History 2301E Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Second New Deal, Fireside Chats, Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd
2 May 2018
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January 23, 2018
FDR and the New Deal
➢ Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933-1945
➢ FDR’s First 100 Days
o The 3 R’s
o New Deal Legislation
➢ New Deal Critics
o Huey Long
o Father Coughlin
➢ FDR’S Second New Deal
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933-1945
- Only American president to be elected and re-elected 4 times
- Background
o Born the opposite as Hoover
o Born into wealth, privilege
- Eleanor Roosevelt
o Were political partners with her husband
- Lucy Mercer
o Was Eleanor’s social secretary
o Had a sexual affair with Eleanor
o The 3 came together and came to an agreement
▪ Eleanor would not divorce Franklin
• A divorce man could not become president
▪ Franklin allowed Eleanor to have her own voice
• The ability to pick and choose what social issues she was a part of
• Was a political figure with her own political issues
• Was a champion for black civil rights
• A strong feminist
- Polio
o Left Franklin paralysed
o Took 6 months of physical rehabilitation to do minimal effort
o First time he had to work for something
o This is where he learned compassion
▪ Learned to struggle for the first time
o Never walked again for the first time
o Had an agreement with the press that they never photographed him struggling to
stand up on braces or him in a wheelchair
o Public thought president supposed to be strong and not disabled
- Political career
o Started at local, then state, then federal
- Political talents
o Was not an intellectual
find more resources at oneclass.com
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o He was not committed to an ideology or a political way of thinking
▪ Is ok with experimentation
▪ 1932 election year and Franklin won
The First 100 Days
- Repeal of prohibition
o Got the farmers back to work – gave them a market to make their barley and
wheat
- The banking crisis, 1933
o Fireside chats
▪ 4-Day bank holiday: banks closed doors to get books organized, take a
breath, was a real risk
▪ understood radio – a connection to the outside world
• free entertainment
▪ Roosevelt had a chat every Sunday night
• Told the public about banks: trust him that everything will be okay
• Tells them not to take out their money
o Prevented panic
▪ Was talking to the fears of the American people and it worked
o Impacts
- The Three R’s
New deal is rooted in the three R’s
o Relief
▪ Immediate relief: getting food, shelter, necessities to survive
o Recovery
▪ How do you get the country back on its feet: business and farms going?
o Reform
▪ How do we fix to ensure we don’t get back here?
FDR’s New Deal
The Civil Conservation Corps (CCC)
- Unemployed young men in cities
o Millions, mostly in urban centres
o Fear of total class revolution in the U.S. from these unemployed men
- Rural work camps
o Hire 2 million on unemployed men and sent them to rural government work
camps
- Work
o 9-10 hour days
o building public parks, trail system
- Jobs created
o not getting skills but getting a paycheck
o expected to send some of that money home
o get money circulated in the economy
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Fdr"s first 100 days: the 3 r"s, new deal legislation. New deal critics: huey long, father coughlin. Only american president to be elected and re-elected 4 times. Background: born the opposite as hoover, born into wealth, privilege. Eleanor roosevelt: were political partners with her husband. Political career: started at local, then state, then federal. Political talents: was not an intellectual, he was not committed to an ideology or a political way of thinking. Is ok with experimentation: 1932 election year and franklin won. Repeal of prohibition: got the farmers back to work gave them a market to make their barley and wheat. New deal is rooted in the three r"s: relief. Unemployed young men in cities: millions, mostly in urban centres, fear of total class revolution in the u. s. from these unemployed men. Rural work camps: hire 2 million on unemployed men and sent them to rural government work camps. Work: 9-10 hour days, building public parks, trail system.
