4. FDR launched New Deal – 100 days in office Tried to reassure a troubled nation fireside chats – he explained his programs to the American people and asked for their support

5. Early programs had a limited impact on rural poverty Agricultural Adjustment Administration – paid farmers to not work ¼ to ½ of their tillable land –after 1933 farm prices did rise and farm economy did grow healthier but it generally favored large landowners over tenant farmers and sharecroppers (those who needed it the most) –unintentional effect »it encouraged landowners to dispossess tenants and sharecroppers or fire field hands by making it cheaper to leave the land idle –criticism of AAA – Supreme court declared the agency unconstitutional »Court ruled that the government had no authority to compel farmers to limit production. »AAA programs did not disappear they simply reappeared in a slightly different form Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) –Congress approved the TVA as a government owned corporation –its systems of dams and waterways virtually ended flooding and made water transportation more efficient –brought electricity to more than 400,000 residents (many of whom were using it for the first time) –it produced cheap new fertilizer –helped reduce soil erosion –increased productivity of the region