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

2. “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!

3. 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....

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

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

7. C. Court Re-organization Plan1.
2. Reaction:
3. Outcome:

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

9. 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

10. 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

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

12. 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

13. IV. What do the historians say?

14. 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

15. 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