
• New Deal could not have done more than it did, because of conservative
Congress, the lack of adequate government bureaucracy, and localist and
antistatist political culture.

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The Impact of the New Deal

 The New Deal promised relief, recovery, and reform.

 Relief programs put billions of dollars into the pockets of poor
Americans.
 The New Deal was less successful in delivering economic recovery.
 New Deal reforms were successful and long-lasting.

 The New Deal changed the link between the American people and their
government.
 Roosevelt believed that government could help businesses and
individuals achieve a greater level of economic security.
 The New Deal required a much bigger government.
 Americans now began to look regularly to government for help.

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The Impact of the New Deal
Relief Recovery Reform
• Millions of • Not as  •
More successful
Americans Click and
successful at to edit
long-the
lasting
enjoyed economic outline text format
• FDIC restored
some form recovery public
of help. •
Unemployme

Second Outline
confidence in
•
Direct relief nt remained Level the nation’s
high. banks.
or jobs that
•− Third Outline
SEC restored
provided a • Some critics public
steady argued that Level
confidence in
paycheck Roosevelt stock markets.
needed the

Fourth
•
Programs •
New Deal left
such as support of Outline
thousands of
roadways,
Social big business. Level
bridges, dams,
Security and • Other critics
Limits of the New Deal

Relief programs gave aid to millions of people,

but they were not meant to be a permanent
solution to joblessness. Also, they did not
provide jobs to everyone who needed one.
The level of government assistance varied by
state. For example, a family needing assistance
in Massachusetts might receive $60 per month,
while a family in Arkansas might get $8.
New Deal programs permitted discrimination
against African Americans, Hispanic Americans,
women, and others.

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The End of the New Deal
• Setbacks such as the court-packing fight and the
1937 economic downturn gave power to anti-New
Deal senators.
Weaken • Opposition in Congress made passing New Deal
ing legislation more difficult. Only one piece passed in
1938: the Fair Labor Standards Act (which set up a
Support minimum wage).

• Roosevelt tried to influence voters in the South during

the congressional elections of 1938; however his
1938 candidates lost.
Electio • The Republicans made gains in the both houses.
ns •
Roosevelt lacked the congressional support he needed
to pass New Deal laws.

• The New Deal ended in 1938.

After •
Americans turned their attention to the start of WWII.
the
New
Deal
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