HOW SHOULD WE SOLVE THE CRISIS? Imagine that times are tough and you are down on your luck. Your bank account is dried up and you are about to lose your house, car, wife, and kids. Soon, you will be all alone living in a van down by the river. You get word that the local church is sponsoring THREE speakers who claim they know how to solve the countries (and your) problems. You decide to grab your buddy Joe and head down to hear what the people have to say

Group Writing: Who’s Proposal do you Support? Explain which proposal you would pick and provide a sound justification why you think it would work better than the other (s)?

Say that civilization is a tree which, as it grows, continually produced rot and dead wood. The radical says: "Cut it down. " The conservative says: "Don't touch it. " The liberal compromises: "Let's prune, so that we lose neither the old trunk nor the new branches. " This campaign is waged to teach the country to march upon its appointed course.., avoiding alike the revolution of radicalism and the revolution of conservatism. Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932

Provide tax relief, loans, and encouragement to businesses. Result = “Trickle Down” RFC was an example Discourage federal aid to the poor. Instead, encourage private charities and local and state governments to organize and provide poverty relief. Increase tariffs to protect American businesses from foreign competition. (Backfired)

Experiment by using the Federal Government to provide Relief, Recovery, and Reform Provide direct federal relief to the poor Make a massive federal commitment to public works to provide jobs and encourage economic growth. Government spending will get the economy moving again. Provide aid to farmers in the form of loans and payments to take crops out of production until prices for agricultural goods stabilize.

Have the government, rather than private business owners, control all business enterprises. Have the government seize the income and property of the wealthy and redistribute it so that all Americans share equally Guarantee employment to all workers through government control of industries

YOU DECIDE Think back to our in-class presenters and YOUR original problem. Now look over your notes on the 3 Government Responses: Conservative, Liberal, Radical. Explain how ONE element of ONE of the solutions would alleviate the problems of the Great Depression. Explain how ONE element of that same solution might NOT be helpful to individuals or the Nation Which solution do you think the American people of the 1930’s would choose? Provide 2 pieces of evidence to support you response