Chapter 33: Identifications and Guided Reading Questions
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt was FDR’s wife. As First Lady she was very politically active.
Harry Hopkins
Led FERA. One of FDR’s most influential advisers. Granted $3 billion to states for direct dole payments or wages on work projects.
Frances Perkins
Secretary of Labor; first woman cabinet member
Father Coughlin
Catholic priest in Michigan who began radio broadcasting in 1930; ‘social justice’ anti-New Deal
Huey Long
Senator from Louisiana; ‘share our wealth’. Every family was to receive $5000 at the expense of the rich. ‘Every man a king’
Francis Townshend
California; every senior citizen 60+ years old would receive $200 a month provided that the money was spent within the month.
Harold Ickes
Led PWA to long-range recovery and was the Secretary of the Interior.
Alfred M. Landon
Republican candidate in 1936, but only received votes from Maine and Vermont.
Brain Trust(s)
Small group of reform-minded intellectuals who often ghostwrote FDR’s speeches. Mostly young college professors that authored much of the New Deal legislation.
The three R's
Relief, Recovery, Reform. Part of FDR’s New Deal
National Labor Relation Board
A.K.A. Wagner Act; Administrative board that gave laborers the rights of self-organization and collective bargaining.
Congress of Industrial Organizations
(CIO) Formed by John L Lewis, who was originally boss of the United Mine Workers
Liberty League
The Liberty League consisted of people who were against FDR’s New Deal because they believed that FDR was pushing the US to socialism
Court-packing scheme
Add a new justice to the Supreme Court for every new member over 70 who would not retire. Maximum number is 15 judges.
FDR: A Politician in a Wheelchair
Know: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt
1 What kind of man was FDR?
FDR was a man of the people, similar to Theodore Roosevelt. He was handsome, tall, and athletic and though he was confined to a wheelchair, this may have helped to humble him, making him a likeable candidate. He had a way with words and conveyed a sense of actually caring about the people.
Presidential Hopefuls of 1932
2. What was Roosevelt's campaign message in the 1932 election?
Roosevelt was the Democratic nominee and exuded confidence and appealed to the common man, which was most of the United States population. He radiated a happier tone than Herbert Hoover whom people were beginning to become tired of (they began to wish for change).
The Humiliation of Hoover in 1932
3. What were the immediate results of Roosevelt's victory?
Roosevelt won in a landslide victory and the immediate results were that the majority of blacks, who were traditionally Republicans out of gratitude to Lincoln, converted to Democrats. They saw Democrats as a way to help their department of being hired last.
FDR and the Three R's: Relief, Recovery, Reform
Know: New Deal, Banking Holiday, Hundred Days, Three R's,
4. Describe the New Deal.
The New Deal was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt and consisted of the hundred days and the Three R’s. He also started the bank holiday, which closed banks for a week and allowed him to reform them to get people to trust banks again and restart the economy. The Three R’s were relief, which was an immediate effect, recovery which would keep the United States out of Depression for a couple of years, and reform which would prevent the U.S. from going through the same crisis again.
Roosevelt Manages the Money
Know: Fireside Chats, Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Managed Currency
5. What were the key aspects of FDR's monetary policy?
The key aspects of FDR’s monetary policy were the Emergency Banking Policy, Fireside Chats, the Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act, Managed Currency, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He also took away the gold standard to get people to use federal money on programs in hopes to jump starting the economy.
Creating Jobs for the Jobless
Know: Pump Priming, CCC, FERA, Harry Hopkins, AAA, HOLC, CWA
6. Explain the difference between New Deal agencies and what radical critics wanted the government to do.
FDR wanted to use the government to help people and used Pump Priming to help jump-start the company. His most popular program was the CCC, which helped create more jobs. However, Radical critics didn’t like FDR’s New Deal or its programs and wanted the government to created actual jobs, not fake ones, in their eyes.
