The New Deal Era

Name
Professor
Class
9 December 2016
The New Deal Era
Introduction
FDR’s New Deal was a great idea. FDR had some good ideas to help workers find better-paying jobs. Some of them did, in the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). The now famous New Deal began as a campaign promise in July 1932. “I pledge you, I pledge myself,” FDR declares, “to a new deal for the American people.” When Roosevelt took office in March 1933, as much as fifty percent of America’s workforce was either underemployed or unemployed. Roosevelt acted promptly on developing a plan for putting people back to work. These plans are called “The New Deal Alphabet Agencies,” and engaged millions in constructing and repairing America’s infrastructure and produce more culture and works of art (FDR, 1).
Victories
1933 was a busy year for FDR. He works with Congress to restore the country’s faith in the banking system. Congress ends Prohibition. The Gold Standard ends. FDR moves the plan forward for the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and puts a quarter million unemployed back to work. FDR is also responsible for the Fair Labor Act in which standards for minimum wages and how many hours employees could work without getting overtime. He created the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) that sets the basis of Union power. It also set up a forum to settle disputes between different unions. FDR was also responsible for the NWLB (National War Labor Board) which underwrote the wartime expansion of new unions. These were a good start.

Progress takes the time to mature, and some of that was lacking in patience.
Failures
In FDR’s Folly (1), Folsom and Powell clarify “The New Deal spending failed to lift the American economy out of its quagmire and that the expenditure was destined to fail,” (Folsom and Powell, 1). Tax rates climbed in cost, which evaporated capital investments and put it into dozens of rapidly designed government platforms. Those programs became politicized and fashioned unintentional consequences that plunged the US economy into depression, instead of raising the job rate (Folsom and Powell, 1) The 1929 Depression of was the highest financial disaster in U.S. history. The year before FDR becomes president, joblessness in the United States had risen to an extraordinary 16.3 percent. Over eight million Americans were unable to obtain jobs. After nearly two terms Roosevelt and the New Deal, joblessness had increased to 17.2 percent that almost equates to nine and one-half million people were jobless (Folsom and Powell, 1). FDR’s central feat, NRA (National Recovery Administration) actually smothered the exportation of US goods. The banking changes made US banks susceptible to failure. The minimum wage law and social security tax forced most businesses into, or close to bankruptcy (Folsom and Powell, 1).
Conclusion
FDR had some great ideas, and in time, the economy did improve. It was the amount of time, which suggests FDR’s ideas failed. The workers got a boost at the government’s expense. They were happy to have it. The people received assistance from the government to feed their families and save their properties. According to Folsom and Powell, FDR failed. Technically that is a yes. Eventually, the government ironed out most of the issues, and finances did improve for most Americans. The important fact to remember is there are many factors to consider as changes are made. Giving the economy enough time to recover was not one of them.
Works Cited
Roosevelt, Franklin D. FDR Outlining the New Deal Program Marist University 1939 Web
http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/050733.html
Folsom, Burton W., Powell, Jim FDR’s Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the
Great Depression 2010 Foundation for Economic Education FEE 2010 Web
https://fee.org/articles/fdrs-folly-how-roosevelt-and-his-new-deal-prolonged-the-great-depression/
US History Organized Labor US History Online Textbook 2016 Web
http://www.ushistory.org/us/37.asp
Top of Form
Bottom of Form