The Great Depression: Franklin D. Roosevelt And The New Deal

The Great Depression not only one of the most significant crisis, but also left an unforgettable mark in United States history. Back in the late 1920s, the UNited States suffered a major and sudden decline in the U.S. economy which would ultimately be the fate of millions of people. A primary contribution to the cause of the depression began with poor government decisions and actions. Ever since then, the government strove in their efforts with the hope of restoring the economy. Among them was a new president who to some was a new hero and his name was Franklin D. Roosevelt.

When the stock market crashed in 1929, millions of Americans lost their jobs and were dumped into deep poverty. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president by the biggest landslide in history as he was seen as a "new hope" after millions blamed the previous president, Hoover, for the economic downturn. In Roosevelt 's first one hundred days in office, he initiated The New Deal in order to relive, recover and reform the nation. Despite facing criticism from businesses, division among political parties and creating a deficit for the nation the workings of the New Deal were exponentially beneficial short-term and long-term. The constructive effects included providing jobs with better conditions for numerous people, the addition of

Economic involvements had a bigger impact on the great depression. The great depression was a time of need for the Americans. Due to the supplies and accessories shipped out during the war, America was low on supplies, money and control, and president Herbert Hoover did very little in an attempt to overcome this problem. Men and women were driven into what were called Hoovervilles, which was a collection of teepee huts gathered together to make a community. Just as the people thought they had hit rock bottom, a switch of presidents helped make all the difference.

In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the president of the United State after President Herbert Hoover. The Great Depression was also at its height because President Hoover believed that the crash was just the temporary recession that people must pass through, and he refused to drag the federal government in stabilizing prices, controlling business and fixing the currency. Many experts, including Hoover, thought that there was no need for federal government intervention. ("Herbert Hoover on) As a result, when the time came for Roosevelt’s Presidency, the public had already been suffering for a long time.

Discussion Paper #1.2, “Did the New Deal Prolong the Great Depression” Burton W. Folsom Jr. argues that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal stretched out the length of the Great Depression due to the funds it filtered towards special interest groups in a spiral of spending and improper utilization of excise taxes. He writes that the U.S hike in excise taxes was a poor choice. Even more, since the funds filtered towards certain special interest groups disappeared after the first New Deal ended, it left many unemployed and vulnerable again. As a matter of fact, Folsom notes that Roosevelt is rated as one of the greatest presidents, yet his New Deal did far from great things to the American people.

In the following days of October, an incredible misfortune occurred. This event would soon be known as “Black Tuesday”. This unfaithful day was the day where the stock market plummeted leading to a great crash in the economy. This led plenty of individuals to become homeless and live in a state of poverty. Many of these individuals began to create their own society's known as Hoovervilles.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born into a wealthy family on January 30, 1882. Roosevelt was an only child, and his family had been prominent for several generations, having made their fortune in real estate and trade. His family lived in Springwood, New York. First of all the Presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt, helped the American people regain faith in themselves. He brought hope as he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

The Great Depression The Great Depression was by far one of the worst times of America’s history, and the world’s history. The Depression affected everyone except for the politicians and the wealthy. During the depression a lot of people lost their jobs which caused the unemployment rate to sky rocket to 14% of America’s population was unemployed, and the number would stay their till World War 2, and the depression started in the 1920’s. Middle class workers were hit the hardest in the depression. Most of the middle class citizens lost their jobs.

In the history of America, Americans have had to drastically change their livelihood several times. In the 1930s, John Steinbeck became a writer of the struggles Americans faced at the time. Steinbeck’s writing style was quite particular, detailing many aspects of the times and what people were going through. He focused on the lives of average American families and their struggle to make it through the times. The Grapes of Wrath is one of several novels he wrote to express this.

The most significant event in American history that brought tension among different groups particularly class groups was during the great depression. In 1929, when the stock market crashed and many banks closed for the people would be rushing to the banks to get their money out. Many middle class families became irate because everyone (the middle class and lower class) was for the most part money equal. There were several murders and suicide all over money. There were many letters wrote to the Roosevelts asking for help because you could not ask others for help for people’s pride was in the way or others did not have anything to give.

The wealth during the 1920s left Americans unprepared for the economic depression they would face in the 1930s. The Great Depression occurred because of overproduction by farmers and factories, consumption of goods decreased, uneven distribution of wealth, and overexpansion of credit. Hoover was president when the depression first began, and he maintained the government’s laissez-faire attitude in the economy. However, after the election of FDR in 1932, his many alphabet soup programs in his first one hundred days in office addressed the nation’s need for change.