A Day for Every Demagogue
Know: Father Charles Coughlin, Huey Long, Dr. Francis E. Townsend, WPA
7. List other historical demagogues.
Some other historical demagogues were Huey ‘Kingfish’ Long, Father Charles Coughlin, and Francis E. Townsend. Each wanted something different to be reformed but was not all were against FDR’s new deal. Most of the demagogues focused on creating equality between the social classes.
New Visibility for Women
Know: Frances Perkins, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead, Pearl Buck
8. Explain the factors that made it possible for these women to gain fame.
The factors that made it possible for these women to gain fame were mainly due to suffrage being granted 10 years before. Many notable women were Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, Frances Perkins, Ruth Benedict, Pearl Buck, and Margaret Mead. Frances Perkins was the first woman cabinet member, Pearl S. Buck wrote ‘The Good Earth’, and Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady.
Helping Industry and Labor
Know: NRA, Sick Chicken Decision, PWA, Harold Ickes
9. How did the NRA attempt to restore industry?
The NRA’s goal was to help labor, industry, and the unemployed. It was one of the most complicated New Deal programs. It set up maximum work hours as well as minimum wages. It tried to spread out to more people and also put an end to child labor.
Paying Farmers Not to Farm
10. How did the federal government attempt to help farmers?
The government attempted to help farmers through the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), which would create artificial scarcity and paid farmers not to farm and reduce supply. It seemed like a wasteful law but caused farm incomes to rise as well as farm unemployment.
Dust Bowls and Black Blizzards
Know: Dust Bowl, Okies and Arkies, The Grapes of Wrath, Indian Reorganization Act
11. How did nature cause problems for some farmers on the plains?
The biggest problem nature caused for some plain farmers was the Dust Bowl. It was an area that suffered long drought caused when winds kicked up and blew dusty topsoil away. It was caused by the dry-plowing technique used by farmers to irrigate only the top inches of soil, creating a powdery layer that easily blew away. John Steinbeck wrote about the many ‘Okies’ and ‘Arkies’ plights and their trek to California in his novel ‘The Grapes of Wrath’.
Makers of America: The Dust Bowl Migrants
Know: San Joaquin Valley, Farm Security Administration, Okievilles
12. In what ways were things better in California? In what ways were they the same?
In some ways things were better in California because the people there did not have to deal with the Dust Bowl problems. California was painted as a bright promise with a life of leisure and plenty amid the palms. However, California was still affected by the Great Depression.
Battling Bankers and Big Business
Know: Federal Securities Act, SEC
13. "Reformist New Dealers were determined from the outset to curb the `money changers....'" Explain.
The Federal Securities Act required businesses to report honest numbers because beforehand they reported fake numbers and lost them and the Securities Exchange Commission helped to keep an eye on businesses.
The TVA Harnesses the Tennessee River
Know: TVA, Creeping Socialism
14. What arguments were used for and against the TVA project?
People needed the TVA because they felt that electricity companies of gouging consumers with high rates and wanted to expand electricity to less urban parts. It would end up helping to improve millions of people’s lives.
Housing Reform and Social Security
Know: FHA, Social Security
15. How did the FHA and Social Security attempt to help some of society's least fortunate?
The FHA and Social Security attempted to help a few of society’s least fortunate set up a plan for the elderly, handicapped, delinquents, and other weak individuals. The payment plan was funded by taxes on employers and workers in which payments would be given to the groups previously mentioned.
A New Deal for Labor
Know: Wagner Act, National Labor Relations Board, CIO, John L. Lewis, Sit-down Strike
16. How did labor respond to the improvement of conditions brought about by the New Deal?
Labor did not respond well at the beginning of 1934; there were many often-violent strikes and Congress even replaced the NRA with the Wagner act, which guaranteed the right of unions to gather and collectively bargain with management. Memberships in labor unions skyrocketed when the Fair Labor Standards Act was created.
Landon Challenges "the Champ”
Know: Alfred Landon, American Liberty League
17. What was the significance of the 1936 election?
FDR was established as a popular president and crushed Alfred M. Landon (the Republican candidate) during the election. FDR would go on to serve 4 terms.
