1. The End of the New Deal

2. End of the New Deal
The 1936 election saw the birth of a new Democratic coalition that would last for 30 years: South, West, urban, labor, ethnic groups, blacks, & the poor
New Deal reached its high point when FDR was re-elected in 1936
FDR’s experienced more setbacks in his 2nd term than is 1st term but he still remained a popular leader

3. Packing the Supreme Court
U.S. v. Butler
(1936)
Schechter v. U.S.
(1935)
The Supreme Court was FDR’s last obstacle to overcome:
The Court ruled the NRA & AAA were unconstitutional
FDR’s solution was to ask Congress to appt 1 new justice for each justice over 70 yrs old
This controversial “court packing” plan would add 6 new justices
All 9 justices were old, white men; Only 3 were sympathetic to the New Deal; 2 were unpredictable; 4 wanted to block New Deal
Justice Willis Van Devanter planned to retire in 1932, but stayed on because he felt FDR was “unfitted & unsafe for the presidency”

5. Packing the Supreme Court
The court-packing scheme was legal but set a scary precedent:
The Senate strongly resisted FDR & the Court defended itself against “ageism” attacks
The crisis ended when the Court declared the Wagner Act & Social Security constitutional & Judge Van Devanter resigned
FDR eventually appointed 5 justices to the Supreme Court in his 4 terms

6. The End of the New Deal 1938 saw the end of the New Deal
Other than the Fair Labor Standards Act, FDR’s 2nd term saw no new New Deal programs
FDR’s court-packing plan hurt his relationship with Congress
The “Roosevelt Recession” of 1937 was the result of FDR’s attempt to reduce gov’t spending & balance the budget
FDR’s attempt to balance budget & reduce WPA spending led to 2 more years of Depression hardships

7. Unemployment,

8. The Impact of the New Deal

9. The Impact on Organized Labor
Used strikes & sit-ins to unionize Ford, Chrysler, & GM
Unions were weak in the 1920s:
Only 3 million people were union members; Most joined the AFL which barred unskilled laborers
In 1938, John Lewis formed the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) & used the Wagner Act to bring collective bargaining to more workers
Unionized the textile, rubber, electrical, metal industries
Peacefully unionized U.S. Steel
By 1940, the CIO had more union members than the AFL (~10m total)

10. The Impact on Organized Labor
For the 1st time, unskilled & skilled laborers were unionized:
Women & African-Americans benefited because they made up a large % of unskilled labors
While the New Deal’s Wagner Act helped make unions stronger, major steps to unionize were initiated by the unions themselves, not the federal gov’t

11. The Impact on Women
The New Deal brought few economic benefits to women:
The New Deal allowed for unequal wages; Social Security, the NRA, & minimum wage laws offered little help for women
But, women did see gains in gov’t:
The 1st female cabinet member, Senator, ambassadors, & judges were appointed under FDR

12. The 1st female cabinet member: Francis Perkins (Dept of Labor)
The 1st female Senator: Hattie Caraway (D-Arkansas)

13. The Impact on African-Americans
The New Deal did little for blacks:
Racism & segregation remained strong during the Depression
The NRA allowed lower wage scales for black workers; The AAA allowed for the eviction of sharecroppers & tenant farmers
Minimum wage & SS did not apply to farmers & domestic servants (65% were black)
The NRA stands for “Negroes Robbed Again”
Social Security “looks like a sieve with the holes just large enough for the majority of Negroes to fall through”
—NAACP
Blacks were the last hired & first fired
Blacks experienced 50% unemployment rate
AAA is a “continuation of the same old raw deal”

14. The Impact on African-Americans
Despite the inequalities of the New Deal, blacks supported FDR:
FDR hired African-Americans to key gov’t positions
Eleanor Roosevelt spoke out against racial discrimination
The RFC brought assistance to 40% of unemployed blacks through the WPA
“While relief & WPA are not ideal, they are better than the Hoover bread lines & they’ll have to do until the real thing comes along”

15. Eleanor Roosevelt with singer Marian Anderson

16. The Impact on Mexican-Americans
Mexican-Americans fared even less than African-Americans:
The Dust Bowl led to a flood of whites into the agricultural fields in the southwest
Congress created immigration restrictions & allowed for the deportation of illegal residents to reduce state welfare payments
Received few New Deal benefits

17. The Impact on Native Americans
Native-Americans remained the poorest of all U.S. residents but did benefit from the New Deal
The Indian Reorganization Act shifted U.S. Indian policy from Indians as yeoman farmers to unified & autonomous tribes
Many gained employment in the Indian Bureau

18. The Impact on the South & West
The South & West benefited the most from the New Deal:
The AAA helped end Southern dependence on sharecropping in favor of a wage labor system
The West received more work relief & welfare than any region
Hydroelectric power & irrigation programs helped residents

19. Conclusion: The New Deal & American Life

20. The New Deal and American Life
First
Hundred Days
Second
Hundred Days
The New Deal lasted only 5 years ( ); The majority of laws came in 2 bursts in 1933 & 1935:
The New Deal was not very successful economically:
Helped relieve suffering but did not end the Depression
American wealth remained unequally distributed
10 million were still unemployed in 1939
12 million were unemployed when FDR took office in 1933

21. The New Deal & American Life
The New Deal was more successful socially:
Social Security, Wagner Act, & the Fair Labor Standards Act helped elderly & disabled citizens, labor unions, & workers
The New Deal did not help women, minorities, domestic workers, or small farmers
Fair Labor Standards Act

22. The New Deal and American Life
The New Deal was most successful politically:
FDR’s leadership unified a new Democratic voting bloc
FDR used his leadership & optimism to provide a vital psychological lift to help citizens endure the Great Depression