Legacy of the New Deal Chapter 23 Section 4

Women Appointees: Gains: Problems: Frances Perkins Women appointed to important federal positions Slight increase in the # of women working outside the home Problems: Discrimination in the work place Discriminatory wages Discriminatory hiring practices

Labor Laws/agencies Effects: Wagner Act Fair Labor Standards Act Standards for wages and hours Ban on child labor Rights to organize and bargain collectively

Labor unions Unions: Gains: Problems: Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) and (AFL) American Federation of Labor Gains: Better working conditions Increased bargaining power Dramatic increase in union membership Problems: Strike violence Big business opposition to labor unions

Social Welfare Laws/agencies Social Security Act Effects Federal government’s acceptance of some responsibility for the social welfare of its citizens Old-age insurance program Unemployment compensation system Programs to aid families with dependent children and the disabled

Argument Against the New Deal 1. Gave too much power to the Federal Government. 2. Increased the nations debt in order to pay for all of the programs. 3. Did not really end the Great Depression.

Arguments for the New Deal 1. Employed millions of jobless people. 2. Ended the banking crisis. 3. Reformed the stock market 4. Saved poor families from losing their homes. 5. Improved working conditions in industry 6. Built dams, bridges, roads, brought electricity to rural America, preserved millions of acres of national parklands, and repaired federal buildings. 7. Most importantly it restored Americans’ confidence in their government.