Nine Old Men on the Supreme Bench
18. Why did Roosevelt ask Congress for a bill that would allow him to add justices to the Supreme Court?
Roosevelt asked Congress for a bill that would allow him to add justices to the Supreme Court because he wanted the Supreme Court to go his way. Many of the justices were over 70 and still keeping a Republican grip on things. If FDR had his way, he would make the appointments and greatly increase his power. However, Congress said that it would give him too much power and vetoed the idea.
The Court Changes Course
Know: Court Packing, Hugo Black
19. What were the consequences of FDR's attempt to pack the Court?
FDR was accused of become a dictator, but the Court eventually began to say his way and vote liberally. Many had the suspicion that the court-packing scheme was started in the first place because hardly any of the New Deal bills were passed.
The Twilight of the New Deal
Know: Roosevelt Recession, John Maynard Keynes, Hatch Act
20. Assess the successfulness of FDR in his second term.
Even though FDR was elected for a second term, the Great Depression did not disappear. The economy even took a down-turn with the Roosevelt Recession which was caused by the government’s policies. FDR then cut back on the spending but later reneged and went back to spending heavily.
New Deal or Raw Deal?
21. What criticism of the New Deal seems most fair to you? Least fair?
To me, the New Deal seemed like it spent a lot of money. However, there was no perfect answer to the situation, but the least fair criticism was that very little was accomplished. This is not true because many of FDR’s plans are still in use today.
Varying Viewpoints: How Radical Was the New Deal
Know: Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Carl Degler, Constraints School of Historians, New Deal Coalition
22. What did William Leuechtenburg mean when he called the New Deal a "half-way revolution?" (Your answer should focus more on the information before this term than on the information after it.)
A revolution is similar to that of a huge change in something, like the American Revolution in which the colonists rose up against Great Britain to break away. Leuechtenburg means that American was making a great change with the New Deal, which reshaped American to help bring it back from the abyss of the Great Depression. However, it was neither conservative nor radical as it simply affected the American people’s desires and needs.
Eleanor Roosevelt was FDR’s wife. As First Lady she was very politically active.
Harry Hopkins
Led FERA. One of FDR’s most influential advisers. Granted $3 billion to states for direct dole payments or wages on work projects.
Frances Perkins
Secretary of Labor; first woman cabinet member
Father Coughlin
Catholic priest in Michigan who began radio broadcasting in 1930; ‘social justice’ anti-New Deal
Huey Long
Senator from Louisiana; ‘share our wealth’. Every family was to receive $5000 at the expense of the rich. ‘Every man a king’
Francis Townshend
California; every senior citizen 60+ years old would receive $200 a month provided that the money was spent within the month.
Harold Ickes
Led PWA to long-range recovery and was the Secretary of the Interior.
Alfred M. Landon
Republican candidate in 1936, but only received votes from Maine and Vermont.
Brain Trust(s)
Small group of reform-minded intellectuals who often ghostwrote FDR’s speeches. Mostly young college professors that authored much of the New Deal legislation.
The three R's
Relief, Recovery, Reform. Part of FDR’s New Deal
National Labor Relation Board
A.K.A. Wagner Act; Administrative board that gave laborers the rights of self-organization and collective bargaining.
Congress of Industrial Organizations
(CIO) Formed by John L Lewis, who was originally boss of the United Mine Workers
Liberty League
The Liberty League consisted of people who were against FDR’s New Deal because they believed that FDR was pushing the US to socialism
Court-packing scheme
Add a new justice to the Supreme Court for every new member over 70 who would not retire. Maximum number is 15 judges.
FDR: A Politician in a Wheelchair
Know: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt
1 What kind of man was FDR?
FDR was a man of the people, similar to Theodore Roosevelt. He was handsome, tall, and athletic and though he was confined to a wheelchair, this may have helped to humble him, making him a likeable candidate. He had a way with words and conveyed a sense of actually caring about the people.
