F.D.R. was the only child of wealthy, upper-class parents and grew up among the estates of Hyde Park, New York. His strong-willed mother taught him that the wealthy and privileged had an obligation to serve the public. F.D.R. graduated from Harvard and got his law degree from Columbia, but he was attracted to politics. Prior to his election as president, F.D.R. was a New York State senator, an assistant secretary of the navy, an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the vice- presidency in 1920, and the governor of New York.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt is shown here in his wheelchair with his dog Fala on his lap and Ruthie Bie, a friend's granddaughter, beside him. In 1921, at the age of 39, F.D.R. was suddenly stricken with polio and was left with his legs paralyzed. Years of grueling exercise and therapy allowed F.D.R. to be able to walk with the aid of heavy metal braces clamped to his legs. F.D.R. was a distant cousin of Theodore Roosevelt.

F.D.R. was a supremely confident, charismatic leader. Many believed that F.D.R. had the leadership and administrative skills to bring the Depression under control. Americans placed tremendous faith in him to improve the desperate economic situation. F.D.R. also had critics, many of whom felt F.D.R. was too powerful and sought unnecessary and sometimes radical change.

FDR believed the government needed to assure Americans that the country was capable of overcoming the economic crisis. In his 1932 inauguration speech he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He used the radio to bring Americans closer to their President and to provide emotional stability to the country. These were called “fireside chats”. He used his first fireside chat to explain the Emergency Banking Relief Act and to restore faith in the nation’s banks.

Huey Long shakes hands with constituents on the courthouse steps. Long believed that FDR’s New Deal had not done enough to help the poor, and in turn proposed his own plan to redistribute the nation’s wealth, aptly titled “Share the Wealth”. The “Share the Wealth” program proposed to tax the rich heavily and redistribute the money to provide every American family with a house, a car, education for the children, a pension for the elderly, and an income of $2000-$3000 a year. Long was joined by others who wanted to see the government take stronger action to combat the problems of the Depression. Among them were Father Charles E. Coughlin, who broadcast on the radio his beliefs that stronger action should be taken against “banking and money interests,” and Drl Francis E. Townsend, who wanted the government to pay every person over age a month on the condition they spend it.

Billions of Deficit, Billions of Government Spending, by Herbert Johnson: 30s-depression- cartoon. Conservatives criticized the New Deal because they felt it meant excessive government intervention in private enterprise. Conservatives believed that the New Deal crippled businesses with heavy taxes and too many regulations. Republicans often looked at New Deal spending as haphazard and unconcerned about the taxpayers who had to fund it. Some prominent Democrats objected to parts of the New Deal also.

1933; Unemployment among young people; Employed year olds in outdoor conservation work. 1933; Unemployed had little or no money and needed assistance; Provided direct relief to the unemployed for the first time in our nation’s history. 1933; During the Depression farm prices were low, and, as a result, many of the nation’s farmers were suffering economically; Provided farmers compensation for plowing under parts of their crops so that farm prices and thus farm income would rise.

1933; Business failures, low wages, low demand for goods; Set up codes for fair business practices, including regulation labor practices and business production. 1933; Many regions were without electricity and had depleted resources, thus making the area economically depressed; Dams were built along the Tennessee River and its tributaries and hydroelectric power plants were constructed to supply electricity to attract industry and new jobs. 1933; During the Depression depositors lost faith in banks because their deposits were not guaranteed; Government guaranteed the deposits of FDIC-insured banks to restore faith in banks.

1935; Widespread unemployment still hurt the nation in the mid 1930’s; Created jobs on a wide variety of construction projects, such as hospitals, schools, parks as well as work for people in the arts 1935; During the Depression many young people had to drop out of school to work so their families could survive, thus losing a chance to get a good education; Provided young people part-time jobs in and around their schools. 1935; During the Depression Workers were often fired if they attempted to organize a labor union; Established laws guaranteeing workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively and created the National Labor Relations board to enforce these laws.

During the Depression Americans had no protection against the risks of unemployment and old age; Created a national system of pensions for the elderly and unemployment compensation for people who lost their jobs 1938; During the Depression working conditions and wages for laborers often were very poor; Established labor laws, including minimum wages, maximum hours, and overtime compensation 1933; At the beginning of the Roosevelt administration, the national banking system was on the verge of total collapse due to the numerous bank failures; Provided for the government to assess the stability of banks and allowed only those with sufficient funds to satisfy depositors withdrawal requests to remain open.