Topic: Critics of the New Deal AIM: Why did extremism during the 1930’s grow?

“The country needs …. Bold, persistent experimentation “The country needs …. Bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something!

I. Court-Packing F. D. R. Fireside Chat, March 9, 1937. The Courts, however have cast doubts on the ability of the elected Congress to protect us against catastrophe by meeting squarely our modern social and economic conditions..... …The three horses are, of course, the Congress, the Executive, and the Courts. Two of the horses, the Congress and the Executive, are pulling in unison today; the third is not... …the Court has more and more often and more and more boldly asserted a power to veto laws passed by Congress and by State Legislatures.... …The Court has been acting not as judicial body, but as a policy making body.... The Court…has improperly set itself up as a third House of Congress -- a super-legislature, as one of the Justices has called it -- reading into the Constitution words and implications which are not there, and which were never intended to be there. We have therefore reached a point as a Nation where we must take action to save the Constitution from the Court and the Court from itself....

A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. U.S. Issue: Did the Constitution give the President the power to regulate trade? Opinion: NIRA declared unconstituional

B. Butler v. U.S. Issue: Opinion:

C. Court Re-organization Plan 1. 2. Reaction: 3. Outcome:

“Playing upon the fears of the American people, several people using the technology of the time proposed simplistic schemes for ending “evil conspiracies.”

II. Extremist Views A. Father Charles E. Coughlin 1. Weekly radio show 2. Inflated currency and nationalizing all banks 3. Anti-Semitic and Fascist 4. Church orders him to stop

B. Dr. Francis E. Townsend 1. 2% sales tax to create a pension fund for seniors 2. Popularity of plan influenced FDR’s Social security

C. Huey Long “Kingfish” of LA. 1. Depression “demagogues” 2. “Share Our Wealth” 3. Min. $5000 income for all Americans by taxing the wealthy 4. 1935 challenges FDR for Dem.. Nomination 5. Assassinated

III. Critics of the New Deal WOMEN, AFRICAN AMERICANS, MINORITIES PROGRESSIVES AND SOCIALISTS REPUBLICANS AND POLITICAL OPPONENTS More opp. for white men Women and blacks paid less Mexicans discriminated against New Deal not doing enough More should be done to distribute the nations wealth Gov’t is becoming too powerful and too big. FDR is like a dictator Taxes on wealthy unfair Socialism

IV. What do the historians say?

V. Lasting Impact Expansion of the power of the Federal Government 1. Creation of Federal Agencies Creation of Programs: Social Security, National Labor Relations act – collective bargaining for unions Increase in National Debt

Introduces Keynesian Theory of Deficit Spending Responsibility of Government for the Economic Well Being of its Citizens Democratic Party – party of civil rights as blacks leave the Republican party and vote Democrat