Presidential Hopefuls of 1932
2. What was Roosevelt's campaign message in the 1932 election?
Roosevelt was the Democratic nominee and exuded confidence and appealed to the common man, which was most of the United States population. He radiated a happier tone than Herbert Hoover whom people were beginning to become tired of (they began to wish for change).
The Humiliation of Hoover in 1932
3. What were the immediate results of Roosevelt's victory?
Roosevelt won in a landslide victory and the immediate results were that the majority of blacks, who were traditionally Republicans out of gratitude to Lincoln, converted to Democrats. They saw Democrats as a way to help their department of being hired last.
FDR and the Three R's: Relief, Recovery, Reform
Know: New Deal, Banking Holiday, Hundred Days, Three R's,
4. Describe the New Deal.
The New Deal was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt and consisted of the hundred days and the Three R’s. He also started the bank holiday, which closed banks for a week and allowed him to reform them to get people to trust banks again and restart the economy. The Three R’s were relief, which was an immediate effect, recovery which would keep the United States out of Depression for a couple of years, and reform which would prevent the U.S. from going through the same crisis again.
Roosevelt Manages the Money
Know: Fireside Chats, Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Managed Currency
5. What were the key aspects of FDR's monetary policy?
The key aspects of FDR’s monetary policy were the Emergency Banking Policy, Fireside Chats, the Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act, Managed Currency, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He also took away the gold standard to get people to use federal money on programs in hopes to jump starting the economy.
Creating Jobs for the Jobless
Know: Pump Priming, CCC, FERA, Harry Hopkins, AAA, HOLC, CWA
6. Explain the difference between New Deal agencies and what radical critics wanted the government to do.
FDR wanted to use the government to help people and used Pump Priming to help jump-start the company. His most popular program was the CCC, which helped create more jobs. However, Radical critics didn’t like FDR’s New Deal or its programs and wanted the government to created actual jobs, not fake ones, in their eyes.
A Day for Every Demagogue
Know: Father Charles Coughlin, Huey Long, Dr. Francis E. Townsend, WPA
7. List other historical demagogues.
Some other historical demagogues were Huey ‘Kingfish’ Long, Father Charles Coughlin, and Francis E. Townsend. Each wanted something different to be reformed but was not all were against FDR’s new deal. Most of the demagogues focused on creating equality between the social classes.
New Visibility for Women
Know: Frances Perkins, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead, Pearl Buck
8. Explain the factors that made it possible for these women to gain fame.
The factors that made it possible for these women to gain fame were mainly due to suffrage being granted 10 years before. Many notable women were Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, Frances Perkins, Ruth Benedict, Pearl Buck, and Margaret Mead. Frances Perkins was the first woman cabinet member, Pearl S. Buck wrote ‘The Good Earth’, and Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady.
Helping Industry and Labor
Know: NRA, Sick Chicken Decision, PWA, Harold Ickes
9. How did the NRA attempt to restore industry?
The NRA’s goal was to help labor, industry, and the unemployed. It was one of the most complicated New Deal programs. It set up maximum work hours as well as minimum wages. It tried to spread out to more people and also put an end to child labor.
Paying Farmers Not to Farm
10. How did the federal government attempt to help farmers?
The government attempted to help farmers through the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), which would create artificial scarcity and paid farmers not to farm and reduce supply. It seemed like a wasteful law but caused farm incomes to rise as well as farm unemployment.
Dust Bowls and Black Blizzards
Know: Dust Bowl, Okies and Arkies, The Grapes of Wrath, Indian Reorganization Act
11. How did nature cause problems for some farmers on the plains?
The biggest problem nature caused for some plain farmers was the Dust Bowl. It was an area that suffered long drought caused when winds kicked up and blew dusty topsoil away. It was caused by the dry-plowing technique used by farmers to irrigate only the top inches of soil, creating a powdery layer that easily blew away. John Steinbeck wrote about the many ‘Okies’ and ‘Arkies’ plights and their trek to California in his novel ‘The Grapes of Wrath’.
