PROSPERITY, DEPRESSION, & THE NEW DEAL American History II - Unit 4

FDR’S SECOND NEW DEAL Unit 4.9 Mr. Duncan

The Second New Deal By 1935, FDR wanted to expand on his New Deal - unemployment still high and production still lagged Second New Deal – Also called the Second Hundred Days, FDR’s plan for further relief for farmers and workers

FDR Re-elected for 2nd Term FDR (Dem) re-elected POTUS in 1936 1st election in which many African Americans voted Democratic instead of Republican 1st election in which labor union gave united support to a candidate 1932 1936

Helping Farmers GOAL: provide further relief to farmers Resettlement Administration 1935, created by executive order Provided monetary loans to small farmers to buy land Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act 1936, paid farmers for cutting production of soil- depleting crops and rewarded good soil conservation methods. Similar to the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) in 1933 that the SCOTUS declared unconstitutional in 1936

Helping Farmers Farm Security Administration (FSA) 1937, replaced the Resettlement Administration Loaned over $1B to help tenant farmers become landholders and established camps for migrant farm workers Hired photographers such as Dorothea Lange to take pictures of rural towns and farms to create a pictorial record of the difficult situation in rural America

Providing Jobs GOAL: provide more jobs for the unemployed Works Progress Administration (WPA) – 1935-1943, aimed to create as many public works jobs as possible $11B to give jobs to over 8 million workers, many unskilled 850 airports, constructed/repaired 651,000 miles of road, over 125,000 public buildings

Providing Jobs Works Progress Administration (WPA) – 1935-1943, aimed to create as many public works jobs as possible Murals, theater, travel guides to cities Women sewed clothes and prepared food for needy Critics: gov’t spending money to “make work”

Providing for the Future GOAL: provide specific aid to young people National Youth Administration (NYA) – created to provide education, jobs, counseling, and recreation for young people Student aid in exchange for part-time work at their education institutions Provided part-time jobs to youth who dropped out of school or could not find work after graduation (road work, park maintenance and development, work on ground of public buildings)

Improving Labor Conditions GOAL: raise the standard of living for industrial workers Wagner Act – 1935, reestablished the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) protected workers rights to join unions and participate in collective bargaining management could not threaten firing due to union activity Fair Labor Standards Act – 1938 maximum working hours at 44/week, decreased to 40/week in 1940 Minimum wage at 25 cents/hour, increased to 40 cents in 1945 Rules for workers under 18 years old

Social Security GOAL: provide for the elderly and unemployed Social Security Act – 1935 Old-age insurance for retirees 65 or older and their spouses (supplemental retirement plan) Unemployment compensation Aid to families with dependent children and the disabled

Expanding and Regulating Utilities GOAL: bring electricity to rural areas Rural Electrification Administration (REA) – financed and worked with electrical cooperatives to bring electricity to isolated areas By 1945, 90% of rural farms had electricity