1. Objectives
Learn how Franklin Roosevelt won the presidential election.
Find out how the New Deal tried to promote economic recovery.
Understand what new laws regulated America’s economic system.
Identify the obstacles and criticisms faced by the New Deal.

2. Terms and People
Franklin D. Roosevelt – American President who created the New Deal
fireside chat – informal radio broadcast delivered by President Roosevelt to the American people
Huey Long – Democratic senator from Louisiana
Francis Townsend – doctor whose idea for a system of payments to retirees helped pave the way for the Social Security system

3. Terms and People (continued)
pension – retirement payments
Charles Coughlin – Catholic priest who called on the government to take over the banks

4. How did President Roosevelt respond to the Great Depression?
President Hoover’s actions did little to end the poverty and homelessness that gripped the country.
In 1932, Americans had the opportunity to elect a new leader, and they took it.

5. Roosevelt inspired confidence and hope in voters.
President Hoover’s opponent in the election was Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate for Vice President in 1920
Polio survivor
Governor of New York
Roosevelt inspired confidence and hope in voters.
He won the election by a landslide.

6. Roosevelt and his advisors had three goals:
To make well-informed decisions, Roosevelt conferred with the “brain trust,” a group of advisors that included college professors.
Roosevelt and his advisors had three goals:
foster economic recovery
provide relief for the jobless
prevent future depressions

7. On the day after Roosevelt took office, he began to address the banking crisis.
Bank Holiday
Closed the banks for four days
Helped halt the wave of bank failures
Emergency
Banking
Relief Act
Provided more careful regulation of the banks

8. During the bank holiday, FDR delivered the first of many fireside chats.
The fireside chats were meant to restore the public’s trust in banks.
When the banks reopened, many customers returned, ready to redeposit their money.

9. Roosevelt took further steps to address the economic causes of the depression.
He created the National Recovery Agency (NRA) to keep prices stable and boost employment and buying power.
Encouraged industries to:
Pay a minimum wage
End child labor
Keep wages and prices from falling too low
The NRA failed to improve the economy.

10. Next, Roosevelt turned to job relief, creating programs to put people back to work.
Organization
Location
Projects
Civilian Conservation Corps
national parks, forests, and wilderness areas
Hired workers to plant trees, build reservoirs, and construct parks
Works Progress
Administration
urban areas
Hired workers to repair buildings, pave roads, and build bridges
Hired artists and writers to enhance public projects
Public Works Administration
tunnels, highways, and dams
Hired workers to plan and build large public-works projects

11. Workers at the WPA and PWA completed projects that benefited communities across the country.

12. Yet the Great Depression continued, despite American’s hard work.

13. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built dams along the Tennessee River to control flooding, provide electricity, and increase jobs.
The TVA succeeded in many of its goals. However, it failed to bring prosperity to the region.

14. Finally, Roosevelt took steps to reform business practices to prevent future depressions.
Truth-in-Securities Act
Required full disclosure of stock information
Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation
(FDIC)
Guaranteed individual bank deposits
Other agencies set new fairness and safety standards for key industries.

15. In just his first one hundred days in office, FDR had created the framework of the New Deal.
The economy still struggled, yet FDR remained popular.
He easily won re-election in 1936.

16. Not all Americans, however, were happy with the New Deal.
Conservatives thought the New Deal placed too many restrictions on businesses and individuals.
The Supreme Court declared several New Deal measures to be unconstitutional.
FDR responded with a proposal to name six new justices to the Court.
Roosevelt’s “court-packing” plan was rejected by Congress.

17. Liberals thought the New Deal did not do enough to help the poor.
Huey Long wanted to tax the rich and give their wealth to the poor.
Charles Coughlin urged the government to take over the banks.
Francis Townsend argued for a system of government pensions for retirees.
Such critics attracted attention, yet they were unable to damage Roosevelt’s continued popularity.

18. Section Review
QuickTake Quiz
Know It, Show It Quiz