Makers of America: The Dust Bowl Migrants
Know: San Joaquin Valley, Farm Security Administration, Okievilles
12. In what ways were things better in California? In what ways were they the same?
In some ways things were better in California because the people there did not have to deal with the Dust Bowl problems. California was painted as a bright promise with a life of leisure and plenty amid the palms. However, California was still affected by the Great Depression.
Battling Bankers and Big Business
Know: Federal Securities Act, SEC
13. "Reformist New Dealers were determined from the outset to curb the `money changers....'" Explain.
The Federal Securities Act required businesses to report honest numbers because beforehand they reported fake numbers and lost them and the Securities Exchange Commission helped to keep an eye on businesses.
The TVA Harnesses the Tennessee River
Know: TVA, Creeping Socialism
14. What arguments were used for and against the TVA project?
People needed the TVA because they felt that electricity companies of gouging consumers with high rates and wanted to expand electricity to less urban parts. It would end up helping to improve millions of people’s lives.
Housing Reform and Social Security
Know: FHA, Social Security
15. How did the FHA and Social Security attempt to help some of society's least fortunate?
The FHA and Social Security attempted to help a few of society’s least fortunate set up a plan for the elderly, handicapped, delinquents, and other weak individuals. The payment plan was funded by taxes on employers and workers in which payments would be given to the groups previously mentioned.
A New Deal for Labor
Know: Wagner Act, National Labor Relations Board, CIO, John L. Lewis, Sit-down Strike
16. How did labor respond to the improvement of conditions brought about by the New Deal?
Labor did not respond well at the beginning of 1934; there were many often-violent strikes and Congress even replaced the NRA with the Wagner act, which guaranteed the right of unions to gather and collectively bargain with management. Memberships in labor unions skyrocketed when the Fair Labor Standards Act was created.
Landon Challenges "the Champ”
Know: Alfred Landon, American Liberty League
17. What was the significance of the 1936 election?
FDR was established as a popular president and crushed Alfred M. Landon (the Republican candidate) during the election. FDR would go on to serve 4 terms.
Nine Old Men on the Supreme Bench
18. Why did Roosevelt ask Congress for a bill that would allow him to add justices to the Supreme Court?
Roosevelt asked Congress for a bill that would allow him to add justices to the Supreme Court because he wanted the Supreme Court to go his way. Many of the justices were over 70 and still keeping a Republican grip on things. If FDR had his way, he would make the appointments and greatly increase his power. However, Congress said that it would give him too much power and vetoed the idea.
The Court Changes Course
Know: Court Packing, Hugo Black
19. What were the consequences of FDR's attempt to pack the Court?
FDR was accused of become a dictator, but the Court eventually began to say his way and vote liberally. Many had the suspicion that the court-packing scheme was started in the first place because hardly any of the New Deal bills were passed.
The Twilight of the New Deal
Know: Roosevelt Recession, John Maynard Keynes, Hatch Act
20. Assess the successfulness of FDR in his second term.
Even though FDR was elected for a second term, the Great Depression did not disappear. The economy even took a down-turn with the Roosevelt Recession which was caused by the government’s policies. FDR then cut back on the spending but later reneged and went back to spending heavily.
New Deal or Raw Deal?
21. What criticism of the New Deal seems most fair to you? Least fair?
To me, the New Deal seemed like it spent a lot of money. However, there was no perfect answer to the situation, but the least fair criticism was that very little was accomplished. This is not true because many of FDR’s plans are still in use today.
Varying Viewpoints: How Radical Was the New Deal
Know: Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Carl Degler, Constraints School of Historians, New Deal Coalition
22. What did William Leuechtenburg mean when he called the New Deal a "half-way revolution?" (Your answer should focus more on the information before this term than on the information after it.)
A revolution is similar to that of a huge change in something, like the American Revolution in which the colonists rose up against Great Britain to break away. Leuechtenburg means that American was making a great change with the New Deal, which reshaped American to help bring it back from the abyss of the Great Depression. However, it was neither conservative nor radical as it simply affected the American people’s desires and needs.