The New Deal in America
NEW DEAL INFORMATION
The New Deal played a pivotal role in shaping modern day America. During the years from 1933-1940, watershed legislation was passed that drastically changed the government’s role in the economy and in the future of the American people. Upon inauguration, Franklin D. Roosevelt faced the greatest depression in the country’s history. America was in a state of panicked disarray, the citizens’ trust lost and their hopes dwindling. It was under these circumstances that the legislation known as the New Deal was created, its sole purpose to combat the depression. The New Deal was comprised of two distinct attempts to fix the economy: focusing on economic planning from 1933-34 and economic redistribution in 1935-36.
The circumstances that motivated the New Deal were, to say the least, extreme. America was in the greatest depression in its history. Hundreds of thousands of people left home in search for work. Hungry men, women, and children lined the streets of many major cities, many of whom had been evicted from their homes and had to live in shanty towns, dubbed Homervilles. Many Americans reacted to the Depression with resignation and blamed themselves for their economic misfortune. Others took to the streets taking part in protests that were mostly absent leadership and direction. President Hoover’s actions to relieve Americans were deficient and insensitive in the eyes of many Americans. It wasn’t until democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1932, that the government began taking action. Roosevelt faced a vulnerable nation in fear. FDR was quoted saying in his inaugural address, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Roosevelt constantly communicated his message to the American people through speeches and fireside chats, which helped in reassuring the American people. Roosevelt’s plan for aiding Americans started with what he called the New Deal. When Roosevelt envisioned the New Deal, he saw it as an alternative to
The New Deal played a pivotal role in shaping modern day America. During the years from 1933-1940, watershed legislation was passed that drastically changed the government’s role in the economy and in the future of the American people. Upon inauguration, Franklin D. Roosevelt faced the greatest depression in the country’s history. America was in a state of panicked disarray, the citizens’ trust lost and their hopes dwindling. It was under these circumstances that the legislation known as the New Deal was created, its sole purpose to combat the depression. The New Deal was comprised of two distinct attempts to fix the economy: focusing on economic planning from 1933-34 and economic redistribution in 1935-36.
The circumstances that motivated the New Deal were, to say the least, extreme. America was in the greatest depression in its history. Hundreds of thousands of people left home in search for work. Hungry men, women, and children lined the streets of many major cities, many of whom had been evicted from their homes and had to live in shanty towns, dubbed Homervilles. Many Americans reacted to the Depression with resignation and blamed themselves for their economic misfortune. Others took to the streets taking part in protests that were mostly absent leadership and direction. President Hoover’s actions to relieve Americans were deficient and insensitive in the eyes of many Americans. It wasn’t until democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1932, that the government began taking action. Roosevelt faced a vulnerable nation in fear. FDR was quoted saying in his inaugural address, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Roosevelt constantly communicated his message to the American people through speeches and fireside chats, which helped in reassuring the American people. Roosevelt’s plan for aiding Americans started with what he called the New Deal. When Roosevelt envisioned the New Deal, he saw it as an alternative to