FDR

Six months after taking office, Herbert Hoover faced a nightmare he never thought he would have to endure: An economic collapse on both urban and rural fronts that flattened the swelling confidence that marked the Roaring '20s. The Crash of '29 sent everyone from millionaires on Wall St. to Kansas farmers reeling. And Hoover, who believed that the best form of government was the one that allowed society to solve its own problems, did little to save the sinking ship. Enter Franklin Delano Roosevelt. With an air of confidence and a "do-something" attitude, his New Deal for America may not have solved the depression, but it did help get Americans back to work. From the NYA, to the CCC, to the WPA, the nation was working again as FDR spent millions to fuel the economy. While critics claimed he was just spending public money to artificially inflate the the nation, one thing is for sure: Roosevelt's leadership in a time of crisis was indeed a blessing, and his legacy helped define both the role of president and the role of government: Active partner in the prosperity and well-being of the citizenry.


The covers of Life Magazines often are a window to the nation. This one is no different. A bewildered man looks at the stock ticker paper and can't believe what's happened. His wife, cigarette in hand, shows no concern, a reflection of the decade that produced both her and her husband.	This was a "great" depression because of the breadth of people that it touched. Even the well-to-do, illustrated by this man's suit, shoes and cane, were hit hard. On the streets of San Francisco, this railroad tycoon had to settle for selling apples at a nickel a piece to people on the street.	One image that speaks volumes is this one outside Detroit, 1935. Two contrasts are present: the prosperity of the 20s as a backdrop for a breadline of the 30s. Also, note the color of the two groups.

In addition to the urban crisis, rural America continued to suffer as it did during the previous decade. Alternating years of drought and floods doomed crops. Coupled with low prices, farmers were forced to foreclosed at record rates. The image above is of a Kansas father and his two sons during a dust storm, 1935.	The landmark event of the decade was the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932. The blame for the depression haunted Hoover wherever he went and FDR's confidence, as illustrated by this New Yorker Magazine cover (1933), was just what the nation needed.	FDR's planned a New Deal for the nation. With series of programs with initials like WPA, NRA and CCC, Roosevelt was determined to put the nation back to work. He did so by employing million in the maintenance of trails, the painting of murals, and the construction of bridges, dams and recreational facilities.

One local project completed with the aid of New Deal money was Centennial Beach. The old fashioned swimming pool was completed in 1935 under sponsorship of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) putting local youth to work turning the old quarry into what has become a local legend.	Another project was the bridge over the Chicago River via Lake Shore Drive. At right, the Grand Opening of the bridge, 1937.	FDR also endorsed the importance of dams. The construction of the dams put people to work (Relief) and the finished product harnessed the power of water, allowing electricity to be produced in rural regions (Recovery).

Chapter 22
Section One	Section Two
Describe the economic troubles the U.S. faced (urban and rural).	Describe the suffering during the early depression
Why does the market crash? And bring so many with it?	Men on the Rails...and the women children they left behind
Why did a collapse follow? And Hawley-Smoot make it worse?	How did the depression bring out the best in America?
Section Three
What was Mellon's approach to the depression?
How did it mirror Hoover's personal view of the role of government?
What actions does Hoover take, even if they are too little, too late?
Chapter 23
Section One	Section Two
FDR's Alphabet Soup - New Deal programs and their acronyms	New Deals begins to help...but not nearly enough - Why not?
One Hundred Days of Relief, Recovery and Reform	Farmers (AAA), Professionals (WPA), and Labor (NIRA) seek help
Critics, including the Supreme Court, speak out	The scope and impact Social Security - why so important?
Section Three	Section Four
In what ways were minorities critical of the New Deal?	What did movies like Gone with the Wind offer America during the 40s?
How did the Wagner Act effect the labor movement?	What types of images is artists of the WPA produce?
Urban cities vigorously supported FDR. Why?	How did literary figures praise America?
Section Five
Be able to support both views of FDR - he transformed government or he created more problems than he solved
What legacies of the New Deal still exist today?