FDR & the New Deal

1. Describe how people struggled to survive during the depression.
In the cities, people who had lost their jobs and homes were forced to wrap themselves in newspapers in order to stay warm sleeping on the streets at night. Shantytowns sprung up all over; these were groups of makeshift shacks. In order to get food, people dug through the garbage cans; lines for soup kitchens wrapped around the block. African-Americans suffered severe outpourings of violence, and Latino-Americans faced threats of deportation.
In rural areas, things were not much better. Though people could grow their own food, farmers lost land to the banks and to lenders at rapid rates, and the conditions that were referred to as the Dust Bowl made it impossible to grow any good amount of produce.

2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?
For men, the Great Depression was an extreme stifling of traditional family values. No longer could they provide for their families - it was a loss of pride. They wandered the streets every day, searching in vain for some form of work; if they could not find it, some even left their families rather than stay at home and be a dissapointment.
For women, the Great Depression forced them into a larger, more major role in the household. It was the women who bought things on bargain, the women who mended clothes for reuse after reuse after reuse, the women who scrupulously put together a meal on the table. They did not, by any means, have it easier - they starved quietly at home, unable to get jobs due to sexism.
For children, the Great Depression was a terrible trauma. Lack of medical care and proper wellfare in general caused many child deaths. The school year was shortened, at times abolished completely, but this was not a solace - when children were not in school, they were often forced to work. Some found a way out in riding trains across the country, hopping on the back unseen, but for the most part, children were just as trapped in the despair of the Great Depression as their parents were.

3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.
The Dust Bowl was caused by a few key things: overfarming in the 1800s, overproduction of crops with no rest period, and a natural but devastating drought. The Dust Bowl had an incredible effect on the people who lived in this Western area - farmers could not produce crops, because their land would not hold plants; children and adults alike grew sick from breathing in the vast amounts of dirt that were circulating through the air; it became impossible to keep anything neat or sanitary, for the dust invaded every space.

4. What was the New Deal and its three general goals? (The 3 Rs)
The New Deal was FDR's plan get the nation back on its feet after the Great Depression. It's three goals were relief for the needy, economic recovery, and financial reform.
5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?
During the Hundred Days, Roosevelt passed over 15 pieces of Legislature that worked towards the New Deal. First, he carried out reform in the banking and financial businesses, passing the Emergency Banking Relief Act. He closed all banks; those that were deemed sound via the EBR Act could reopen, while those that were unstable could be given loans and helped to be made firm again.

6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant?
Roosevelt's fireside chats were significant because they connected the president directly to the American populace. For the first time, Americans felt like the president was really getting on their level and working with them, not simply for them. This generated unheard of respect for FDR.

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

*The Emergency Banking Relief Act: Mandated that all banks be inspected by the Treasury Department and evaluated for financial soundness before being reopened.

*The Glass-Steagall Act: Established the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation). The FDIC insured up to $5,000 for each individual account; this proved to Americans that their money was safe, and made banks be more cautious.

*The Federal Securities Act: Forced corporations to make their stock information readily accessible to the public, and made them responsible and punishable for any discrepancies.

*The Securities and Exchange Commision: Overall "watchdog" for the stockmarket; one main goal was to stop insider information from unfairly tipping the balance in the market.