1. 18.1 FDR Offers Relief and Recovery
Essential Question: How did the New Deal attempt to fix the problems of the Great Depression?

2. General Information
Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated for presidency by the Democratic Party
FDR was governor of NY and had never lived in poverty
FDR married distant cousin Eleanor Roosevelt
FDR wins election on platform of a “New Deal” to bring Amns out of the depression
Focuses on having the gvmnt play an active role in providing relief to Americans

3. FDR’s Cabinet Press nicknamed them “Brain Trust”
Nominated Republicans for his Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of Interior

4. FDR’s First 100 Days Proposed and passed 15 bills
Known as First New Deal
3 goals
Relief
Recovery
Reform
Emergency Banking Bill
Gave president broad powers including the ability to declare a 4-day “bank holiday”
Gave banks ability to get their accounts in order to reopen

5. FDR’s First 100 Days Spoke to public through radio
Known as “fireside chats”
Told the public what was going on and about his reforms
Explained in the 1st fireside chat the concept of the “bank holiday”

6. Reforming the Financial System
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Insured bank deposits up to $5,000
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Regulated the stock market and made it safer for investments
Restores confidence in banks b/c people wouldn’t lose their savings or investments in stock
Helping Farmers
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
Ended overproduction and raised crop prices
Provided financial aid, paid farmers subsidies not to plant part of their land and to excess kill livestock/destroy overproduction of crops
All this allowed crop prices to rise

7. First 100 days con’t TVA Aids Rural Southerners
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Built a series of dams in TN River valley to control floods and generate electric power
Gives people electricity, running water and proper sewage
Replanted forests, built fertilizer plants, created jobs, attracted industries
Critics called the TVA socialists b/c gave government direct control of business
Private companies couldn’t compete b/c TVA didn’t pay taxes

8. Relief and Industrial Recovery
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Provided jobs for young men replanting forests, building trails, digging irrigation ditches, fighting fires
Also available to minorities
Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA)
Granted federal funds to state and local agencies to help unemployed
Civil Works Administration (CWA)
Provide jobs on public-works projects
Homeowners Loan Corporation (HOLC)
Loaned money at low interest rates to homeowners who couldn’t make mortgage payments
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
Insured bank loans used for buildings and repairing homes

9. Relief and industrial Recovery con’t
National Industrial Recovery Act
Created the National Recovery Administration (NIRA)
Worked with businesses and labor leaders to develop codes of fair competition to govern industries
Established minimum wages and prices for goods
Goal: increase wages of workers so they could buy more goods and raise prices so companies can make profit
Public Works Administration (PWA)
Built bridges, dams, power plants, and government buildings

10. Opposition to the New Deal
Far Right (conservatives/Republicans)
“made government too powerful”
Accused the president of being socialist
Government telling business how to operate and spend money
Believed it undermined individualism and free enterprise
Formed the American Liberty League
Believed Roosevelt deserted the Democratic Party’s principles of limited federal government
Far Left (liberals/Democrats)
Believed gvmnt didn’t do enough
Roosevelt only wanted to save the banks and ensure profits for big business
Believed it to be a “capitalist ruse”