The New Deal and its specific impact

THE NEW DEAL AND ITS SPECIFIC

IMPACT

WomenAfrican Americans

IndiansWorkers

Women and the New Deal Led by Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt administration employed far

more women than any previous administration had.

Frances PerkinsSecretary of Labor

Eleanor Roosevelt Relationship with

FDR Her marriage had

“no fundamental love to draw on” so she threw herself into civic activities.

Published a weekly newspaper column

Eleanor Roosevelt and the poor

African americans and the new deal

The New deal and African Americans In 1928 FDR (as a VP candidate) won

just 28% of the black vote. In 1932 FDR won 71% of the black vote. What explains this shift? Why did Blacks overwhelmingly support

the New Deal? Was the New Deal pro-civil rights?

The New deal and race

New Deal provided: Roosevelt! You're my man!When the time come I ain't got a centYou buy my groceriesAnd pay my rent.Mr. Roosevelt, you're my man

Establishment of the Black Cabinet under Mary McCleod Bethune

Civilian Conservation Corps and the Public Works Administration, gave them much-needed aid and jobs

A New deal for Indians? Secretary of Indian Affairs: John Collier “We Took Away Their Best Lands, Broke

Treaties” Revocation of the Dawes Act Indian Reorganization Act Encouraged a reestablishment of

tribalism

Roosevelt and labor

Roosevelt and Labor Passed the NLRB “Supported” workers even in their worst

strikes GM Strike of 1937 “It is illegal, but shutting them out is not

the answer. Why can’t {GM} meet with the workers?”

Result: all automobile manufacturers except Ford sign on with UAW.

Labor and the new deal 40 hour work week and higher wages in

steel industry Auto and steel unions had 750,000

members by 1937 Fair Labor Standards Act

Abolished child laborA national minimum wage of .40Overtime paid at time and a half

THE NEW DEAL IN HISTORY

The New Deal in Conclusion

Great legacies? TVA

Social Security

Role of Roosevelt Had little to do with the programs details. “Skimpy” knowledge of economics “Roosevelt’s first class temperament is

compensated by his second class intellect”

Pioneer of communicating with people Great president despite his awful

administrative shortcomings (giving jobs to multiple depts etc…)

FDR “Roosevelt was not really very much at

home with ideas, but he forbade inaction when there was something to be done”

Rex Tugwell Brains Trust

Failure? Given the context of the overall goal end

the depression…it failed. There are differing interpretations on this

(see text) Roosevelt Recession of 1937 (next

slide) Mixed strategy, balance budget—deficit

spending. Sometimes acted against one another.

Beginning in the fall of 1937, industrial production fell by 33 percent

national income dropped by 12 percent industrial stock prices plummeted by 50

percent Nearly 4 million people lost their jobs,

and the total number of unemployed increased to 11.5 million

? Even a member of FDR’s administration,

the committed New Dealer Alvin Hansen, admitted in 1940 that “I really do not know what the basic principle of the New Deal is.”

Packing the Courts Due to court

opposition to the AAA Roosevelt sought to increase the number of justices—giving him the ability to put 6 new justices on the court!

Adds to the failure…damages Roosevelt’s legacy.

Recovery attempts? 1938 FDR asked Congress for a $5 billion relief

program, which passed in the spring and summer of 1938.

Despite this infusion of federal money into the economy, the nation still suffered from under-consumption and lay mired in depression.

In 1939, over 19 percent of the nation’s work force remained unemployed. Stock prices had yet to recover from the crash of the late 1920s.

Conclusions Liberals? Federal Government should

accept responsibility for the national welfare.

Conservatives? Likely strongly disagree as this creates soaring spending and infringes on individual rights

Regardless—almost all are struck by its boldness of action.