The New Deal Dbq Thesis

The article The New Deal, by Thomas Kessner, outlines Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s pre presidency, but more importantly, the policy he used in an attempt to bring America back to its pre Great Depression economic greatness. In order to do so, Roosevelt expanded federal authority over American citizens. He implemented a progressive income tax as well as created numerous federal work projects, aimed at increasing employment, as well as use federal money to help the economy. One example the author uses to prove this point of the large amount of projects is the Tennessee Valley Authority initiative, which spanned across seven states. The projects worked towards economic development and conservation. This projects protected endangered forests, built dams, and brought electricity and running water to the people.

Thesis: The various programs created by FDR’s New Deal helped bring the United States out of The Great Depression.

The New Deal was a series of programs, including, most notably, Social Security, that were enacted in the United States between 1933 and 1938, and a few that came later. They included both laws passed by Congress as well as presidential executive orders during the first term (1933–1937) of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were in response to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians refer to as the; Relief, Recovery, and Reform: relief for the unemployed and poor, recovery of the economy to normal levels, and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression.

Great Depression. The deepest longest-lasting economic downturn of the history of the western industrialized world. Began soon after the stock market crash of October 1929 (Black Tuesday) which sent wall street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Roosevelt was sent in to office replacing Herbert Hoover, a possible cause of the Great Depression, for twelve years or three terms.Though the time was devastating the positive outcomes like the automobile improvement and other improvements still last to this day. Although discrimination was a problem employment was increased so the New Deal was helpful for the problems of the great depression.

Thesis Statement: During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, his administration helped and tried to solve the problems of the Great Depression. He caused the government to play a very important role in society and from their help many people responded with their opinion of what they felt about it.

In 1929, the United States Stock Market crashed, heralding the tumble into world-wide depression. President Hoover tried to pacify the people by telling them it was temporary and would pass over. But a new figure rose out of the people, promising he would do anything and everything he could to restore their lives. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to the presidency, and his new policies would soon sweep over the country. Roosevelt's responses to the problems of the Great Depression were successful in strengthening the power of the federal government and instilling hope in the public, yet were unsuccessful in that they did not help him achieve his intended goal: the restoration of the economy. His responses were, however,

After the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Hoover administration, something had to be done regarding the relief and recovery of the Great Depression. This was one of the more important objectives of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first term as president. Although Herbert Hoover made somewhat of an attempt trying to reconcile the country, but he was unable to live up to his rhetoric, “prosperity is right around the corner.” Hoover failed to comprehend the extent of the damage of the stock market crash from a global perspective and simply did too much too fast. When Franklin Roosevelt came into presidency in 1933, he set out his first hundred-day plan. Within the first term, FDR created a series of relief and recovery acts to start the

“There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” These words spoken by FDR was about the Great Depression. The Great Depression was from 1929 to 1939. This was a period of time in America’s history where it suffered great economic hardships. By 1932, one-quarter of the American workforce was unemployed. Shortly after 1932, when President Roosevelt took office, he introduced to Congress the New Deal. (“New Deal” 3). The New Deal created in 1933, was a group of programs designed to eliminate the worst effects of the Great Depression. (“The New Deal” 7). Some of these programs included the Emergency Banking Act, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). (“New Deal” 3)

After the stock market crash, known as Black Tuesday, in 1929, people panicked. As too much money was withdrawn from banks and they closed, people lost all their money. America, which was just in the “Roaring Twenties”, fell into the Great Depression. Suddenly, people were laid off their jobs, couldn’t buy things they had once not thought twice about, and struggled to afford food for their families. People lost their homes, and teenagers lived on the streets. Farmers were in debt, losing their farms, and had to deal with the Dust Bowl. The president at the time, Herbert Hoover, decided that the country would pull out of the Depression on their own. Since the citizens of America didn’t like that, on Election Day of 1933, Hoover wasn’t re-elected.

When FDR took office, the United States was experiencing one of, if not the worst, economic depression. Labeled the Great Depression, FDR knew that extreme government policies would need to be implemented to combat the problems that existed. To do this, FDR’s “New Deal” policies did just that. Whether it be the Social Security Program or any other aspect of the New Deal, the response was highly effective. In fact, many programs from this time are still in use today, showing just some of the ways that the role of the federal government was changed due to the presidency of FDR.

Several things brought the Roosevelt administration down to earth, these were first parts of the New Deal was unconstitutional and second he wanted to appoint more democrat supreme court justices to get them to rule in his favor. Before he got this far because, he was able to appoint 5 new democrat justices to replace the retired ones. After this there was a market crash due to high taxations, minimum wage law and protection of the union workers law. Because of the New Deal business owners did not have a favorable environment. This caused the Roosevelt recession.

The New Deal had a major change of the government and had to change it completely. Before the New Deal, the government didn't provide for the people or had control over the economy. After the New deal, the federal government had played a major role in the economy and providing for the people. The New Deal had caused the federal government to take care of us. They had provided people with Medicare and Social Security.

President FDR's New Deal prepared America for WWII after the Pearl Harbor attack. In the1930's the US government had a strong isolation movement. Isolationists thought the wars in Europe should stay in Europe, and President FDR knew that was not possible so he started the Lend Lease Deal. His Lend Lease Deal with Britain and the Soviet Union helped in giving America ideas on how much power they had. The Lend Lease Deal was that America would loan Britain their guns and ships to attack Germany during the war and when the war was finished they had to return it in an in kind matter.

Throughout FDR’s New Deal acts, the role of the government regarding economic affairs had expanded greatly. With a previous laissez faire mindset, the Federal Government had never interfered in the economic situation of the American citizens. However, with the New Deal policies, the National Government had become involved in the competition with private businesses, greatly angering business owners (Document 1). These wealthy owners had viewed that the Government should focus its resources on fixing areas such as the South and not restrict the rights of their employees for the benefit of the government. During this time, the government had provided jobs to those in need and a steady cash flow for the American economy, however it had left the country with an astonishing six billion dollar debt (Document 3). The American nation began to feel as if the government was

In 1932, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office, the citizens of the United States had possessed sufficient time to realize that they could no longer be proud, but they must take anything they could get. Therefore, the programs set up by FDR’s New Deal program were perfect for the country at the time. These programs helped the people directly, providing relief, recovery, and reform. FDR based his plans on the philosophy of Keynesian economics, where the government spends money to make money. The government gave money and jobs to those in need, who in turn, had money to spend in the marketplace. The demand for products increased, and businesses were able to hire more workers and produce more products, as well as pay more money in taxes. FDR’s plans worked because they gave money not to those who would take advantage of the government, but to those who would use it in the way the government intended it to be used. During FDR’s first term in office alone, the unemployment rate dropped 4%. Because of FDR’s success in bringing the country out of the Depression, I give him an A.