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12 Visions of America, A History of the United States

Recovering from the Depression Revamping Banking and Financial Institutions: “Saving Capitalism” Glass-Steagall Act (1933) Security and Exchange Commission (1934) Federal Housing Authority (1934) 13 Visions of America, A History of the United States

Helping Industry and People 14 Visions of America, A History of the United States

15Visions of America, A History of the United States National Recovery Administration-NRA (1933) Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) Putting People to Work Civil Works Administration Civilian Conservation Corps Public Works Administration Works Progress Administration

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17Visions of America, A History of the United States

When I came to Carbon Hill five years ago the streets were in very poor shape. We had no curbs or gutters except this little piece here by the church and over the paved street…. But WPA has brought quite a change. It's been a wonderful help to the town all right and it has employed numbers of our people. Some few members of our church are on the WPA. I think the casement in their financial condition has had some influence on the spiritual life of the town; when people get along financially they come to church; when they can't get along financially they stay home. People are more cheerful and courageous when they are able to make ends meet. It helps our merchants a lot. Rev. O. M. Fox, preacher

Black Methodist Church, Carbon Hill, Alabama

“To my way of thinking as far as the working and the advantage has come to us from the New Deal, a good many people have been able to pull through this year that wouldn't have been able to pull through without the working of the WPA. The repairing of the churches and the improvement to the town in general have been a great help to us. If it was to quit we would go back farther than we were when we started because to cut us off now would throw us in a worse panic that we were when it started. During the winter season the streets being cleaned up has helped church attendance. People didn't care to go out when the ditches were so deep." Rev. C. H. McCall, preacher

Ben Pair, laborer (has been on WPA — may still be): "If they hadn't had WPA people would've just gone down to the stores and taken what they needed. When the kids look an' say 'Daddy, I'm hungry', why — you just got to have food."

Company Commissaries are crowded with miners and their families on pay day. This shot was made less than an hour after the pay off. Miners get paid for each day's work in scrip rather than money. Then on the first Saturday after the tenth of the month and on the last Saturday of the month the mine office will redeem the scrip for cash. Nevertheless many of the miners do much of their trading at the company store.

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Reforms to Ensure Social Justice The Challenge from “New Deal Dissidents” –Father Charles Coughlin –Francis Townsend –Huey Long, Share Our Wealth 27 Visions of America, A History of the United States

Competing Visions Senator Huey Long outlined proposal to redistribute wealth. 28 Visions of America, A History of the United States SHARING THE WEALTH What competing images of the poor do Long and this Indiana woman offer? In letter to Eleanor Roosevelt, an Indiana woman protested that government-distributed relief robs honest men to help “good-for- nothing” loafers.

29 Visions of America, A History of the United States

30Visions of America, A History of the United States The Resurgence of Labor

American Federation of Labor (AFL) – A craft-based organization that accepted only skilled workers, like carpenters or cigar makers, who practiced a trade Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) – A new type of labor organization that organized workers within an entire industry rather than by their trade orientation 31 Visions of America, A History of the United States

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George Gallop’s public opinion polls focused on statistical sampling rather than volume of responses. Envisioning Evidence INTERPRETING PUBLIC OPINION POLLS 35 Visions of America, A History of the United States

Public Opinion and the New Deal Summarize the results of the survey. How is the survey interpreted by Gallup? What insight does it give into public opinion during the Great Depression? What critique or analysis can you give of the poll? 36Visions of America, A History of the United States