FDR & the New Deal

Section 22-2 and 23-1 through page 696


1. Describe how people struggled to survive during the depression.

In cities people were struggling to survive. Families whose parents got fired from their jobs became homeless and soon shantytowns emerged, where they would make makeshift homes out of anything like orange crate/boxes. Also, there were soup and bread lines where people would wait in line for pieces of bread or soup that would be for free or cost very little. The bread and soup was usually provided by charities.
In the rural areas such as Oklahoma and the Dokata's families who once owned farm land, that was lost because they couldn't pay off their debts and loans, were looking for jobs in the west. They would travel to the west in search of jobs usually as farm helpers. Also, if they stayed in the Central Plains area they faced the dust, those areas became known as the Dust Bowl. Huge dust storms went through there and supposidly caused infants and elderly people to die. The Dust Bowl was cause by farmers cultivating the land too much, there wasn't any more plain grass or trees to keep the soil tight so the wind would blow to top soil and then became the Dust Bowl.

2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?

Men during the Great Depression were out looking for jobs in their area almost every day until they finally gave up, they wanted to support their family like they were used to. Others ended up leaving their families and homes and became "hoboes" where they would sleep under bridges and such. Also, it was the start of hitch-hikers, men would try to get rides all over the country after walking in search of jobs. Though men did face hardship so did women. Women were too embarrassed to even wait in the soup and bread lines so they would sit in their homes. They would clean their homes and try to live like they used to and they were better at handling the families money. For example, in the book there were these two women who would buy a pound of hamburger (and split it after) for twenty-five cents each week and every week they would switch on who would pay the extra penny. Children and teenagers also suffered, many younger children were out of school because many schools ended early or just closed, and they also went out looking for work and usually ended up at places where they worked in harsh conditions. Teenagers ended up leaving their families looking for work; they would hop on trains for free and travel.

3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.

The cause of the Dust Bowl was that farmers used their new machines to cultivate the land and they would overuse it. The grass and trees that were once there were no longer able to hold to soil in place when winds came, which sent huge dust storms by wind and hence the name Dust Bowl. Some effects of the Dust Bowl on the people in America was that they had no other choice but to head west to California. They left their land with their families and their few belongings to California via Route 66 in search of work, usually they would get jobs as farmhands.

Objective: Summarize the initial steps Franklin D. Roosevelt took to reform banking and finance.

4. What was the New Deal and its three general goals? (The 3 Rs)

The New Deal general goals were relief for the needy, economic recovery, and financial reform.

5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?

President Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass an act, called the Emergency Banking Relief Act, where the federal government could check banks to see if they could open (in a good financial spot) or if they should not be open because they couldn't pay of their debts, and they would give loans to banks who needed to pay off their debts.

6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant?

Roosevelt's fireside chats were significant because people felt like he was talking directly to them and he used "simple language" where it was easy to understand for people of any class. Many people then understood how banks weren't weak and that they would also invest with their money so that's why they couldn't get their money at the beginning of the Depression. After his talks many people began to trust banks again and put their money back into them.

7. Describe four significant agencies and/or bills that tightened regulation of banking and finance.

One bill that tightened regulation of banking was the Glass-Seagall Act of 1933 where the FDIC was made and it gave federal insurance to individual banking accounts of 5,000 dollars was promised to always be in their account and not be used by the bank. A second bill was the Federal Securities Act which required all companies to give complete information on the stocks that people invested in. Thirdly, the Securities and Exchange Commission was established by Congress and it was made to regulate the stock market, and it warned people of the companies that tried rigging the stock market for its own profit. Lastly, Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass a bill that allowed the sell of some alcoholic beverages where they taxed it and therefor it helped give them revenue. Eventually the twentieth amendment was passed which repealed alcoholic prohibition completely. All of these bills helped to tighten regulation of banking and finance.