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

2. FDR’S
SECOND NEW DEAL
Unit Mr. Duncan

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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 that the SCOTUS declared unconstitutional in 1936

6. 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

7. Providing Jobs GOAL: provide more jobs for the unemployed
Works Progress Administration (WPA) – , 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

8. Providing Jobs
Works Progress Administration (WPA) – , 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”

10. 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)

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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